Activity W 6.5 Patterns in Time, Dates, and Numbers
Students may be engaged in discussing these puzzles.
This will make them observe how mathematics is spread all around them.
Procedure
1. Students may try and find out all possible times on a 12-hour clock of each of the type 4:44, 10:10, etc.
Part 1: Clock Patterns (e.g., 4:44, 10:10)
Find all times where hour and minutes form a pattern:
Examples:
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1:11
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2:22
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3:33
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4:44
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5:55
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10:10
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12:21 (palindromic)
✅ These are fun to spot on digital clocks—repetition or mirror-like symmetry.
2. They may try to find some dates from the past that obey a certain pattern.
Part 2: Patterned Dates
Manish has his birthday on 20/12/2012, where the digits ‘2’, ‘0’, ‘1’and ‘2’ repeat in that order. 3.
It could also be, Meghana, has her birthday on 11/02/2011, where the digits read the same from left to right and from right to left.
Examples of cool dates:
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20/12/2012 → digits: 2, 0, 1, 2 repeat
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11/02/2011 → palindromic date
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02/02/2020 → perfect palindrome
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22/11/2022 → repeating pairs
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01/01/1010 → alternating 0s and 1s
✅ Activity: Students can find birthdays or historical events with date patterns.
4. Some numbers may be given to the students.
Part 3: Number Construction Puzzle
Given numbers:
40,000, 7,000, 300, 1,500, 12,000, 800
Example Target: 39,800
✅ Solution: 40,000 – 800 + 300 + 300
Try more:
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45,000 = 40,000 + 7,000 – 1,500 + 1,500
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5,900 = 7,000 – 1,500 + 300 + 100
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17,500 = 12,000 + 7,000 – 1,500
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21,400 = 12,000 + 7,000 + 1,500 + 900
✅ This encourages flexible arithmetic reasoning—use of both + and – with estimation.
They may be allowed to use both addition and subtraction to get the required number.
For example, 40,000 7,000 300 1,500 12,000 800
Suppose the given numbers are—
To form a number 39800.
We can write 39,800 = 40,000 – 800 + 300 + 300.
Try for other numbers, such as 45000, 5900, 17500, 21400…
Teacher may change the set of given numbers and the required numbers.
Students may try to do that.
Change the Number Set
Use different sets like:
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[5000, 1200, 150, 8500, 30000]
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[100, 200, 500, 1000, 2500]
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[750, 1250, 2750, 3200, 4100]
This introduces new challenges and encourages deeper number sense.
Change the Target Numbers
Ask students to create or solve for:
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Specific Targets: e.g., “Make 15,000 using 3 of these numbers.”
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Mystery Challenges: e.g., “I used three numbers to get 29,250. Can you guess which?”
Student-Generated Challenges
Let students:
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Choose a new number set.
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Create their own target numbers.
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Swap puzzles with classmates.
This boosts ownership and creative thinking.
Extension Ideas
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Use a different set of numbers each time (e.g., multiples of 100 or 1,000).
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Allow multiplication or division for advanced students.
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Have students make "mystery numbers" that others must recreate.
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