Puzzle #593: Number Soup
Posted February 9, 2011 • #numbersoup
Mini bite-size sudoku chunks will work your brain in this set of number soup puzzles! The PDF also includes a page of additional clues and additional soup chunks as hints for younger solvers.
Comments
joshuazucker • 02/09/11 2:43 pm
Reesylou,
I think these puzzles were made for me and my students, and some of them will definitely be using all the hints!
David and all,
if you have any suggestions about what other puzzles on this site would be good for the kids who are finding this set too easy (preferably something involving arithmetic in some way, but not necessarily) I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks!
David Millar • 02/09/11 2:48 pm
Hi Joshua and Maree.
The additions to this set were made with Joshua's students in mind based on previous suggestions, but I like the idea of making the puzzles more difficult initially and adding in 1 or 2 levels of additional clues. I will have to explore that later this week and see what I can come up with.
reesylou • 02/09/11 10:37 pm
Yes, I figured it was for Joshua's students, which is why I commented that I thought it was appropriate for younger puzzlers.
My Secret Garden: http://www.thegriddle.net/16 could be a good one for them. Not arithmetic, but is counting/number related. Some of them may need a hint on how to approach the puzzle though.
reesylou • 02/09/11 10:37 pm
Oh... Secret Garden, not My Secret Garden
reesylou • 02/09/11 10:46 pm
Also try SUm Sudoku http://www.thegriddle.net/51
It is only 1-4, but has slightly different rules from killer sudoku in that the same number can be in an outlined square.
David Millar • 02/10/11 12:30 am
Good finds! I've updated those two with better descriptions now as well.
I'm going to try to come up with some additional easier arithmetic based puzzles over the next day or so to add to the site. I'm aiming to get up to puzzle sheet 600 on Friday, so I'll probably post a ton of new stuff over the next day or so. :)
Joshua • 02/10/11 11:33 am
The secret garden isn't quite arithmetic enough for my purposes, I think, though it is a fun and easy puzzle. Maybe with younger kids I'd use it. The sumdoku are perfect but the graphic design is not up to David's usual standards! I can see that the site has come a long way in 4 years.
Joshua • 02/11/11 11:45 am
I had a good time using these with my students. It definitely showed which kids had the reasoning skills, which ones had the arithmetic skills, and which ones had both. Using some bigger numbers (like _ + _ _ = 30) was great, too.
I was surprised at how many kids had trouble filling in 9 + _ _ = 30 .
It was interesting to see how many kids right away saw what to do with 35 = _ x _ x _, and some others couldn't figure out how you could possibly multiply three things together to make 35.
Anyway, good fun, and definitely the right difficulty level (with hints being used by most but not all of this group).
Thanks!
reesylou • 02/09/11 12:19 pm
Even easier than usual - even without the clues. I think they are a better level for younger puzzlers though.
Maybe future ones could be done with the partial clues like previously, with a two stage help for younger puzzlers: first the extra clues showing the complete list of combos (like added to the main puzzles this time), followed by a "hint" (the extra clues in this puzzle).
This not only lets older puzzlers have the regular challenge - it gives in intermediate level as well, so as younger puzzlers improve, they can more gradually move towards the harder levels.