You might not think it but at the heart of cryptic codes and codebreaking is mathematics – from real-life codebreaking within the walls of the Pentagon, to fictional codebreaking seen in National Treasure.

Algebra and abstract thinking play an important role in our ability to crack codes. They allow us to reveal patterns that would otherwise keep messages secret. Having the ability to understand how math works means we have the ability to both break codes and make codes.

Secrets can be revealed or kept… but only if you can figure out the math…

 

So, are you ready to test your codebreaking abilities?

 

All you have to do is look at this number wheel and figure out what number should be in the place of the question mark.

It’s slightly tricky so take your time.

 

Remember to find the numerical pattern…

Are you ready to reveal the answer yet?

 

The answer is: 4

 

Each segment contains two numbers – an inner number and an outer number. The numbers are different, but in each segment, they add up to 11.

 

9 + 2 = 11

6 + 5 = 11

8 + 3 = 11

So:

7 + 4 = 11

 

Did you manage to crack the code?