Summary

In this activity, students will first answer clues about fundamental chemistry concepts in order to determine the missing digits from a sudoku puzzle. After solving the clues, students must then use both logic and reasoning while following the rules of sudoku to solve the 9x9 puzzle.

Grade Level

High School

NGSS Alignment

This activity will help prepare your students to meet the performance expectations in the following standards:

• Scientific and Engineering Practices:
  • Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

• Apply logical and reasoning while following the rules for solving a sudoku puzzle.
• Answer given clues related to fundamental chemistry concepts.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of:

• Chemistry Basics
• Periodic Table
• Atomic Structure
• Review Questions

Time

Teacher Preparation: minimal

Lesson: 15-20 minutes

Materials

• Student Handout
• Periodic Table

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• This activity was originally published in the April 2014 issue of ChemMatters Magazine. It has been modified slightly and republished in the AACT library with permission by the editor.
• This activity was chosen to be republished in the Chemistry Fun section of the May 2022 issue of Chemistry Solutions.
• This activity was designed to be a fun way for students to challenge their problem-solving abilities with a twist on a sudoku puzzle.
• This activity could be used as a quick warm-up/bell-ringer activity, or shared with students who finish an assignment earlier than others.
• In this is sudoku puzzle grid you will see 9 of the familiar 3x3 grids compiled together to create a larger 9x9 grid. Below is an overview of the rules for solving a sudoku puzzle for reference. These are also included on the student handout:
  • Use all digits 1 through 9 only once in each 3x3 grid, and only once in each row and column of the larger 9x9 grid.
  • Use the alphabetic clues provided below to determine a corresponding digit (between 1-9) and insert it into a space in the puzzle grid. Letters a-t (we are not using l or o to avoid any confusion) correspond to the various clues and are shown in the upper right of select grid spaces. Be warned that a misplaced number can sometimes make a puzzle unsolvable!
  • Use problem-solving skills and logical reasoning to then insert digits for any remaining unfilled squares. You’ll notice that a few squares have digits already placed in them to help you solve the sudoku. Good luck!
• Deliberately, the 18 clues included as part of this puzzle cover a wide range of chemical topics.
• An Answer Key for both the clue list and the puzzle grids has been provided for teacher reference.