Make24 / Guide

Stuck? Work backwards from 24.

Before you start tapping, think about the last move. What two numbers would get you to 24?

Start with a pair you know

4 × 6, 3 × 8 and 2 × 12 all make 24. Look at your four numbers and see if you can make one of those pairs.

Take 2, 3, 5 and 9. Subtract 5 from 9 to get 4, then multiply 2 by 3 to get 6:

The subtraction is easy to miss if you start by adding everything together.

Multiplication isn’t the only way

24 is also 16 + 8, 20 + 4 or 30 − 6. If you can’t make a useful pair of factors, try leaving one number for the final addition or subtraction.

With 2, 4, 6 and 8, leave the 8 alone and use the other three numbers to make 16:

Try another first move

If you keep ending up stuck, tap Undo and combine a different pair. You still need to use every starting number once, and division must give a whole number.