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CHAPTER 3: NUMBER PLAY

Learning Objectives
•Observe and find hidden patterns in numbers, dates, and times around us.

•Explore Palindromes, Supercells, and the magic of Kaprekar's Constant (6174) using
hands-on Number Cards.

•Estimate large numbers in everyday life like distances, time, and costs.

•Play and analyze number games to find winning rules and strategies.

1. Warm-up Activity: "Let's Explore!"

The Mirror Numbers (Palindromes)

Look at the word RADAR. If you read it backwards, it still spells RADAR! Numbers can do
this too.

A number like 121 or 4554 is called a Palindrome. It reads the same from left to right, and
from right to left.

[10:10] [12:21] [08:30]

[ 05:50] [11:12]

STEP 1: OBSERVE

What do you notice about the digits on the left side of the colon (:) and the right side of
the colon in your
circled times?

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2. Hands-on Activity

Let's build and break numbers to uncover magic rules!

Activity A: The Reverse-and-Add Trick

Step-by-Step Build:
1. Pick any two Number, let's say 3 and 4. Place them together to make the number 34.
2. Now, swap their places to reverse the number. You get 43.
[Link] the two numbers together: 34 + 43 = 77.
4. Look at the answer. 77 is a palindrome!

STEP 2: RECORD YOUR FINDINGS

Use your numbers to create three different 2-digit numbers. Reverse them, add them, and
record what happens:

Starting Number Reversed Number Addition (Sum) Is the sum a

Palindrome? (Yes/
No)

25 52 25 + 52 = 77 Yes

STEP 3: FIND THE RULE

What happens most of the time when you add a 2-digit number to its reverse?
Rule:

STEP 4: PREDICT

Try starting with the number 68. Does it turn into a palindrome in just one step? (Hint: If not,
take the answer, reverse it, and add again!)

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Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

Q1. In the "Supercells" puzzle, what makes a cell a "supercell"?

A) It is smaller than all its adjacent cells.

B) It is an even number.

C) It is larger than its adjacent cells.

D) It is a prime number.

Q2. In the height line-up activity, what does it mean if a child says the number '2'?

A) They are the second tallest in the line.

B) Both the children standing next to them are taller.

C) They have exactly two children standing next to them.

D) Neither of the children standing next to them are taller.

Q3. Which of the following numbers is famously known as the "Kaprekar

constant"?

A) 1089

B) 6174

C) 9999

D) 5085

Q4. According to the Collatz Conjecture, what is the rule if the current number is
odd?

A) Take half of it.

B) Multiply it by 2 and add 1.

C) Multiply it by 3 and subtract 1.

D) Multiply it by 3 and add 1.

Q5. What defines a palindromic number?

A) It reads the same from left to right and from right to left.

B) The sum of its digits equals 14.

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C) It is the largest possible number formed by its digits.

D) It always reaches the Kaprekar constant.

Q6. How many 3-digit numbers exist in total?

A) 90

B) 900

C) 999

D) 9000

Q7. If you apply the "reverse-and-add" process to the number 34, what is the
resulting palindrome?

A) 44

B) 77

C) 121

D) 484

Q8. What is the sum of the digits for the number 176?

A) 12

B) 13

C) 14

D) 15

Q9. In "Game #1" where players take turns adding 1, 2, or 3, what is the winning
goal?

A) To reach exactly 10.

B) To be the first player to reach 21.

C) To reach exactly 99.

D) To force the other player to say 21.

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Q10. What is the correct sequence of operations to reach the Kaprekar constant
for a 4-digit number?

A) Reverse the digits, add them, and repeat.

B) Multiply by 3, add 1, and divide by 2.

C) Make the largest number, make the smallest number, and subtract the smallest from the
largest.

D) Add the largest and smallest digits together.

Q11. Among the numbers from 1 to 100, how many times does the digit '7' occur?

A) 10 times

B) 19 times

C) 20 times

D) 21 times

Q12. What is the sum of the smallest 5-digit palindrome and the largest 5-digit
palindrome?

A) 100,000

B) 109,999

C) 110,000

D) 199,998

Q13. If you start a Collatz sequence with the number 12, what is the very next
number in the sequence?

A) 3

B) 6

C) 24

D) 37

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Assertion-Reasoning Questions
Directions (Q14 - Q20): In each of the following questions, a statement of Assertion (A) is
given followed by a corresponding statement of Reason (R). Select the correct option from
the choices provided beneath each question.

Q14. Assertion (A): The number 6174 is known as the Kaprekar constant.

