Want a fun, 2-minute “math trick” to blow your students’ minds (or just win a bet)?
This is one of my all-time favorites. It’s a “mind-reading” number trick that works every single time, no matter what number you start with.
Give it a try!
Step 1: Come up with any number.
Step 2: Subtract 1 from this number.
Step 3: Multiply your answer with the number 3.
Step 4: Add 12 to the number.
Step 5: Divide the result by 3.
Step 6: Add another 5 to your answer in Step 5.
Step 7: Subtract the first number you came up with at the start (Step 1) from the number you resulted in at the end of Step 6.
The Answer will be Number 8!
Tip: If they didn’t get the number 8, I recommend working through the math together to check. (It’s almost always a simple calculation error!)
The reason this trick is so fun is that math is just a big, secret puzzle.
If your students love “solving a puzzle” (or you want them to!), that’s the entire idea behind my Math Mysteries.
They take all the “boring” math standards and wrap them in a fun, high-engagement “case file.” Students don’t think they’re “doing a worksheet”; they think they’re “solving a crime.” It’s the ultimate “math trick”!
