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Hidden Equation Puzzles

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These hidden equation puzzles challenge students to circle one symbol in each column to create a true mathematical equation. These make great dry erase puzzles!

Hidden Equation Puzzle

Hidden Equation Puzzles

Each of the three Hidden Equation Puzzles has the same instructions: Circle one symbol from each column so that a true mathematical statement is revealed.

Hidden Equation Puzzle in Dry Erase Pocket.
hidden equation puzzle erich friedman
Hidden Equation Puzzle 3 - Erich Friedman

Puzzle Source

I discovered these hidden equation puzzles in Puzzle Box, Volume 2 and Puzzle Box, Volume 3 which are both published by Dover Publications.

This trio of three books that was put together by the Grabarchuk Family is by far my favorite source of puzzles for use in the math classroom.

These specific puzzles were written by Erich Friedman, a math professor and prolific puzzle creator.

Using These Puzzles in the Classroom

I typed up these puzzles to be used on my weekly puzzle table.

I placed the puzzle in a dry erase pocket so that students could easily erase their solution after finding it so as not to give the solution away to future classes. 

MATH = LOVE RECOMMENDS…

dry erase pockets

I cannot imagine teaching math without my dry erase pockets! They instantly make any activity more engaging and save me countless hours at the copy machine since I can use the same class sets of copies year after year.

Here are my current go-to recommendations:

If you don’t have a classroom set of dry erase pockets, you could also use heavy duty sheet protectors. But, I highly recommend investing in a classroom set of the pockets since they are so much more durable.

Puzzle Solutions

I intentionally do not make answers to the printable math puzzles I share on my blog available online because I strive to provide learning experiences for my students that are non-google-able. I would like other teachers to be able to use these puzzles in their classrooms as well without the solutions being easily found on the Internet.

However, I do recognize that us teachers are busy people and sometimes need to quickly reference an answer key to see if a student has solved a puzzle correctly or to see if they have interpreted the instructions properly.

If you are a teacher who is using these puzzles in your classroom, please send me an email at sarah@mathequalslove.net with information about what you teach and where you teach. I will be happy to forward an answer key to you.

Not a teacher? Go ahead and send me an email as well. Just let me know what you are using the puzzles for. I am continually in awe of how many people are using these puzzles with scouting groups, with senior adults battling dementia, as fun activities in their workplace, or as a birthday party escape room.

Sarah Carter teaches high school math in her hometown of Coweta, Oklahoma. She currently teaches AP Precalculus, AP Calculus AB, and Statistics. She is passionate about sharing creative and hands-on teaching ideas with math teachers around the world through her blog, Math = Love.

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2 Comments

  1. I'm a little confused here. I assumed the big dots were decimal points, but am now wondering if they are multiplication operators. Could you please enlighten me? Thanks

    1. They are supposed to be multiplication dots. The original puzzle (as written in the book I got it from) had x's for multiplication, but I was afraid that my students would think of them as a variable since I teach Algebra 1.

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