Reason (R): It is found by taking any 2-digit number and repeatedly adding it to its reverse.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C) A is true, but R is false.

D) A is false, but R is true.

Q15. Assertion (A): In the number grid puzzle, a cell is coloured as a "supercell" if its
number is larger than its adjacent cells.

Reason (R): The number 626 is considered a supercell if it is strictly greater than all of its
neighbours, such as 577 and 345.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C) A is true, but R is false.

D) A is false, but R is true.

Q16. Assertion (A): A line of 5 children of completely different heights can be arranged so
that every single child says '0'.

Reason (R): A child says '0' only if neither of the children standing immediately next to
them is taller.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C) A is true, but R is false.

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D) A is false, but R is true.

Q17. Assertion (A): According to the Collatz Conjecture, the sequence starting with the
number 16 will quickly end in 1.

Reason (R): The Collatz rule states that if a number is even, you take half of it.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C) A is true, but R is false.

D) A is false, but R is true.

Q18. Assertion (A): The smallest possible whole number whose digits sum up exactly to
14 is 59.

Reason (R): The fewest number of digits needed to sum to 14 is two, and placing the
largest possible single digit (9) in the units place makes the tens place as small as possible
(5).

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C) A is true, but R is false.

D) A is false, but R is true.

Q19. Assertion (A): The date 11/02/2011 is considered a palindromic date.

Reason (R): Palindromic numbers and sequences read exactly the same from left to right
and from right to left.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C) A is true, but R is false.

D) A is false, but R is true.

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Q20. Assertion (A): A calendar for any given year is completely identical to the calendar of
the immediately preceding year.

Reason (R): A calendar repeats itself exactly after 6 years if only one leap year is included
in that time frame.

A) Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A.

B) Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A.

C) A is true, but R is false.

D) A is false, but R is true.

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3. Practice Problems

Level 1: Easy (Direct Concept Check)

Q1. Digit Sum Match

Add the individual digits of the numbers below (For example, for 45, the digit sum is 4 + 5 = 9).
Match the number to its correct digit sum.

A. 176 1. 12

B. 84 2. 14

C. 345 3. 9

D. 63 4. 12

Q2. Number Line Placement

Look at the number line below. Where would you place the number 2750?

|---------|---------|---------|-----------------|
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000

(A) Exactly in the middle of 2000 and 3000

(B) Closer to 3000 than 2000
(C) Closer to 2000 than 3000
(D) Exactly on the 3000 mark

Q3. Fill in the Blanks (Palindromes)

a. The smallest 3-digit palindrome is .

b. A date that reads the same forwards and backwards, like 11/02/2011, is called a date.

Q4. Digit Detective

If you write down all the counting numbers from 1 to 100, how many times will you write the digit
7?

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Q5. Make the Largest Number

Using the digits 4, 1, 8, 2 only once, form the largest possible 4-digit number and the smallest
possible 4-digit number.

Largest: Smallest:

Level 2: Moderate (Application & Real-Life Situations)

Q6. The Supercells Puzzle

In a grid, a cell is called a Supercell if its number is LARGER than all the numbers touching it
(top, bottom, left, and right). Look at the grid below:

15 42 18

22 9 35

8 60 11

Identify and write down the two Supercells in this grid:

Supercell 1: Supercell 2:

Q7. Error Detection Task: Mental Math

Rahul was asked to calculate the sum: 39,800 + 400

mentally. He said: "39,800 plus 400 is 39,200. I just added
the 8 and 4."

What mistake did Rahul make? What is the correct answer?

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Q8. Real-Life Estimation: Shopping

Mother gave you ₹200 to buy groceries. You picked up:

• Apples for ₹85

• Milk for ₹32
• Bread for ₹48

Without calculating the exact total on paper, estimate if you have enough money. Explain your
estimation strategy.

Q9. The "Always, Sometimes, Never" Challenge

Read the statement: "Adding a 4-digit number to a 2-digit number gives a 6-digit number."

Is this statement Always true, Sometimes true, or Never true? Prove it by showing the maximum
possible sum you can make.

Q10. The Collatz Rule (Half or Triple-Plus-One)

Follow the magic Collatz rule to generate a number sequence:

•If the number is Even ➔ Cut it in half.

•If the number is Odd ➔ Multiply by 3, then add 1.

Start with the number 12. Apply the rules step-by-step until you reach the number 1. Write
your sequence below:

12 ➔ 6 ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔ ➔1

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Level 3: Challenging (Higher-Order Thinking & Reasoning)

Q11. Kaprekar's Magic Constant (6174)

Let's test the magic of the mathematician D.R. Kaprekar. Choose a 4-digit number with at least
two different digits. Let's use 3524.

