Arithmetic

There are 366 different Starters of The Day, many to choose from. You will find in the left column below some starters on the topic of Arithmetic.

A lesson starter does not have to be on the same topic as the main part of the lesson or the topic of the previous lesson. It is often very useful to revise and consolidate topic by using a starter based on a totally different topic. Some of the most popular starters are shown in the right column below.

Main Page
 

Arithmetic Starters:

5.5 times table: Write out the 5.5 times table as far as possible.

Abundant Buses: A game based around the concept of abundant numbers.

Add Just In Time: Calculations appear on the screen every 10 seconds.

Aint One: Use a calculator to find which whole number divided by another whole number gives 1.8181818181.

All for 100: Can you write an expression for 100 which uses all the digits 1 to 9?

All The Nines: Arrange the numbers 1-9 to make three 3 digit numbers that add up to 999.

Arrange The Numbers: Arrange the numbers 1 to 14 in the white circles so that the sums are correct.

Aunt Sophie's Post Office: Work out the number of stamps needed to post a parcel.

Big Order: Estimate and calculate then put the large numbers in order.

Broken Calculator: Use only the 1, 5 and 0 keys on a calculator to make given totals.

Broken Calculator 23: Make the numbers 1 to 20 using only the keys on the broken calculator.

Broken Calculator 34: Some keys are missing from this calculator. Just how useful is it?

Broken Calculator 45: which numbers can be made with the buttons which haven't dropped off this calculator.

Calc-A-Hundred: A game for two players requiring a calculator and thinking skills.

Calculator Nim: A game in which players take turns to add a single-digit number to what is already in the calculator. The winner is the player who makes the display show 30.

Cal-Q-Late: Six calculations to perform without a calculator.

Clouds: Some calculations are partly obscured. Work out what those calculations might be.

Consecutive: Three consecutive numbers multiplied together give a given product. Students are asked to figure out what the numbers are.

Consecy Brothers: Which three consecutive numbers multiplied together give the given answer.

Countdown: How close can you get to the target by making a calculation out of the five numbers given?

Cracked Clock: How did the clock break if the numbers on each of the pieces added up to the same total.

De-Number: Which group of four numbers, arranged in a square, has the largest total?

Digivide: Arrange the digits 1 to 6 to make a three digit number divided by a two digit number giving a one digit answer.

Divide Add: Four divisions. Add the answers together.

Divide and Rule: Four divisions to do without a calculator.

Division Quickulations: Random divisions calculations appear on screen every ten seconds.

Double Trouble: Begin with one, double it, double it again and so on. How many numbers in this sequence can you write down before the register has been called?

Doubling: Double the numbers given in the table.

Express This Year: Find an expression for the current year which uses all of the digits 1 to 9.

Faulty Button: Find out which of the calculator keys is faulty from the given information.

Firewords: Find words which cost 100p if A costs 1p, B costs 2p etc

Flowchart: Use the flowchart to generate a sequence of numbers. Which number will reach 1 the fastest?

For Starters: Four calculations. Add up the answers.

For Thought: Add up the answers to the four real life questions.

Four Gone: An activity involving a broken calculator which is missing the four button. Can you evaluate the given expressions without using the four?

Four Make 999: Find four numbers from the ones given that add Up to 999.

Four problems: For mathematical questions.

Four to Seven: Which of the numbers from 1 to 20 can you make with the digits 4, 5, 6 and 7?

Half a Dozen: Six calculations to complete without a calculator.

Half a Pound: If A costs 1p, B costs 2p, etc can you find a word which costs exactly 50p?

Halve it: Start with 512. Halve it to get 256. Halve it to get 128. Continue as far as possible.

Happy Numbers: To find out whether a number is happy or not, square each of its digits, add the answers and repeat. If you end up with 1 the number is happy! How many other happy numbers can you find?

Hole in One: If six girls can plant 90 trees in a day. How many trees can ten girls plant in a day? The unitary method.

How many of Each?: Pens cost 12p each, Pencils cost 9p each, Richard spent 72p altogether. How many pens and pencils did he buy?

Jeopardy: Loosely based on the famous television show, how many questions cn you come up with for a given answer?

Justundera Quid: Find a word whose letters would cost exactly ninety nine pence.

Khmer's Homework: Check a student's homework. If you find any of the answers are wrong write down a sentence or two explaining what he did wrong.

Largest Product: Arrange the numbers to produce the largest product.

Letter Clue Calculations: Work out what the calculations might be from the letter clues.

Lucky Numbers: Arrange the numbers so that the totals of the three numbers along any line are the same.

Maggots: Do as many of the calculations as possible before the maggots infest!

