[Graphic from the Desmos.com Facebook page.]
Math Teachers at Play #66
[Feature photo above by Franz & P via flickr. Route 66 sign by Sam Howzit via flickr. (CC BY 2.0)]
Welcome to the Math Teachers At Play blog carnival — which is not just for math teachers! If you like to learn new things and play around with ideas, you are sure to find something of interest.
By tradition, we start the carnival with a couple of puzzles in honor of our 66th edition.
Let the mathematical fun begin!
Puzzle 1
Our first puzzle is based on one of my favorite playsheets from the Miquon Math workbook series. Fill each shape with an expression that equals the target number. Can you make some cool, creative math?
Click the image to download the pdf playsheet set: one page has the target number 66, and a second page is blank so you can set your own target number.
Puzzle: Algebra on Rectangles
Gordon Hamilton of Math Pickle recently posted these videos on how to make algebra 1 puzzles on rectangles. As I was watching, Kitten came in and looked over my shoulder. She said, “Those look like fun!”
They look like fun to me, too, and I bet your beginning algebra students will enjoy them:
- Single Variable Algebra on Rectangles
- History and Algebra Puzzles (part 2)
- Squaring.net collection of rectangles tiled with squares, sorted by size ratio
Math Teachers at Play #65 via Mathematics and Multimedia
photo by Martin Pettitt via flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The new Math Teachers at Play blog carnival is up for your browsing pleasure. Featured articles include activities and enrichment from preschool through high school:
Welcome to the 65th edition of Math Teachers at Play. First let us have some trivia about 65.
- First, 65 is the smallest integer that can be expressed as the sum of two distinct positive squares in two ways:
65 = 82 + 12
= 72 + 42.- Second, 65 is the length of the hypotenuse of 4 different Pythagorean Triangles:
652 = 162 + 632
= 332 + 562
= 392 + 522
= 252 + 602.- Third, 65 = 15 + 24 + 33 + 42 + 51.
- Lastly, 65 is the traditional age for retirement in the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries including my beloved Philippines.
And now, let the math carnival begin! …
Click here to go read Math Teachers at Play 65: Teach, Learn and Enjoy.
A Pretty Math Problem?
As we were doing Buddy Math (taking turns through the homework exercises) today, my daughter said, “Oooo! I want to do this one. It’s pretty!”
She has always loved seeing patterns in math. I remember once, years ago, when she insisted that we change the problems on a worksheet to make the answers come out symmetrical. 🙂
Math Teachers at Play #64 via Mathematical Mischief
The Math Teachers at Play blog carnival is a monthly blogging round-up shared at a different blog each month, featuring posts from parents, teachers, homeschoolers, and students — anyone who is interested in playing around with school-level (preschool to pre-college) or recreational math.
This month’s edition is ready for your browsing pleasure:
Enjoy!
Welcome to my humble online abode! Take a seat – I’ve lost the carnival number under a chunk of paperwork. Whoops…
Wait, you might be able to help me out! Would you like to help me out?
The following sequences contain the missing carnival number – I’m a bit stuck, and I need your help!
Can you tell me what the next number is? There’s a prize!16, 32, 48, …
100, 81, … , 49, 36
103, 90, 77, …
2, 4, 8, 16, 32, …
Do You Want More Ways to Play with Math?
Past carnivals are still full of mathy treasure. See them all on Pinterest:
- Browse all the past editions of the Math Teachers at Play blog carnival
- Or scroll back through the archives on my blog.
Math That Is Fun: Infinite Primes
Oh, my! Ben Orlin over at Math with Bad Drawings just published my new favorite math proof ever:
I had a fight with Euclid on the nature of the primes.
It got a little heated – you know how the tension climbs.It started out most civil, with a honeyed cup of tea;
we traded tales of scholars, like Descartes and Ptolemy.
But as the tea began to cool, our chatter did as well.
We’d had our fill of gossip. We sat silent for a spell.
That’s when Euclid turned to me, and said, “Hear this, my friend:
did you know the primes go on forever, with no end?” …
Click here to read the whole post at Math with Bad Drawings.
Summer Problem Solving for the Young, the Very Young, and the Young at Heart
Here is yet another wonderful summer math opportunity for homeschoolers or anyone who works with kids: a free, 3-week mini-course on math problem solving for all ages.
The course is being organized by Dr. James Tanton, Dr. Maria Droujkova, and Yelena McManaman. The course participants include families, math clubs, playgroups, and other small circles casually exploring adventurous mathematics with kids of any age.
Would you like to join us? Check out the mpsMOOC13 home page for instructions. The deadline for joining is July 7 July 3.
And then the real fun begins!
Continue reading Summer Problem Solving for the Young, the Very Young, and the Young at Heart
Multiplying Negative Numbers with Rectangles
I love using rectangles as a model for multiplication. In this video, Mike & son offer a pithy demonstration of WHY a negative number times a negative number has to come out positive:
Math Teachers at Play #63 via Math Jokes 4 Mathy Folks
Hooray for Friday! Let’s celebrate by visiting this month’s Math Teachers at Play blog carnival, featuring mathematical activities, lessons, and games for all ages:
Hmm… let’s see… now where did I put my notes? I know that this is supposed to be the Math Teachers at Play blog carnival… but which one?
Maybe the following puzzle will help. In the grid below, do the following:
- Circle any number, then cross out the other numbers in the same row and column.
- …
Click here to read the entire post at Math Jokes 4 Mathy Folks blog.
Denise Gaskins' Let's Play Math 