DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 2025-2026

NOTES – NUMBER PLAY

Grade: 6 Week: May 12th – 18th
Prepared by: Ms. Chitradevi. G Reviewed by: Ms. Jolly T A

Day 1
Figure it Out [Pg. 64]
1) Pratibha uses the digits ‘4’, ‘7’, ‘3’ and ‘2’, and makes the smallest and largest 4-
digit numbers with them: 2347 and 7432. The difference between these two
numbers is 7432 – 2347 = 5085. The sum of these two numbers is 9779. Choose
4 - digits to make:

a) the difference between the largest and smallest numbers greater than 5085.
b) the difference between the largest and smallest numbers less than 5085.
c) the sum of the largest and smallest numbers greater than 9779.
d) The sum of the largest and smallest numbers less than 9779.

2) What is the sum of the smallest and largest 5-digit palindrome? What is their
difference?

3) The time now is 10:01. How many minutes until the clock shows the next
palindromic time? What about the one after that?

4) How many rounds does the number 5683 take to reach the Kaprekar constant?

Mental Math
➢ Numbers in the middle column are added in different ways to get the numbers on
the sides.
➢ The numbers in the middle can be used as many times as needed to get the
desired sum.
➢ Draw arrows from the middle to the numbers on the sides to obtain the desired
sums.
 DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 2025-2026
[Textbook Pg. 65]

38,800 = 25,000 + 400 × 2 + 13,000

[Start with 25,000, add 800 (400 twice), then add 13,000].
3400 = 1500 + 1500 + 400

Explore: [Pg. 66]

Can we make 1,000 using the numbers in the middle? Why not?
What about 14,000, 15,000 and 16,000? Yes, it is possible. Explore how.
What thousands cannot be made?

Day 2
Adding and Subtracting:
Addition and Subtraction are arithmetic operations in mathematics that
are used to calculate the sum and difference between different operands.

Example: [Pg. 66]

39,800 = 40,000 – 800 + 300 + 300

45,000 =

5,900 =

17,500 =

21,400 =
 DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 2025-2026
Digits and Operations
➢ Digits are used in various mathematical operations to perform calculations and
problems.
➢ An example of adding two 5-digit numbers to get another 5-digit number is
12,350 + 24,545 = 36,895.
➢ An example of subtracting two 5-digit numbers to get another 5-digit number is
48,952 – 24,547 = 24,405.

Figure it Out: [Pg. 66]

1) Write an example for each of the below scenarios whenever possible.

Could you find examples for all the cases? If not, think and discuss what could be
the reason. Make other such questions and challenge your classmates.

2) Always, Sometimes, Never?

Below are some statements. Think, explore and find out if each of the statement is
‘Always true’, ‘Only sometimes true’ or ‘Never true’. Why do you think so? Write
your reasoning and discuss this with the class.

a) 5-digit number + 5-digit number gives a 5-digit number

b) 4-digit number + 2-digit number gives a 4-digit number
c) 4-digit number + 2-digit number gives a 6-digit number
d) 5-digit number – 5-digit number gives a 5-digit number
e) 5-digit number – 2-digit number gives a 3-digit number
 DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 2025-2026
Day 3
Playing with Number Patterns
➢ A pattern is a repeated arrangement of numbers, shapes, colours, and so on.
➢ The pattern can be related to any type of event or object.
➢ If the set of numbers are related to each other in a specific rule or manner is
called a pattern.
➢ Patterns are also known as sequences.
Share and discuss in class the different methods each one of you used to solve these
questions. [Pg. 67]
 DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 2025-2026
Day 4
An Unsolved Mystery — the Collatz Conjecture!
Look at the sequences below—the same rule is applied in all the sequences:
a) 12, 6, 3, 10, 5, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1
b) 17, 52, 26, 13, 40, 20, 10, 5, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1
c) 21, 64, 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1
d) 22, 11, 34, 17, 52, 26, 13, 40, 20, 10, 5, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1
Do you see how these sequences were formed?

