THERE are two puzzles that have occupied mathematicians for hundreds of years.

One is 260 years-old Goldbach's Conjecture, with a prize of a million dollars if it's solved.

The other, probably much older, is "How do you get children interested in maths while keeping abreast of a curriculum which changes all the time?"

Solve that, and the prize could be much higher. And one Bolton businessman and mathematican looks like he's well on the way.

Ian Fisher started 10ticks.co.uk, under the trading name of Fisher Educational, two years ago from home with his wife Lynne, after spending 15 years as a maths teacher in the Midlands and Bolton.

"Every year, thousands of pounds were spent on textbooks that were constantly being updated or changed. It was such a waste of resources."

When Ian, 41, left teaching, it was with the intention of writing better maths worksheets, but a publishing deal for the sheets fell through when publisher Pearson, through its Dorling Kindersley imprint ceased trading.

As a logician, Ian rethought his business model, and did not take long to figure out that a paperless solution could revolutionise the way learning was presented.

Ian wrote the worksheets, published and sold them on the internet to schools, and two years later his moved has been vindicated.

With profit margin of 60 per cent of turnover and over half a million school-age users in schools nationwide, Ian, now based in the Bolton Enterprise Centre, also won the "e-business of the year" award at this year's prestigious North Manchester Business Awards.

The nature of 10ticks is such that the ever-changing nature of the maths curriculum holds no fears. "The fact that the worksheets are available via the website is the main selling point," said Ian.

"We write an online help feature for every single worksheet. Every child can build up an ability profile, with diagnostic areas showing where more work is needed. None of this is possible with a paper textbook."

Neither are games, but a big part of 10ticks success has been the ongoing design of online mathematical games to encourage children to engage with mathematics.

Developing puzzles and arithmetical quizzes using basic formats such as Pac-Man style arcade graphics and 'magic eye' puzzles, 10ticks is in danger of actually turning maths into a popular subject. Ian is adamant that it is the online element that is the key to his success.

"What began as a cheaper marketing method has taken over, with the medium suggesting ways of improving and staying ahead, and curriculum changes can be embraced. We can repack and rewrite to order in a fraction of the time it would take to produce a textbook. All our admin is done in the first hour of a working day. The rest is free to develop the business."

And development, business and personal, is a key philosophy for Ian. He recently presented nearly 40 Bolton junior schools with free seven-a-side football kits, reminding pupils in the town that physical, as well as metal exercise is important to develop brainpower.

The company also recruits computer and design students on year-long placements to work on programmes. "It means that ideas are always fresh and the students can take away a substantial piece of experience for their portfolio."

So now he's done the difficult bit, what about Goldbach? "Ah, that's number theory. Outside my field, I'm afraid"

Goldbach's Conjecture was originally written in a letter from Prussian mathematician Christian Goldbach to Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler on June 7, 1742. It stated that "every even number greater than 2 is the sum of two primes." Euler replied that it was probably true, but how could a formula be devised that would prove it?

A prize of $1m was offered in 2000 to anyone who could solve the conundrum, but the prize remains unclaimed. It is the oldest unsolved problem in mathematics.