Maths4us | NIACE

Maths Challenge of the Week

What's the sum of 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 and what's the trick to working it out?

Click here for answer

The sum is 45. You can work this out by multiplying the mid-oint number (in this case 5) by the last number (in this case 9). This trick works for any sequence of consecutive numbers, starting with 1.

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We all use maths every day, often without even thinking about it. Improving our maths can help us with things like:

Understanding offers in shops
Understanding payslips, bills and forms
Planning a journey by train or bust
Taking or giving the right amount of medicineworking out the best mobile phone deal

To help raise awareness of the importance of maths for all of us, Maths4us will:

Train up 8,000 Maths Champions to support other adults
Work with technical developers, tutors and learners to produce an app for maths
Promote existing apps and resources
Coordinate an online numeracy assessment tool
Develop a series of online courses on maths related subjects
Improve the quality of teaching and learning
Engage and enthusing people about the power, enjoyment, and importance of maths