Math riddles sneak a little arithmetic into a story or puzzle, making practice feel like play. These 20 math riddles for kids work for early elementary up through middle school — answers included.
33 math riddles
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A car’s odometer shows 72927 miles, a palindromic number. What are the minimum miles you would need to travel to form another?
Hint: A car’s odometer shows 72927 miles…
A certain number has three digits. The sum of the three digits equals 36 times this number. Seven times the left digit plus 9 is equal to 5 times the sum of the two other digits. 8 times the second digit minus 9 is equal to the sum of the first and third. What is the number?
Hint: A certain number has three digits…
A clock chimes 5 times in 4 seconds. How many times will it chime in 10 seconds?
A girl is twice as old as her brother and half as old as her father. In 50 years, her brother will be half as old as his father. How old is the daughter now?
Hint: A girl is twice as old as her brother and half as old as her father…
A man buys a rope from a woman for $3.00 and hands the woman a $10 bill. The woman goes into the grocery store next door to get change. She returns and gives the man $7.00. After the man leaves, the clerk from the store comes and says, “Hey, that was a counterfeit bill you gave me.”The woman gives the clerk a good bill. How much has the woman lost?
Hint: A man buys a rope from a woman for $3…
A man ordered a length of rope by telephone from his nearest hardware shop. But when he went to collect the rope, he found that the assistant had miswritten the order by interchanging feet and inches. As a result of this, the rope was only 30 percent of the length that the man wanted. What length did he want and what length did he get?
Hint: A man ordered a length of rope by telephone from his nearest hardware shop…
A rubber ball is tossed off the top of a 90 foot building. Every time it bounces, it goes back up half way. How many bounces will the ball take before it stops?
Hint: A rubber ball is tossed off the top of a 90 foot building…
A tree doubled in height each year until it reached its maximum height over the course of ten years. How many years did it take for the tree to reach half its maximum height?
Hint: A tree doubled in height each year until it reached its maximum height over the …
As I was going to the mall I met a man with seven wives, Each wive held two bags, Each bag held a mother cat, Each mother cat had six babies, How many people where going to the mall?
Hint: As I was going to the mall I met a man with seven wives…
Daniel, my son, is exactly one fifth of my age. In 21 years time, I will be exactly twice his age. My wife is exactly seven times older than my daughter, Jessica. In 8 years time, my wife will be three times older then Jessica. How old are Daniel and Jessica now?
Hint: Daniel…
Farmer Brown came to town with some watermelons. He sold half of them plus half a melon, and found that he had one whole melon left. How many melons did he take to town?
Hint: Farmer Brown came to town with some watermelons…
Find the four digit number in which the first digit is one fourth of the last digit, the second digit is 6 times the first digit, and the third digit is the second digit plus 3.
Hint: Find the four digit number in which the first digit is one fourth of the last di…
how do you make 30p with 2 coins? one of them is not a 20p..
If three cats catch three mice in three minutes, how many cats would be needed to catch 100 mice in 100 minutes?
Hint: If three cats catch three mice in three minutes…
If you go to the movies and you’re paying, is it cheaper to take one friend to the movies twice, or two friends to the movies at the same time?
Hint: If you go to the movies and you’re paying…
if you’re paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off, how many pancakes are in the doghouse?
Hint: if you’re paddling upstream in a canoe and a wheel falls off…
In a contest, four fruits (an apple, a banana, an orange, and a pear) have been placed in four closed boxes (one fruit per box). People may guess which fruit is in which box. 123 people participate in the contest. When the boxes are opened, it turns out that 43 people have guessed none of the fruits correctly, 39 people have guessed one fruit correctly, and 31 people have guessed two fruits correctly. The Question: How many people have guessed three fruits correctly, and how many people have guessed four fruits correctly?
Hint: In a contest…
In a pond there are some flowers with some bees hovering over the flowers. How many flowers and bees are there if both the following statements are true: 1. If each bee lands on a flower, one bee doesn’t get a flower. 2. If two bees share each flower, there is one flower left out.
Hint: In a pond there are some flowers with some bees hovering over the flowers…
Mary was working in a chemistry lab with a mixture of chemicals that was 90% water and weighed 20 pounds. After returning to the lab from a weekend break, she calculated the mixture was now 50% water. How much does the mixture now weigh? For purposes of this puzzle, assume the non-water part of the mixture was not affected by evaporation.
Hint: Mary was working in a chemistry lab with a mixture of chemicals that was 90% wat…
RIDDLE:When asked how old she was, Suzie replied, “In 2 years I will be twice as old as I was 5 years ago.”How old is she?
Hint: RIDDLE:When asked how old she was…