SPACE ACADEMY · TRY, THINK, PLAY

Class 5: Mission mathematics

Interpret models, find unknown amounts and link operations instead of only calculating a total.

Try a quick challenge

Just a quick try. Not saved; no game rewards.

ExploreWorking backwards

Line 1: 4 stars and one square total 18. Line 2: one square is 2. What is the value of one star?

++++= 18= 2
  1. 16
  2. 5
  3. 6
  4. 4
Need a hint?

Take the value of the square away from line 1, then share what is left between the stars.

Answer & method
Answer D: 4

18 - 2 = 16, and 16 / 4 = 4.

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ReasonWorking backwards

A mission stores 6400 units across three bays. Bay A has 1900. Bay B has 700 more than Bay A. Bay C has the rest. How many units are in Bay C?

Total: 6400Bay A1900Bay B2600Bay C?
  1. 4500
  2. 2600
  3. 1900
  4. 3800
Need a hint?

Work out Bay B first, then subtract both Bay A and Bay B from the total.

Answer & method
Answer C: 1900

Bay B = 1900 + 700 = 2600. Bay C = 6400 - 1900 - 2600 = 1900.

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StretchFactors and multiples

The HCF of two numbers is 3 and their LCM is 60. One number is 15. What is the other number?

  1. 4
  2. 45
  3. 12
  4. 60
Need a hint?

The product of two numbers equals their HCF times their LCM.

Answer & method
Answer C: 12

3 x 60 = 180. The other number is 180 / 15 = 12.

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For grown-ups

Ideas to practise

  • Working backwards. Undo the last operation first, then undo the earlier operation.
  • Equal groups and multi-step problems. Find the total in equal groups before applying the next change.
  • Equal sharing. Divide into equal groups. Check by multiplying your answer by the number of groups.
  • Addition and missing amounts. Combine the amounts, or work backwards from the total.
  • Factors and multiples. Factors divide an amount exactly; multiples are repeated totals. Choose which idea the situation needs.

A game mission has 8 untimed questions. Only the game saves choices and hints. A finished mission earns one launch charge and participation towards the Propulsion cluster in Galaxy Command. The chapter goal is 8 different questions in finished sets; hints and wrong answers count as participation, not mastery. Some craft systems link more than one chapter.

Choose a level

Explore

Foundations: read a representation and practise the underlying idea.

  • Find an unknown part of a multi-step bar model
  • Recover missing digits in a column calculation
  • Share a quantity equally and use the remainder
  • Solve linked symbol equations
  • Add and subtract numbers in the lakhs
  • Use HCF, LCM and prime factors together
Play Explore

Reason

Paper-style reasoning: connect clues, interpret a diagram or work backwards.

  • Find an unknown part of a multi-step bar model
  • Sort numbers by factor and multiple conditions
  • Find when two repeating schedules meet again
  • Recover missing digits in a column calculation
  • Solve linked symbol equations
  • Use HCF, LCM and prime factors together
  • Add and subtract numbers in the lakhs
  • Pick the greatest or smallest of four number facts
Play Reason

Stretch

Higher-order practice: link conditions, test statements and avoid a tempting wrong method.

  • Sort numbers by factor and multiple conditions
  • Find when two repeating schedules meet again
  • Find an unknown part of a multi-step bar model
  • Share a quantity equally and use the remainder
  • Recover missing digits in a column calculation
  • Use HCF, LCM and prime factors together
  • Solve an age puzzle from a sum and a difference
  • Add and subtract numbers in the lakhs
Play Stretch

Levels change representations, clues and conditions, not just the numbers. These are practice formats, not validated exam-equivalent difficulty.

Using the feedback

Learning reports distinguish hinted answers from independent first choices. They consider up to 20 recent different, unhinted questions per skill and level, and wait for at least five before suggesting extra practice. Repeating the same question does not add evidence. Reports are practice evidence, not IQ scores, diagnoses, ranks or predictions of competition results.

Ask the learner to explain a drawing or check with objects too. Choose Explore or an earlier chapter when a step feels too large.

Sources & limits

The grade topics use SOF IMO Class 5 published topic syllabus as their primary reference. The SOF sample and CREST previous-year paper below informed representations and reasoning demands. Providers have different topic boundaries; their syllabi are not interchangeable.

Questions, diagrams, picture choices, hints and explanations are original Otterly work, not copied paper questions or publisher artwork. No Olympiad provider is affiliated with or endorses Space Academy. This is not complete exam preparation; follow classroom teaching and check the current official syllabus too. Independent educator review is still needed for difficulty and breadth.

Content and coverage notes. To report a confusing question, describe the grade, chapter, level and question on the contact page. Do not send children’s personal information.

Private, local saves

Game progress stays only in this browser, in three anonymous explorer slots. Clearing site data or closing a private session may remove it. Download a private backup from Help & saves; there is no cloud sync. The game checks saves before play and stops on save failures rather than pretending progress was saved.

These page examples never change a saved game. Game links carry question settings, not a learner’s answers. There are no names, school details, public profiles, chat, analytics or advertising SDKs in the game. Grown-up guidance · Privacy

Original Otterly practice, not an official exam. Game progress stays on this browser.