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Olympic Logic

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

I love logic puzzles! Nrich Maths offers four fun Olympics Logic puzzles. And be sure to check out the rest of their Nrich Olympics Math as well.

Medals Count

Given the following clues, can you work out the number of gold, silver and bronze medals that France, Italy and Japan got in this international sports competition?

  • Japan has 1 more gold medal, but 3 fewer silver medals, than Italy.
  • France has the most bronze medals (18), but fewest gold medals (7).
  • Each country has at least 6 medals of each type.
  • Italy has 27 medals in total.
  • Italy has 2 more bronze medals than gold medals.
  • The three countries have 38 bronze medals in total.
  • France has twice as many silver medals as Italy has gold medals.

Go to Nrich Maths and try all four puzzles!

Princess in the Dungeon Game

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Yet more fun from Rosie at Education Unboxed. I found these while looking for videos to use in my PUFM Subtraction post. Rosie says:

This is seriously embarrassing and I debated whether to put this video online or not because this is NOT my normal personality, but my girls made up this game and will play it for over an hour and ask for it repeatedly… so I figured someone out there might be able to use it with their kids, too.

If you know me, please don’t ever ask me to do this in public. I will refuse.

Princess in the Dungeon, Part 1 – Fractions with Cuisenaire Rods

http://vimeo.com/42739095

Continue reading Princess in the Dungeon Game

Math Teachers at Play #51 via Math Mama Writes

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

The new Math Teachers at Play blog carnival is up and running, with 51 math-related topics for your reading pleasure.

Noticing & Wondering

I’m a pentagonal number,
I have just two factors,
and if you put me in base 2, 4 or 16,
I’m a palindrome.
I wonder:
Is there anyone else like me in the number universe?

Go to Math Mama Writes and enjoy!

Book Update, and Self-Publishing Info

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

photo by Darwin Bell via flickr

As you may know, I’ve been working hard on my Let’s Play Math! books, and I’m still hoping to get at least couple of them out this summer. (Though if I keep thinking of more sections to add, I may never get them done!) I’m also finishing up the editing on my daughter’s novel and plan to release it soon.

One of the most useful resources I’ve found for self-publishing information is Joel Friedlander’s blog, The Book Designer. The last time I published my books, a dozen years ago, I made nearly every one of the mistakes he mentions in Amateur Hour Books and 5 Book Design Mistakes to Avoid.

Continue reading Book Update, and Self-Publishing Info

PUFM 1.4 Subtraction

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Photo by Martin Thomas via flickr. In this Homeschooling Math with Profound Understanding (PUFM) Series, we are studying Elementary Mathematics for Teachers and applying its lessons to home education.

When adding, we combine two addends to get a sum. For subtraction we are given the sum and one addend and must find the “missing addend”.

— Thomas H. Parker & Scott J. Baldridge
Elementary Mathematics for Teachers

Notice that subtraction is not defined independently of addition. It must be taught along with addition, as an inverse (or mirror-image) operation. The basic question of subtraction is, “What would I have to add to this number, to get that number?”

Inverse operations are a very fundamental idea in mathematics. The inverse of any math operation is whatever will get you back to where you started. In order to fully understand a math operation, you must understand its inverse.

Continue reading PUFM 1.4 Subtraction

Multiplication Challenge

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Can you explain why the multiplication method in the following video works? How about your upper-elementary or middle school students — can they explain it to you?

Pause the video at 4:30, before he gives the interpretation himself. After you have decided how you would explain it, hit “play” and listen to his explanation.

Continue reading Multiplication Challenge

PUFM 1.3 Addition

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Photo by Luis Argerich via flickr. In this Homeschooling Math with Profound Understanding (PUFM) Series, we are studying Elementary Mathematics for Teachers and applying its lessons to home education.

The basic idea of addition is that we are combining similar things. Once again, we meet the counting models from lesson 1.1: sets, measurement, and the numberline. As homeschooling parents, we need to keep our eyes open for a chance to use all of these models — to point them out in the “real world” or to weave them into oral story problems — so our children gain a well-rounded understanding of math.

Addition arises in the set model when we combine two sets, and in the measurement model when we combine objects and measure their total length, weight, etc.

One can also model addition as “steps on the number line”. In this number line model the two summands play different roles: the first specifies our starting point and the second specifies how many steps to take.

— Thomas H. Parker & Scott J. Baldridge
Elementary Mathematics for Teachers

Continue reading PUFM 1.3 Addition

Math Teachers at Play #50 via Mathematics for Teaching

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

[Photo by By Willi Heidelbach via flickr.]

Fifty is the smallest number that is the sum of two non-zero square numbers in two distinct ways: 50 = 12 + 72 and 50 = 52 + 52. … I’m a teacher I have to ask: “So what’s the next bigger number to 50 that is the sum of two non-zero square numbers in two distinct ways?” …

There is always something to investigate in math. One of the major objectives of school math is to get students into this thinking habit without us telling them to do so but I’m digressing from my topic now.

Let’s get to the great posts submitted for this edition.

Go read the carnival post at Mathematics for Teaching.