24 (puzzle) facts for kids

The 24 puzzle is a fun math game where your goal is to use four numbers to make the number 24. You can use math operations like adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing. For example, if you have the numbers 4, 7, 8, and 8, one way to get 24 is: (7 - (8 ÷ 8)) × 4 = 24.

This puzzle has been played as a card game in Shanghai, China, since the 1960s. People use regular playing cards for it. Sometimes, it's called "Maths24." There's also a special version of the game that uses more complex math rules.

How to Play the Original 24 Game

The classic 24 game uses a standard deck of playing cards. You take out all the face cards (Jacks, Queens, Kings). The Aces count as the number 1.

To play, four cards are dealt out. The first player to find a way to make exactly 24 using only those four numbers wins the round. You can use addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and parentheses (like in the example above). Some players who are really good at math also allow operations like powers (like 2 to the power of 3) or square roots.

Winning a Game of 24

There are a couple of ways to play the game:

• Short Games: When someone solves a puzzle, they get to keep the four cards. If no one can solve it, the cards go back into the deck. The game ends when all the cards from the deck are used up. The player with the most cards at the end wins!
• Longer Games: In this version, all the cards are dealt out to the players at the start. When a player solves a set of cards, they take those cards. This is a bit like the card game War. If a player runs out of cards, they are out of the game.

Some people play a slightly different version that includes the face cards. In this case, a Jack counts as 11, a Queen as 12, and a King as 13.

Using More Complex Math

Adding more math operations can make the game even more interesting and allow for more solutions. For example, if you have the numbers 1, 1, 1, and 1, you can't make 24 with just basic math. But if you use factorials (where you multiply a number by all the whole numbers smaller than it, like 4! = 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 24), you can solve it! For 1, 1, 1, 1, the solution is (1 + 1 + 1 + 1)! = 24.

See also

In Spanish: 24 (juego de cartas) para niños

• Krypto (game)