Magic Square: Arrange the numbers 1 to 9 in a 3 by 3 grid to form a magic square.

May Day: Add together the dates of all the Thursdays in May this year.

Mental Test 10: The starter is a PowerPoint file containing a twenty question mental arithmetic test. It will advance from one question to the next automatically.

Mental Test 9: A traditional twenty question mental arithmetic test presented as a PowerPoint presentation.

Meta Products: Which numbers when multiplied by the number of letters in the word(s) of the number give square numbers?

Mirror Maths: The bottom half of some symmetrical calculations are shown above. Can you work out the answers?

Missing digits: Work out what the missing digits in the calculations are.

Missing Operations: Each red box represents a missing operation (+, -, x or ÷). Can you find what they are?

Missing Pound: A puzzle about a restaurant bill.

Movie Minutes: Calculations involving hours and minutes based on the runing times of popular DVDs.

Ms Tayke: How many times can you take one number from another?

Mult Sum Diff Div: For each pair of numbers multiply the sum by the difference then divide the answer by 5.

Multiplication Grid: Can you fill in the gaps of this multiplication grid?

Multiply Just In Time: Calculations appear on the screen every 10 seconds.

Multiply Quickulations: Random multiplications appear on screen every ten seconds.

Multiply, Add, Subtract and Divide: For each pair of numbers subtract the sum from the product then divide the result by 20 ... without a calculator.

Nim: The classic game of Nim played with a group of pens and pencils.

Noodlewhack: Divide one whole number by another on your calculator. If the answer has one digit repeated but no other digits you have a Noodlewhack.

Oblongs: Find the dimensions of a rectangle given the perimeter and area.

On The Double: Double the given numbers.

One Digit 100: How many ways can you write an expression for 100 which only uses the same digit repeated and any operations?

Only One Number: Find other numbers that can be changed to 1 on a calculator using only the 4 key and any operation.

Percent Table: Complete the table showing various percentages of numbers.

Plane Numbers: Arrange numbers on the plane shaped grid to produce the given totals

Plus: A number puzzle suitable for children with a wide range of abilities.

Plus Four: Four addition sums.

Point Three Six Recurring: Use your calculator to find which whole number divided by another whole number gives the answer 1.36363636

Product Practice: Work out the answers to the given calculations then add the answers together.

Puddings: Complete the calculations with the weights of the puddings

Pyramid Puzzle: Arrange numbers at the bottom of the pyramid which will give the largest total at the top.

Quick: Develop a quick way of multiplying by 1001.

Quotients: Work out the answers to the given calculations then add the answers together.

Rock an Roll: Each different letter stands for a different digit. Can you make sense of this word sum.

Roundabout: Go around the roundabout performing each of the operations. Which starting point gives the largest answer?

Rounding 1dp: Round off the given numbers to 1 decimal place then add the answers together.

Rounding 2dp: Round off the given numbers to 2 decimal places then add the answers together.

Rounding Whole: Round off the given numbers to the nearest whole number then add the answers together.

Route to Las Vegas: Work out the cheapest route from Los Angeles to Las Vegas by choosing the best route and adding up the given numbers.

Second Holiday: Estimate then work out the period of time equal to the given number of seconds.

Sequences 2: Continue the sequences if you can work out the rule.

Shadow Sums: Make four sums from the numbers given.

Sid's Schemes: Work out which is the best scheme for Sid to choose for his summer bonus. One scheme involves a common misconception about percentages.

Six Discrimination: An activity involving a calculator which is missing the six button. Can you evaluate the given expressions without using the six?

Six for Starters: Six calculations to perform.

Six of the Best: Six calculations to perform.

Square Thinkers: Start your Maths lesson with this mental activity which asks students to find Pythagorean Triples.

Stacks of Sums: Write down many different types of calculations which give a particular answer.

Stencils: Which of the coloured stencils will fit over the numbered card to produce correct calculations?

Strange Tables: A challenge to learn an unfamiliar times table involving decimals.

Student Loans: Six students borrow £5000 to help pay for their university course. Calculate how much each will have to pay back to the lender.

Subtract Just In Time: Calculations appear on the screen every 10 seconds.

Sudoku Sum: What is the sum of the numbers missing from the given Sudoku puzzle?

Sum Square: Arrange the numbers one to eight into the calculations to make the totals correct..

Sum Story: Make up a real life story for the given calculations.

Table Legs: learn a times table from the strategic finger!

Targets: Use the given numbers to get as close to the target as possible.

Tasty Take-Aways: Work out the answers to the given calculations then add the answers together.

Team Age: Work out who is in which team from the clues given.

Three and a Half: Write down as many multiples of 3.5 as possible in 3.5 minutes.

Three Make 1000: Find three numbers from the ones given that add Up to 1000.

