The Orbit Arena Glitch
The Interstellar Blocky Soccer Cup is in trouble! A rogue Glitch Player has hacked the stadium, stolen the golden championship trophy, and trapped Referee Gizmo in a redstone cage. We need to solve the math puzzles, find the clues, and stop the glitch before the final whistle!
Possible suspects
Cross off a row as each clue rules it out. On screen, tap a row.
| Name | Main Soccer Skill | Special Robot Gear | Kicking Foot | Helmet Mohawk | Robot Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ney-tron Star | Gravity Jump | Solar Charge | Right footed kicker | Neon Green Mohawk | Rust spray |
| Jude Beam-ingham | Rocket Kick | Jetpack Boost | Left footed kicker | Bright Orange Mohawk | Magnet traps |
| Marcus Rush-bot | Block Wall | Redstone Spark | Left footed kicker | Bright Orange Mohawk | Rust spray |
| Sam Kerr-circuit | Turbo Tackle | Redstone Spark | Right footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Magnet traps |
| Bruno Frame-rate | Turbo Tackle | Redstone Spark | Left footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Water blocks |
| Antoine Glitch-man | Turbo Tackle | Pixel Shield | Left footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Water blocks |
| Alex Morgan-tron | Block Wall | Jetpack Boost | Right footed kicker | Bright Orange Mohawk | Magnet traps |
| Harry Kinetic | Gravity Jump | Portal Warp | Left footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Water blocks |
| Luis Solar-ez | Turbo Tackle | Redstone Spark | Right footed kicker | Bright Orange Mohawk | Rust spray |
| Megan Rap-node | Gravity Jump | Solar Charge | Right footed kicker | Neon Green Mohawk | Magnet traps |
| Karim Bin-ary | Gravity Jump | Redstone Spark | Right footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Rust spray |
| Robert Lazer-ski | Gravity Jump | Pixel Shield | Left footed kicker | Neon Green Mohawk | Rust spray |
| Son Heung-bot | Gravity Jump | Pixel Shield | Left footed kicker | Neon Green Mohawk | Water blocks |
| Marta Machine | Rocket Kick | Solar Charge | Right footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Water blocks |
| Cristiano Robo-naldo | Laser Pass | Solar Charge | Left footed kicker | Bright Orange Mohawk | Magnet traps |
| Christian Pixel-ic | Turbo Tackle | Solar Charge | Left footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Water blocks |
| Virgil Van Block | Block Wall | Solar Charge | Left footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Water blocks |
| Mo Solar-charger | Rocket Kick | Redstone Spark | Right footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Rust spray |
| Kevin De Brain | Turbo Tackle | Portal Warp | Right footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Magnet traps |
| Lionel Messi-bot | Gravity Jump | Redstone Spark | Left footed kicker | Electric Blue Mohawk | Magnet traps |
| Kylian Block-pay | Turbo Tackle | Portal Warp | Left footed kicker | Neon Green Mohawk | Magnet traps |
Addition
Referee Gizmo tallies up the extra pixel soccer balls delivered to the practice field. The sum reveals a secret code on the villain.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Subtraction
Coach Block counts the energy cells left in the locker room after the team took their gear. The difference shows the culprit's footedness.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Bar model word problems
We map out the weight of the metal cleats compared to the normal boots using a block model. The bar model reveals the villain's weakness.
Draw a bar model to solve each word problem. Its answer reveals a letter — write the letters in the boxes to fill in the missing word.
Multiplication facts (1-12)
The security droids check rows of battery crates in the cargo bay. Multiplying the crates gives us the pixel color of the suspect's mohawk.
Solve each problem to learn its letter. Then write that letter in every box that shows the same number, and read the secret clue.
Division facts (1-12) — the last clue
We divide the remaining trophy star-badges equally among the winning robots. The leftover amount points to the final clue.
First solve each problem. Then find each answer in the list below and cross that sentence out. One sentence will be left — that's exactly what the villain did!
Name the culprit
Choose the one suspect left standing.
