Understanding
Explorer Adventurer Trailblazer
3-4 2-4 1-5
1 Explain what a square number is.
2 How can you determine whether a number is a square number?
3 Which one is equal to 72 ?
A 72 B 7×7 C 2×2×2×2×2×2×2 D 7×2
4 Consider the expression 92 .
a What is the base? b What is the index?
5 How can you use the properties of square numbers to determine the number of tiles needed
to cover a square-shaped floor?
Fluency
Explorer Adventurer Trailblazer
6, 7abeh, 8abcd, 7abcd, 8cdef, 9cdefghim, 7cdfg, 8efgh, 9dhijklmnop,
9abcdefghim, 10abcd, 11-12 10cdef, 11-12 10efgh, 12-13
6 State the first five square numbers.
7 Are these square numbers?
a 6 b 25 c 49 d 44
e 18 f 144 g 36 h 12
8 Evaluate:
a 42 b 72 c 82 d 122
e 152 f 232 g 502 h 1002
© Mathspace Pty Ltd 2025
Example 1
9 Evaluate:
a 92 + 22 b 32 + 72 c 72 + 92 d 1002 + 102
e 72 − 32 f 92 − 82 g 122 − 62 h 1002 − 102
i 12 × 22 j 32 × 42 k 22 × 102 l 1002 × 102
m 82 ÷ 22 n 102 ÷ 22 o 152 ÷ 32 p 402 ÷ 52
Example 2
10 Evaluate:
a 32 + 5 b 82 − 3 × 22 c (2 + 3)
2
d 200
22 +1
2 2
e (7 − 3) + 10 f 2 (32 + 1) g 42 + 5 h 3 + 42
2
+2
7 5
Example 3
11 What would be the area of a square vegetable garden with a side of 24 m?
12 Find the next number in the sequence.
1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64
13 Ace and his team arrange seating for a concert into a square grid with an equal number of
rows and columns. If there are 18 chairs in each row, how many chairs will be needed in
total?
Reasoning
Explorer Adventurer Trailblazer
14-15, 18 14-15, 18 16-17, 19
14 The number 9 can be drawn as a square with side lengths of 3. What would happen if we
tried to draw a non-square number as a square? Explain your answer.
15 Harry was working out 22 × 52 and thought that he could simplify the expression using 2 ×
5 = 10.
© Mathspace Pty Ltd 2025
a Evaluate 22 × 52 , by first expanding and evaluating each square.
b Evaluate 102 .
c Is Harry correct in thinking that to solve 22 × 52 , he could use the fact that 2 × 5 = 10?
Justify your answer.
d Calculate 42 × 22 using the above method.
16 Najah was working out 62 ÷ 22 and thought that she could simplify the expression using 6 ÷
2 = 3.
a Evaluate 62 ÷ 22 , by first expanding and evaluating each square.
b Evaluate 32 .
c Is Najah correct in thinking that to solve 62 ÷ 22 she could use the fact that 6 ÷ 2 = 3?
Justify your answer.
d Calculate 122 ÷ 32 using the above method.
17 Francis was working out 42 + 52 and thought that he could simplify the expression using 4 +
5 = 9.
a Evaluate 42 + 52 , by first expanding and evaluating each square.
b Evaluate 92 .
2
c Is 42 + 52 = (4 + 5) a true statement? Justify your answer.
18 Chase was working out 122 − 92 and thought that he could simplify the expression using
12 − 9 = 3.
a Evaluate 122 − 92 , by first expanding and evaluating each square.
b Evaluate 32 .
c Is 122 − 92 = (12 − 9)2 a true statement? Justify your answer.
19 Explain why the square of an odd number is always odd.
Problem-solving
Explorer Adventurer Trailblazer
23-24, 26 21, 24, 26 20-22, 25-27
20 A number is multiplied by 8 and then added to 32. The result is a square number. What is the
smallest positive integer value of this number?
© Mathspace Pty Ltd 2025
21 Find the smallest square number that can be expressed as the sum of two smaller square
numbers.
22 What is the smallest number that Jimmy could add to 85 to make it a square number?
23 What would be the area of a square having a perimeter of 36 cm?
24 Barney was considering the pattern of square numbers and thought he spotted a pattern
when calculating the differences between consecutive square numbers.
a Calculate the differences between consecutive square numbers.
i 12 − 02 ii 22 − 12 iii 32 − 22 iv 42 − 32
b What pattern did Barney identify when he looked at the answers from part (a)?
c Barney isn’t sure the pattern will continue. Explain whether you think it will or will not
continue forever.
25 Consider the figure:
a Complete the figure by filling in the boxes.
b Describe the pattern that exists in the first difference row.
c Describe the pattern that exists in the second difference row.
26 Answer these:
© Mathspace Pty Ltd 2025
a Complete the table; one column has been done for you.
Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Square of number 49
Final digit of square number 9
b Complete the second table.
Number 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Square of number 144 361
Final digit of square
4 1
number
c State the pattern you observe in the final digit row.
d Use your observation to predict the final digit of the square numbers from 21 to 30.
e Will this pattern continue? Please justify your answer.
27 When asked how old she was, a teacher replied: "My age in years is not prime but odd and
when reversed and added to my age you have a square number. Or you can reverse and
subtract, and again you have a square number". How old is the teacher?
© Mathspace Pty Ltd 2025
