Maths Mysteries

In a ‘Mystery’ pupils are asked to find an answer to a single question, set in a context described through mathematical evidence. For example:

Who killed Lord Mortimer? (speed, distance, time, conversions, etc.)

Was the election rigged? (charts, tables, averages, probabilities, etc.)

Who won the cycle race? (tables, line graphs, speeds, times, etc.)

Who is the richest? (tables, charts, conversions, averages, etc.)

There is no single correct answer and not all of the mathematical information is relevant. Such a mystery can take some time to prepare but is a resource which can be used repeatedly and always gets an excellent response from pupils. In addition, it is sometimes possible to design the framework of a mystery (the question and type of evidence) and then vary the mathematical detail (the clues) in a way which adjusts the level of challenge to suit different groups. The following mystery is provided to give an idea of the strategy.

Bedfordshire Mortimer Mystery
‘A murder has been committed at Castle Pentagon. Lord Mortimer’s body was found in the main hallway of the castle at 7pm on Saturday 31 October. Scotland Yard has shortlisted five prime suspects and detectives are now seeking the help of a team of mathematicians to sort out the alibis. YOU are these mathematicians.

Sort out the information; formulate a solution; justify your reasoning. Who did kill Lord Mortimer?’

The basic facts given are that there are five gates to the Castle (the N, S, E, W and NE gates), and six routes which lead to the five gates (the bridleway, the B415, the A7, the dirt track, Hangman’s Footpath and the B666). In addition, there is a set of cards with information on several characters. For each of these possible suspects, pupils are guided to think about the speed, time and distance of their journeys to the Castle. Did they have enough time? Could they travel fast enough? Were they too far away?         
PowerPoint Introduction      Mystery Cards

Durham Maths Mysteries to use with secondary students (All six mysteries are at NC Levels 5/6) by clicking here

A Co-ordinate Mystery - Use the clues to locate the point on a coordinate grid - Click here

Find the Ages Mystery - Use the clues to find the ages of a group of people - Click here

Murder Mystery - Solve 5 coded messages to identify the killer - Download Zip File

Who Killed Santa - Use the clues to find Santa's killer! - Click here

Tarquin Team Games These are special mathematical puzzles and problems which produce real cooperation between the members of a team. The mathematical content is that of the normal curriculum and whether you call them games, puzzles or problems they undoubtedly offer a very positive experience at a variety of different levels. Each player only gets some of the information and so all must play a part in arriving at a solution. Sixteen tried and tested team games are provided in photocopiable form and once it is realised how well this format works, it will not be difficult to construct more for yourself. Mathematical Team Games - by Tarquin - 1 899618 56 2 - Vivien Lucas

Logic Puzzles - These are an excellent way to train pupils to read details carefully and work together to discuss their mathematics - Click here