Answer Key — The Orbit Arena Glitch
- Clue 1 (Addition): "THE GLITCH PLAYER DOES NOT USE PORTAL WARP"542 + 331 = 873 (T) · 333 + 209 = 542 (S) · 259 + 521 = 780 (I) · 153 + 87 = 240 (A) · 602 + 371 = 973 (N) · 426 + 214 = 640 (H) · 225 + 111 = 336 (E) · 522 + 319 = 841 (U) · 176 + 214 = 390 (G) · 248 + 173 = 421 (L) · 112 + 163 = 275 (O) · 256 + 209 = 465 (D) · 345 + 365 = 710 (Y) · 201 + 93 = 294 (R) · 254 + 246 = 500 (P) · 521 + 260 = 781 (C) · 161 + 216 = 377 (W)
- Clue 2 (Subtraction): "THE LEFT FOOTPRINT WAS MUCH DEEPER"1156 - 271 = 885 (T) · 655 - 31 = 624 (N) · 643 - 81 = 562 (H) · 327 - 187 = 140 (E) · 325 - 58 = 267 (C) · 695 - 4 = 691 (P) · 716 - 185 = 531 (S) · 950 - 243 = 707 (I) · 200 - 80 = 120 (A) · 1194 - 303 = 891 (W) · 812 - 341 = 471 (O) · 500 - 107 = 393 (D) · 909 - 325 = 584 (M) · 258 - 96 = 162 (F) · 598 - 349 = 249 (L) · 1021 - 265 = 756 (R) · 732 - 381 = 351 (U)
- Clue 3 (Bar model word problems): "WATER BLOCKS"Coach Block has 7 times as many rocket boots as a teammate. The teammate has 7 rocket boots. How many rocket boots does Coach Block have? = 49 (W) · Coach Block shares 189 pixel soccer balls equally among 7 teams. How many pixel soccer balls does each team get? = 27 (L) · There were 45 rocket boots in all. 36 rocket boots were used. How many rocket boots are left? = 9 (A) · The red team has 52 space jerseys and the blue team has 20 space jerseys. How many more space jerseys does the red team have? = 32 (R) · Coach Block shares 238 space jerseys equally among 7 teams. How many space jerseys does each team get? = 34 (B) · Coach Block has 4 times as many space jerseys as a teammate. The teammate has 7 space jerseys. How many space jerseys does Coach Block have? = 28 (E) · Coach Block has 6 times as many space jerseys as a teammate. The teammate has 10 space jerseys. How many space jerseys does Coach Block have? = 60 (T)
- Clue 4 (Multiplication facts (1-12)): "BLUE MOHAWK PIXELS WERE FOUND"5 × 11 = 55 (B) · 9 × 4 = 36 (M) · 3 × 1 = 3 (U) · 12 × 6 = 72 (L) · 2 × 8 = 16 (F) · 7 × 7 = 49 (H) · 9 × 12 = 108 (R) · 6 × 9 = 54 (S) · 10 × 10 = 100 (A) · 8 × 10 = 80 (N) · 8 × 1 = 8 (E) · 4 × 7 = 28 (K) · 2 × 2 = 4 (P) · 4 × 3 = 12 (X) · 12 × 12 = 144 (W) · 7 × 2 = 14 (D) · 11 × 8 = 88 (I) · 11 × 9 = 99 (O)
- Clue 5 (Division facts (1-12)): surviving statement (box 7) → Antoine Glitch-man10 ÷ 5 = 2 · 18 ÷ 3 = 6 · 11 ÷ 1 = 11 · 6 ÷ 2 = 3 · 72 ÷ 6 = 12 · 1 ÷ 1 = 1 · 20 ÷ 4 = 5 · 48 ÷ 6 = 8 · 27 ÷ 3 = 9 · 30 ÷ 3 = 10 · 28 ÷ 7 = 4
About this mystery
- Grade level
- Grade 3 math
- Math topics
- Addition, Subtraction, Bar models, Multiplication, Division
- Reading level
- grades 3-4
- Theme
- The Orbit Arena Glitch — set in the blocky floating Orbit Arena in deep space
- Format
- Interactive online & printable worksheet with answer key
- Solution
- One unique, verified culprit among 21 suspects
