Use The Digits

A Maths Starter of The Day

Use the digits
6, 7, 5, 3 and 7
to make 4315

You have five minutes to get as close to 4315 as possible using any mathematical operations you know.

 

Starter of The Day Menu | Transum Software | Privacy Policy


Topics: Starter | Arithmetic

  • The Best Maths Class (7cdM2), King Alfred's College, Oxfordshire.
  • Monday, March 02, 2009
  • "Very,very good but clearer instructions would have been helpful. Can we have something more challenging please!"
  • Christine Fraser, St Patrick's Catholic Primary School WELLINGTON TELFORD
  • Tuesday, March 03, 2009
  • "Children initially would have liked more information. e.g. Could they use each number more than once.
    Children thought they had to use integers individually not combine to form HTU.
    Solved though!"
  • Mike Litoris, Mianus, Nebraska
  • Wednesday, March 04, 2009
  • "I was surprised to find that I had found it a different way.
    33 (16) + 8 = 536
    as well as, the one I used, (making a simple answer that much more difficult)
    (8^3) + 6 (1 + 3) = 536."
  • Red Table (Callum,Callum Nico Tremayne Shaun), Cheadle Primary School
  • Thursday, February 25, 2010
  • "It was very challenging and very very fun. It was easier because it was a team effort."
  • Adenike Onifade, London
  • Wednesday, March 24, 2010
  • "I find this very good to teach life skills, I told my pupils that often in life our only limitations are the ones we impose on ourselves. The question did not say what you can or can not do, so get creative and do whaever you want to do: HTU by TU, repeat digits,double it, make up your rules. the differentiation is built in, If the whole class can get the answer the I would have imposed certain conditions to make it more difficult. Good idea, welldone."
  •  

  • Frances, Wales
  • Thursday, March 10, 2011
  • "The instructions could have been clearer. We weren't sure whether to use numbers more than once."
  • Netherlee Primary, Mrs Sweeney's Epic Maths Set
  • Thursday, March 01, 2012
  • "Clearer instructions would have been better. We were confused as to whether we could use the numbers more than once. We enjoyed the challenge though and one girl in the class managed to work it out. We did not use calculators."
  • 7O, Telford
  • Friday, March 02, 2012
  • "Good exercise, but the instructions need to be clearer. In particular it should state that each digit can only be used once."
  • Alan Brooke-feather, Wolverley High School Worcs
  • Friday, March 02, 2012
  • "Clearer instructions please, otherwise a good starter my top set yr 7s enjojed it."
  • Sharon Wray, Geneva
  • Thursday, March 22, 2012
  • "A brilliant starter. We use this at least once a week and the children love it. Year 6 class Geneva. Thank you!"
  • Steve Eastop, Margate, Kent, UK
  • Sunday, March 03, 2013
  • "My solution is:
    2^(8-1) x (2+1) which is equivalent to: 2^7 x 3 which is, in turn, equivalent to: 128 x 3 which = 384. This method uses all the numbers except the 6! The question doesn’t stipulate that you can’t use the numbers as powers/exponents/indices, etc…."
  • Rosie Meynell, Kilgraston School
  • Monday, March 04, 2013
  • "Kilgraston L4 (Rosie Meynell) achieved 2207 by:
    (3^(8-1))+(5x4)=2207. Yay!"
  • Mr Mcmillan, Wicor Primary School
  • Tuesday, March 26, 2013
  • "We got 930 after a painfull hour!!! but eventually we got it."

How did you use this starter? Can you suggest how teachers could present or develop this resource? 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.

If you don't have the time to provide feedback we'd really appreciate it if you could give this page a score! We are constantly improving and adding to these starters so it would be really helpful to know which ones are most useful. Simply click on a button below:

Excellent, I would like to see more like this
Good, achieved the results I required
Satisfactory
Didn't really capture the interest of the students
Not for me! I wouldn't use this type of activity.

This starter has scored a mean of 3.2 out of 5 based on 135 votes.


Previous Day | This starter is for 2 March | Next Day


Transum Shop Visit the Transum Online Shop Transum Shop
Transum Shop

 

Answer

One possible solution is 56 x 77 + 3 = 4315

Are there any others?

What strategies did you use?

Did you use your head, paper or a calculator?

Or did you use all three?

Could a computer help solve this problem?

Would you improve if you practised solving problems like this?

How could a group of students efficiently work together on a problem like his?