Number Play | Class 6 Mathematics Notes

Supercells in Number Tables

This section introduces the concept of 'supercells' within a number table. A supercell is defined as a cell in a table whose number is greater than all the numbers in its immediate neighboring cells. Neighbors are considered to be the cells immediately to the left, right, top, and bottom of the cell in question. Diagonal neighbors are not considered. The section explains how to identify supercells by comparing a number with its neighbors. For example, if a cell contains the number 8632, and its neighbors are 4580, 8280, 4795, and 1944, since 8632 is greater than all these, it is a supercell. The section provides tables with numbers and asks students to find supercells within them. This activity helps students practice comparison of numbers and understand spatial relationships in tables. It also introduces the idea that some numbers in a table have a special status based on their relative size. The section includes exercises where students fill tables with numbers to create or avoid supercells, encouraging creative thinking and application of the concept. This concept is important as it combines numerical comparison with spatial reasoning and pattern recognition.

📊 Diagram: Table on page 4 (3×4); Table on page 4 (5×5)

🧪 Activity: Students fill tables with numbers to create or avoid supercells, such as making the second largest number not a supercell or making the second smallest number a supercell.

🔗 Connection: Understanding supercells prepares students to explore number patterns in addition and subtraction in the next section.

Table on page 4 (5×5)

| 8. Fill a table such that the cell having the second largest number is not a supercell. 9. Fill a table such that the cell having the second largest number is not a supercell but the second smallest number is a supercell. Is it possible? 10. Make other variations of this puzzle and challenge your classmates. Let’s do the supercells activity with more rows. Here the neighbouring cells are those that are immediately to the left, right, top and bottom. Table 1 The rule remains the same­: a cell becomes a supercell if the 2430 7500 7350 9870 number in it is greater than all 3115 4795 9124 9230 the numbers in its neighbouring cells. In Table 1, 8632 is greater 4580 8632 8280 3446 than all its neighbours 4580, 8280, 4795 and 1944. 5785 1944 5805 6034 Complete Table 2 with 5-digit numbers whose digits are ‘1’, Table 2 ‘0’, ‘6’, ‘3’, and ‘9’ in some order. Only a coloured cell should 96,301 36,109 have a number greater than all 13,609 60,319 19,306 its neighbours. 60,193 The biggest number in the table | | | | |

Table on page 4 (3×4)