Can you reach the number?
Four numbers. One target. Combine them with plus, minus, times and divide until only the target is left. Every number gets used once. There’s a new shared puzzle every day.
Tap a number, an operation, then another number.
Solved!
In a “reach the number” or 24-style puzzle you combine all the given numbers, each exactly once, using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to make the target. Every puzzle here is generated from a real solution, so there is always at least one way to win.
Love making sums land exactly? Sumbriska is a whole island of them
This game is from the makers of Number Puzzles: Sumbriska, a quiet number puzzle for iPhone. According to its App Store listing:
- Each island shows a target number; flip bridges to send numbers between islands until every sum lands exactly
- A Daily board, The Deep (an endless dive) and Harbor Run, a timed challenge
- Two Tides boards, where one bridge layout must solve two schedules at once
- Hints, Undo and step explanations without penalty
Tips for harder puzzles
Work backwards. If the target is 36, think: what times what makes 36? 4 × 9, 6 × 6, 3 × 12. Then see if the remaining numbers can make the missing piece.
Use division to make small numbers. 8 ÷ 4 gives you a 2 to play with.
Keep a 1 for last. Multiplying or dividing by 1 changes nothing, so it can always be used up at the end.
Using it in class
Put the daily puzzle on the board as a warm-up. Everyone gets the same numbers on the same day, so students can compare different routes to the same answer. It is good practice for order of operations and mental arithmetic from about age nine.
Questions
Is every puzzle solvable?
Yes. Each one is built from a real solution first, so at least one route always exists. There are often several.
Is it the same puzzle for everyone today?
Yes, in Today’s puzzle mode the numbers come from the date, so friends get the same one. Endless mode gives everyone different puzzles.
Can I use fractions?
Yes. If a step makes a fraction, keep going: it can still lead to a whole-number target.