“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated” – Confucius
Here’s a new puzzle that is another great challenge for everyone. It emphasizes combining basic numbers (1,2 and 3) with addition, subtraction, multiplication and division using the rules of order of operations.
The rules are simple:
1. Use only the numbers 1, 2 and 3
2. Use each number once and only once
3. Use any of + – x / to combine the numbers
4. Use parenthesis () as desired
5. Following rules 1-4, make the numbers 0-9
For example, “0” can be made as “3-1-2″. In this example, each number (1,2,3) was used once and only once as required. There are other ways to make “0” which would also work. See if you can make “0” in a different way.
I put together a little interactive program for this puzzle. You can enter your answers for each number and then select check. Your answers will be scored and a response provided (e.g. “got it!” or “need to use 1,2,3″). Give it a try and let me know what you think.
I hope you like this puzzle. Please share this, especially with younger students that are just learning or mastering order of operations. As always, good luck and have fun!
If you had trouble seeing the above puzzle, Flash is required. Click Here for a direct link to the puzzle.
