I recently received a tough puzzle as a gift from my brother. The name of the puzzle is “Orchard”, and so far, indeed, it seems quite tough! The first step in solving it is to solve this puzzle :
Creative Math Teaching
08
Apr
I just saw this excellent online presentation about creative ways to teach math – it explains (briefly) what’s wrong with the current “linear” method of teaching math, and gives some tips on how to improve matters – even within the current system.
Check it out below :
Three Sons, Eleven Horses
06
Apr
Here’s an old fraction puzzle. I have no idea who invented this, or whether it is decades or centuries old, but it’s always been a favorite conundrum of mine.
It starts with a man who wills his possessions to his three sons. The will specifies that the eldest son should get half his fortune, the second son a quarter, and the youngest son a sixth.
Pythagoras Jigsaw Puzzles
26
Mar
“Everyone” knows that 3×3 + 4×4 = 5×5. This little factoid, and other Pythagorean triplets, can be the basis of a nice set of puzzles. Here’s the first. If you draw a 5×5 square on graph paper, how can you cut it up (following the lines on the graph paper) so that the pieces can be rearranged to form a 3×3 square and a 4×4 square?
This is not so hard to do. Here’s one possible solution :
Is Math Really Important?
22
Mar
I met someone after church the other day, and the conversation went like this
- Someone: And what’s your speciality?
- Me: Mathematics
- Someone: So, you teach in the University?
- Me: No, why should I be teaching in the University just because I specialise in mathematics?
There seems to be a general impression (and I’m deliberately overstating this) that the only use for math is to teach it. Even some teachers believe this, apparently. Here’s another conversation I had with someone at a bus stop :
Timez Attack 3 Is Out!
19
Mar
I found out some great news the other day… Timez Attack 3 is now available!
In case you haven’t heard of Timez Attack, it’s an absolutely great educational video game. I bought it for my son to play with, and he is now top of his class at times tables. I wrote a review of Timez Attack here, and another review, comparing it to another game here.
Perimeter, Area and Volume
13
Mar
How long and wide must a rectangle be, for its area to equal its perimeter? Assume the width and length are whole numbers.
This is a nice little puzzle to let younger kids explore – if they find the puzzle as interesting or frustrating as I expect, they’ll remember the formulae for perimeter and area for the rest of their lives. For older kids, a bit of algebra gives the answer quickly.
Silly Hat Day In School
12
Mar
One of my son’s teachers came up with a scheme for motivating her students to do well. I’m sure many similar schemes have been devised in the past, but I thought I’d share it here. Read the rest of this entry »
A Little Conundrum
06
Mar
Consider the sentence :
“Thsi sentence hsa three errors”
The puzzle is to find the errors. Two of them are easy to find :
- “Thsi” should read “This”,
- “hsa” should read “has”,
but where’s the third error?
Are Asians Better At Math?
23
Feb
Are Asians better at math? It might not be a politically correct question, but anyone who has been teaching math for a while will have encountered it – at least if they’ve been teaching with their eyes open!
Top students in math are “often” of Chinese origin. Studies comparing overall math performance of school students show that English-speaking Western countries are falling behind European countries and the more developed Asian countries. It might not be politically correct to think about these questions, but it’s stupid not to think about them. Is this a real phenomenon? Is it important? And what should we do about it? Can we get answers based on evidence, rather than supposition or heresay? Read the rest of this entry »
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