STEP 1: ARRANGE LARGEST

Make the largest number using these digits (A):

STEP 2: ARRANGE SMALLEST

Make the smallest number using these digits (B):

STEP 3: SUBTRACT

Subtract the small number from the large number (A - B = C):

Take your new answer (C) and repeat Steps 1-3. How many rounds does it take for you to reach
the magic number 6174?

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Q12. The Game of 21 Strategy

You and your friend are playing the "Game of 21".

•Start at 0.
•You take turns adding either 1, 2, or 3 to the total.
•The first person to reach exactly 21 wins.

If you want to guarantee a win, you must be the one to say the number 17 (because no matter
what your friend adds—1, 2, or 3—they will land on 18, 19, or 20, allowing you to add the rest
to hit 21).

Working backward from 17, what other "safe numbers" must you land on during the game to
ensure you win?

Q13. Advanced Estimation: School Steps

Sheetal says she walks about 10,000 steps inside her school building every single day. If she is
at school for 6 hours, estimate how many steps she would have to take *every minute* to
reach 10,000 steps. Is her claim realistic? Why or why not?

Q14. Riddle of the 5-Digit Number

Solve this puzzle to find the secret number:

•I am a 5-digit number.
•All my digits are odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9).
•I am a palindrome.
•My thousands digit is 3.
•My hundreds digit is the largest single-digit odd number.

What number am I?

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4. Challenge / HOTS Task

The Infinite Grid Planner

Imagine a grid table like the Supercells puzzle, but this time it is a 3x3 grid (9 cells).
You have the number cards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

STEP 1: OBSERVE & PLAN

Remember, a Supercell must be larger than all its direct

neighbors.

If you want to create the MAXIMUM possible number of Supercells in a 3x3 grid, where
should you place the largest numbers (9, 8, 7, 6)?

STEP 3: CREATE THE MODEL

Fill in the 3x3 grid below with the digits 1-9 so that you get exactly 4 Supercells.
(Circle your
Supercells!).

[ ][ ][ ]

[ ][ ][ ]

[ ][ ][ ]

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5. Reflection: "What did I discover?"

1. What surprised you the most about Kaprekar's Constant (6174)?

2. In real life, when is it better to "estimate" (guess closely) rather than calculate the exact
number?

3. Write down one winning trick you learned from the Number Games today:

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TEACHER SUPPORT & ANSWER KEY

A. Complete Solutions & Marking Key

Warm-up: The palindromic times are 12:21 and 05:50. (They read the same left-to-right and
right-to-left).

Activity A: Students should record that reversing and adding 2-digit numbers usually results in a
palindrome (e.g., 14+41=55). If starting with 68: 68+86=154 (Not a palindrome). Next step:
154+451=605 (No). Next: 605+506=1111 (Yes, Palindrome in 3 steps!).

1) C — A cell is a supercell if the number in it is larger than its adjacent cells (top, bottom,
left, right).
2) B — A child says '2' if both the children standing next to them are taller.
3) B — The number 6174 is called the Kaprekar constant, discovered by D.R. Kaprekar.
4) D — The rule is: if the number is odd, multiply it by 3 and add 1.
5) A — Palindromes or palindromic numbers read the same from left to right and from right
to left.
6) B — There are exactly 900 three-digit numbers (from 100 to 999).
7) B — Starting with 34, you add its reverse (43). 34 + 43 = 77, which is a palindrome.
8) C — Adding the digits of 176 gives 1 + 7 + 6 = 14.
9) B — The first player to reach 21 wins the game.
10)C — To reach the Kaprekar constant, make the largest number, make the smallest number
from the same digits, and subtract the smallest from the largest.
11)C — The digit '7' appears 20 times between 1 and 100 (7, 17, 27... 70, 71, 72...).
12)C — The smallest 5-digit palindrome is 10001 and the largest is 99999. Their sum is
110,000.
13)B — Since 12 is even, the rule states to take half of it, which is 6.
14)C — Assertion A is true, but Reason R is false. The Kaprekar constant involves subtracting
the smallest digit arrangement from the largest arrangement of a 4-digit number, not
reverse-and-add.
15)A — Both statements are true, and R correctly exemplifies the definition given in A.
16)D — Assertion A is false because if the children are of different heights, someone must
inevitably be taller than someone else, meaning not everyone can say '0'. Reason R is a
true rule of the activity.
17)A — Both statements are true. 16 is even, so halving it repeatedly (8, 4, 2, 1) explains why
it reaches 1 so quickly.
18)A — Both are true. 59 is the smallest number because maximizing the units digit (9)
minimizes the tens digit (5).
19)A — Both statements are true and correctly relate the definition of a palindrome to the

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specific date.
20)D — Assertion A is false because last year's calendar is different from this year's. Reason
R provides the true fact about calendar repetition.