➢ The Collatz Conjecture states that if you take any whole number and apply a
simple set of rules repeatedly, eventually you will always end up with the number
1.
➢ It is one of the most famous unsolved problems in mathematics.
➢ It is named after a German mathematician Lothar Collatz, who introduced the
idea in 1937.

Rule:
➢ First start with any number.
➢ If the number is even, take half of it.
➢ If the number is odd, multiply it by 3 and add 1
➢ Repeat.
➢ If the previous term is even, the next term is ½ of the previous term.
➢ If the previous term is odd, the next term is 3 times the previous term plus 1.
➢ Repeat.

Example:
Start with the number 5.
Since 5 is an odd number, the next term is 3 times 5 plus 1.
i.e., 3 x 5 + 1 = 16
Next term is 8 [Since 16 is even]
Thus, we have 5 → 16 → 8 → 4 → 2 → 1

Explore: [Pg. 69]

1) Make some more Collatz sequences like those above, starting with your favourite
whole numbers. Do you always reach 1?
2) Do you believe the conjecture of Collatz that all such sequences will eventually
reach 1? Why or why not?
 DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 2025-2026
Simple Estimation

Figure it Out [Pg. 69]

We shall do some simple estimates. It is a fun exercise, and you may find it amusing to
know the various numbers around us. Remember, we are not interested in the exact
numbers for the following questions.

Share your methods of estimation with the class.

1) Steps you would take to walk:

a) From the place you are sitting to the classroom door
b) Across the school ground from start to end
c) From your classroom door to the school gate
d) From your school to your home

2) Number of times you blink your eyes or number of breaths you take:
a) In a minute
b) In an hour
c) In a day

3) Name some objects around you that are:

a) a few thousand in number
b) more than ten thousand in number

Estimate the answer

Try to guess within 30 seconds. Check your guess with your friends.
1) Number of words in your maths textbook:
a) More than 5000
b) Less than 5000

2) Number of students in your school who travel to school by bus:

a) More than 200
b) Less than 200

3) Roshan wants to buy milk and 3 types of fruit to make fruit custard for 5 people. He
estimates the cost to be ₹100. Do you agree with him? Why or why not?

4) Estimate the distance between Gandhinagar (in Gujarat) to Kohima (in Nagaland).
Hint: Look at the map of India to locate these cities.
 DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 2025-2026
5) Sheetal is in Grade 6 and says she has spent around 13,000 hours in school till date.
Do you agree with her? Why or why not?

6) Earlier, people used to walk long distances as they had no other means of transport.
Suppose you walk at your normal pace. Approximately, how long would it take you
to go from:
a) Your current location to one of your favourite places nearby.
b) Your current location to any neighbouring state’s capital city.
c) The southernmost point in India to the northernmost point in India.

7) Make some estimation questions and challenge your classmates!

Day 5
Games and Winning Strategies
Numbers can also be used to play games and develop winning strategies.

Figure it Out: [Pg. 72]

1) There is only one supercell (number greater than all its neighbours) in this grid. If
you exchange two digits of one of the numbers, there will be 4 supercells. Figure out
which digits to swap.

2) How many rounds does your year of birth take to reach the Kaprekar constant?

3) We are the group of 5-digit numbers between 35,000 and 75,000 such that all of our
digits are odd. Who is the largest number in our group? Who is the smallest
number in our group? Who among us is the closest to 50,000?

4) Estimate the number of holidays you get in a year including weekends, festivals and
vacation. Then, try to get an exact number and see how close your estimate is.

5) Estimate the number of liters a mug, a bucket and an overhead tank can hold.

6) Write one 5-digit number and two 3-digit numbers such that their sum is 18,670.
 DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS 2025-2026
7) Choose a number between 210 and 390. Create a number pattern similar to those
shown in Section 3.9 that will sum up to this number.

8) Recall the sequence of Powers of 2 from Chapter 1, Table 1. Why is the Collatz
conjecture correct for all the starting numbers in this sequence?

9) Check if the Collatz Conjecture holds for the starting number 100.

10) Starting with 0, players alternate adding numbers between 1 and 3. The first
person to reach 22 wins. What is the winning strategy now?

Mind Map should be drawn by the students in the notebook.