Math Review Tricks
Math Review Tricks
Mathematics can be fun if you treat it the right way. Maths is nothing less than
a game, a game that polishes your intelligence and boosts your concentration.
Compared to older times, people have a better and friendly approach to
mathematics which makes it more appealing. The golden rule is to know that
maths is a mindful activity rather than a task.
There is nothing like hard math problems or tricky maths questions, it’s just
that you haven’t explored mathematics well enough to comprehend its
easiness and relatability. Maths tricky questions and answers can be
transformed into fun math problems if you look at it as if it is a brainstorming
session. With the right attitude and friends and teachers, doing math can be
most entertaining and delightful.
1. If 1=3
2=3
3=5
4=4
5=4
Then, 6=?
Answer: is 3, because ‘six’ has three letters
3
3. Replace the question mark in the above problem with the appropriate
number.
Answer:
6
5. There are 49 dogs signed up for a dog show. There are 36 more small
dogs than large dogs. How many small dogs have signed up to
compete?
This question comes directly from a second grader's math homework.
Answer:
42.5
To figure out how many small dogs are competing, you have to subtract 36
from 49 and then divide that answer, 13 by 2, to get 6.5 dogs, or the number
of big dogs competing. But you’re not done yet! You then have to add 6.5 to
36 to get the number of small dogs competing, which is 42.5. Of course, it’s
not actually possible for half a dog to compete in a dog show, but for the sake
of this math problem let’s assume that it is.
7. I am an odd number. Take away one letter and I become even. What
number am I?
Answer:
Seven (take away the ‘s’ and it becomes ‘even’).
Seven
8. Using only an addition, how do you add eight 8’s and get the number
1000?
Answer:
888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000
1000
9. Sally is 54 years old and her mother is 80, how many years ago was
Sally’s mother times her age?
Answer:
41 years ago, when Sally was 13 and her mother was 39.
41 years ago
10. Which 3 numbers have the same answer whether they’re added or
multiplied together?
Answer:
1, 2 and 3
12. There is a three-digit number. The second digit is four times as big
as the third digit, while the first digit is three less than the second digit.
What is the number?
Answer:
141
Answer:
25
14. Two girls were born to the same mother, at the same time, on the
same day, in the same month and the same year and yet somehow
they’re not twins. Why not?
Answer:
Because there was a third girl, which makes them triplets!
Triplets
15. A ship anchored in a port has a ladder which hangs over the side.
The length of the ladder is 200cm, the distance between each rung in
20cm and the bottom rung touches the water. The tide rises at a rate of
10cm an hour. When will the water reach the fifth rung?
Answer:
The tide raises both the water and the boat so the water will never reach the
fifth rung.
Never
16. The day before yesterday I was 25. The next year I will be 28. This
is true only one day in a year. What day is my Birthday?
Answer:
December 31
17. You have a 3-litre bottle and a 5-litre bottle. How can you measure
4 litres of water by using 3L and 5L bottles?
Answer:
Solution 1 :
First, fill 3Lt bottle and pour 3 litres into 5Lt bottle.
Again fill the 3Lt bottle. Now pour 2 litres into the 5Lt bottle until it becomes
full.
Now empty 5Lt bottle.
Pour remaining 1 litre in 3Lt bottle into 5Lt bottle.
Now again fill 3Lt bottle and pour 3 litres into 5Lt bottle.
Now you have 4 litres in the 5Lt bottle. That’s it.
Solution 2 :
First, fill the 5Lt bottle and pour 3 litres into 3Lt bottle.
Empty 3Lt bottle.
Pour remaining 2 litres in 5Lt bottle into 3Lt bottle.
Again fill the 5Lt bottle and pour 1 litre into 3 Lt bottle until it becomes full.
Now you have 4 litres in the 5Lt bottle. That’s it.
18. 3 Friends went to a shop and purchased 3 toys. Each person paid
Rs.10 which is the cost of one toy. So, they paid Rs.30 i.e. total amount.
The shop owner gave a discount of Rs.5 on the total purchase of 3 toys
for Rs.30. Then, among Rs.5, Each person has taken Rs.1 and remaining
Rs.2 given to the beggar beside the shop. Now, the effective amount
paid by each person is Rs.9 and the amount given to the beggar is Rs.2.
So, the total effective amount paid is 9*3 = 27 and the amount given to
beggar is Rs.2, thus the total is Rs.29. Where has the other Rs.1 gone
from the original Rs.30?
Answer:
The logic is payments should be equal to receipts. We cannot add the amount
paid by persons and the amount given to the beggar and compare it to
Rs.30.The total amount paid is ₹27. So, from ₹27, the shop owner received
25 rupees and beggar received ₹ 2. Thus, payments are equal to receipts.
19. How to get a number 100 by using four sevens (7’s) and a one (1)?
Answer 1: 177 – 77 = 100 ;
Answer 2: (7+7) * (7 + (1/7)) = 100
100
20. Move any four matches to get 3 equilateral triangles only (don’t
remove matches)
Answer:
Move 2, 4, 5, 6 matches
Answer:
9
To solve this fun maths question, you need to understand how the area of a
parallelogram works. If you already know how the area of a parallelogram and
the area of a triangle are related, then adding 79 and 10 and subsequently
subtracting 72 and 8 to get 9 should make sense.
27. Look at this series: 36, 34, 30, 28, 24, … What number should come
next?
Answer:
22
28. Look at this series: 22, 21, 23, 22, 24, 23, … What number should
come next?
Answer:
25
Conclusion
The ultimate goals of mathematics instruction are students understanding the
material presented, applying the skills, and recalling the concepts in the
future. There's little benefit in students recalling a formula or procedure to
prepare for an assessment tomorrow only to forget the core concept by next
week.
Teachers must focus on making sure that the students understand the
material and not just memorize the procedures. After you learn the answers to
a fun maths question, you begin to ask yourself how you could have missed
something so easy. The truth is, most trick questions are designed to trick
your mind, which is why the answers to fun maths questions are logical and
easy.