Symbol Pyramids: The bottom row is pictures. Every picture hides a number, and the same picture is always the same number. This is one of the many kinds of math pyramid we make, and here is how it works, with a video, a worked sample and a pyramid you can try right on this page.
The rule
Each brick is the sum of the two bricks under it. A picture is a number you have to work out.
A worked sample
Two of the same picture
The right brick of row 2 is two hearts: ♥ + ♥ = 10. So a heart is 5, and both hearts in the base are 5.
Now the star
The left brick of row 2 is ★ + ♥ = 8. A heart is 5, so ★ = 8 − 5 = 3.
Check
3 + 5 = 8, 5 + 5 = 10 and 8 + 10 = 18. Same picture, same number, and the pyramid is solved.
Your turn
Try it: what is each picture worth?
The same picture is always the same number. Work out what a star and a heart are worth, then press Check.
Why it is worth doing
This is algebra in disguise: a picture stands for a number you do not know yet, and you find it by writing a sum and solving it.
How a page looks in the book
A low-resolution page from Symbol Pyramids, so you can see the layout. Nothing on it is solved.
Books mentioned
Symbol Pyramids
120 picture-algebra puzzles for ages 9 to adult. Full solutions are in the back.
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