Maths tricks · trick 25 of 25 · free

The leapfrog sum trick — Maths trick for kids

Ask a friend to pick two small numbers and write them down. Each next number is the sum of the two before it — a leapfrog list — until there are 10 numbers. You glance at the list and say the total at once: it is always 11 times the 7th number!

The trick

Seventh times eleven — “in a leapfrog list of 10 numbers, the total = 11 × the 7th number”

  1. A leapfrog list: start with two numbers, then each number is the sum of the two before it, up to 10 numbers.
  2. Find the 7th number.
  3. Multiply it by 11 (the number with a 0 on the end, plus the number): that is the total of all 10.

Use it for: A show-stopper magic trick for family and friends, and practice for adding long lists and spotting number patterns.

Worked example: 2 + 5 + 7 + 12 + 19 + 31 + 50 + 81 + 131 + 212 = 550

  1. Each number is the sum of the two before it, so the total is 11 × the 7th number.
  2. The 7th number is 50.
  3. 11 × 50 = 500 + 50 = 550.

Check: 2 + 5 + 7 + 12 + 19 + 31 + 50 + 81 + 131 + 212 = 550 ✓

✏️ Practice

Work it out in your head or on paper, type the answer and press Check. Stuck? Press “Show me how”.

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🏁 Trick 25 test

20 questions. Check each answer, then go to the next one. Get 16 or more right to pass.

🏅 Sign in with Google to earn the 🐸 Leapfrog Legend badge when you pass — and a certificate when you finish all 10 tricks of Part 4 · Clever counting & checking. You can still take the test without signing in.

🖨️ Leapfrog Sum Trick Worksheet

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