Q1 (Match): A ➔ 2 (1+7+6=14), B ➔ 1 (8+4=12), C ➔ 4 (3+4+5=12), D ➔ 3 (6+3=9).

Q2 (Number Line): (B) Closer to 3000 than 2000. (2750 is past the halfway mark of 2500).

Q3: a. 101. b. Palindromic date.

Q4: 20 times. (7, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77 (twice), 78, 79, 87, 97).

Q5: Largest: 8421. Smallest: 1248.

Q6: Supercell 1: 42 (larger than 15, 18, 9). Supercell 2: 60 (larger than 8, 11, 9).

Q7 (Error): Rahul made a place value error. He added 4 hundreds to 8 hundreds to get 12
hundreds, but failed to carry over the thousand. The correct answer is 39,800 + 400 =
40,200.

Q8: Estimate: 85 is close to 90. 32 is close to 30. 48 is close to 50. 90 + 30 + 50 = 170.

Yes, ₹200 is definitely enough.

Q9: Never True. The maximum 4-digit number is 9999. The maximum 2-digit is 99. 9999 +
99 = 10,098. This is a 5-digit number, so it is impossible to reach 6 digits.

Q10 (Collatz): 12 ➔ 6 ➔ 3 ➔ 10 ➔ 5 ➔ 16 ➔ 8 ➔ 4 ➔ 2 ➔ 1.

Q11 (Kaprekar): Start: 3524. A=5432, B=2345. C = 5432 - 2345 = 3087. Round 2: A=8730,
B=0378. C = 8730 - 0378 = 8352. Round 3: A=8532, B=2358. C = 8532 - 2358 = 6174.
(Takes 3 rounds).

Q12: To hit 17 safely, you must hit 13, 9, 5, and 1. (The safe numbers are multiples of 4, plus 1).

Q13: 6 hours = 360 minutes. 10,000 steps ÷ 360 mins ≈ 27.7 steps per minute, continuously,
with no sitting. Since students sit for classes, her estimate of 10,000 steps *inside the building*
is highly unlikely/ exaggerated.

Q14: 13931. (Thousands is 3, Palindrome means Ten-thousands is 1, Hundreds is largest single

odd = 9).

HOTS Task: To get 4 supercells in a 3x3 grid, place the highest numbers (9, 8, 7, 6) in the
four corners, and surround them with smaller numbers. Example grid row 1: [9, 1, 8], row 2: [2,
3, 4], row 3: [7, 5, 6]. The
corners (9, 8, 7, 6) are the 4 supercells.

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B. Suggested Explanations & Teaching Notes

•Experiential Bridging: For the "Supercells" task, use physical Vikalp kit square tokens with
numbers written on them. Have students physically pick up a tile and check its neighbors. This
kinesthetic movement builds an understanding of spatial boundaries and "greater than"
comparisons in 2D space.

•Scaffolding Strategy: For Kaprekar's constant, students often make subtraction errors
involving zeros. Encourage them to use standard column subtraction carefully on paper
before writing the final 'C' value. Emphasize that "0" must be included in the smallest
number arrangement (e.g., 0378, not just 378).

C. Common Misconceptions & Correction Guidance

Typical Student Error Why They Make It How to Correct (Guidance)

When finding the smallest 4- Students think 0 at the Remind them that in this
digit number for Kaprekar's beginning "doesn't count" specific puzzle, 0 acts as a
rule, students ignore the as a digit in standard math placeholder card. They must
zero (e.g., 8730 becomes notation. physically place the '0' card
378 instead of in the thousands place.
0378).

Stating a number line They see 2000 and 3000 and Draw a mini number line
placement exactly in the assume any number showing the 500 mark
middle when the numbers starting with 2 goes in the (2500) as the exact center.
aren't evenly spaced (e.g., direct center. Ask: "Is 2750 larger or
placing 2750 exactly smaller than 2500?"
between 2000 and 3000).

In Collatz Conjecture, They apply the "half" rule to Highlight the words "EVEN"
dividing odd numbers by 2 all numbers and "ODD". Have them sort
or getting stuck. indiscriminately. their Vikalp number cards
into two piles to practice
checking odd/ even before
doing the math.

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