Ticker News: A Think Of A Number problem presented as a news ticker.

Time Trials: You have 10 seconds to answer each of the mental arithmetic questions.

Timed Tables: How fast can you answer 25 mixed times tables questions?

Tools: Place the numbers on the triangle so that the totals along each of the sides are equal.

Tree Frog: Find which whole number divided by another whole number gives the answer: 1.090909091

Triples: Complete the calculations using only the given numbers.

Triplets: Look for combinations of three numbers which add up to a given total.

Tutu 5!: Which of the numbers from 1 to 20 can you make with the digits: 2, 3, 4 and 5?

Twin Totals: Find the two calculations that give the same total.

Two Numbers: The sum and product are given, can you find the two numbers?

Two Thirds: Make a poster showing a variety of calculations that give the answer two thirds.

Un-magic Square: Arrange the numbers 1 to 9 in a 3 by 3 grid so that none of the line totals are the same.

Use the digits: Use the digits 8, 9, 7, 1 and 7 to make 7567.

Veruca Value: The Veruca Value of a word is the number of vowels multiplied by the number of consonants. How many words can you find with Veruca Value of 24?

Warm Up: Four quick Maths questions to warm up the brain.

What are they?: A starter about the sum and product of numbers.

Windmill: Arrange the numbers on the yellow squares so that the totals along each line of three squares are equal.

Word Difference: Can you find substitutions which will make the word sum correct?

Word Sum: Each letter stands for a different digit. Can you make sense of word sum?

Wrong Way Round: Find calculations which written back to front give the same answer.

Complete Index of Starters
 

Featured Starter "Student Loans" Which student got the best deal?

The ability to perform mathematical calculations is still very important and supports the understanding of Mathematics. Mathematicians still consider mastery of the manual algorithms to be a necessary foundation for the study of algebra and computer science.

See also the "Mental Methods" Starters.

Arithmetic Teacher Resources:

Broken Calculator (2 and 3): How can you make use of a calculator if it only has two number buttons.

Broken Calculator (3 and 4): How can you make use of a calculator if it only has two number buttons.

Broken Calculator (4 and 5): How can you make use of a calculator if it only has two number buttons.

Countdown: How close can you get to the target by making a calculation out of the five numbers given?

Just In Time: Every 10 seconds a new calculation appears on the screen: A dynamic visual aid.

Plus: A number arranging puzzle

Six Discrimination: A broken calculator puzzle

Tri Numbers: A number arranging puzzle

Un-Magic Square: Like the magic square but all of the totals should be different.

Arithmetic Activities:

All The Nines: Use the digits 1 to 9 to make three 3 digit numbers which add up to 999

Broken Calculator (1 and 5): Use only the 1, 5 and 0 keys on a calculator to make given totals

Broken Calculator (2 and 3): How can you make use of a calculator if it only has two number buttons.

Broken Calculator (3 and 4): How can you make use of a calculator if it only has two number buttons.

Broken Calculator (4 and 5): How can you make use of a calculator if it only has two number buttons.

Chain Challenge: How fast can you perform all of the given operations without using a calculator?

Christmas Presents: Work out the cost of the Christmas presents from the information given.

Clouds: Can you work out which numbers are hidden behind the clouds?

Fast Factors: How quickly can you arrange the cards to match the times tables?

How Many?: Work out how many items were bought from the information given.

Know Your Place: Without a calculator perform some calculations requiring a knowledge of place value.

Largest Product: Arranging digits to produce the largest product

Lucky Numbers: Arrange the numbers so that the totals of the three numbers along any line are the same.

Magic Square: Each row, column and diagonal should prouce the same sum, Student Version.

Pentransum: Mathematical questions with five possible answers.

Plane Numbers: Arrange numbers on the plane shaped grid to produce the given totals

Six Discrimination: A broken calculator puzzle

TablesMaster: How fast can you answer times table questions?

Ten Multiplications: Ten multiplications for you to do without a calculator.

Ten Subtractions: Ten subtractions for you to do without a calculator.

Ten Sums: Ten sums for you to do without a calculator.

Tri Numbers: A number arranging puzzle

Un-Magic Square: Like the magic square but all of the totals should be different.

Arithmetic Investigations:

Aunt Sophie's Post Office: Investigate the ways of making up various postage amounts using 3p and 8p stamps.

Arithmetic Videos:

Misconceptions: Some people have some strange ideas about multiplication and division.

Multiplication: A different way to multiply together numbers. Can you see how it works?

Have today's starter of the day as your default homepage. Copy the URL below then select
Tools > Internet Options (Internet Explorer) then paste the URL into the homepage field.

Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for Maths teachers anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments.