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/sci/ - Science & Math

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1736383 No.1736383 [Reply] [Original]

For some reason, I was asked to contribute to a math publication for middle school students (grade 7-10). The publication basically consists of math problems and puzzles, games like Sudoku, and other math facts.

Can /sci/ recommend any good puzzles and facts related to math? Nothing too advanced - remember, they're kids.

>> No.1736387

How about how Algebra can make 1 = 2

>> No.1736401

>>1736387
>implying that's math
>and not some easily noticed error
>amateur hour

>> No.1736417

>>1736401
it'd be good if you gave the sequence of steps and asked the students to find the fallacy.

>> No.1736431

look up slitherlinks- they're awesome

>> No.1736433

>>1736417
I like the way you think.

>> No.1736439

You could sit around on /sci/ and find ideas in homework / troll threads.

>> No.1736444

Use magic tricks based on math. You hook them with the demonstration, then show how it's done.

Card trick:
Take only the royalties (A,K,Q,J). Choose an order of suits (spade-heart-diamond-club, etc.), then lay out each value in that order in rows: aces (spade-heart-diamond-club), kings (spade-heart-diamond-club), etc.
Collapse each column with the jacks on top, then queen-king-ace.
Stack all of these together and flip over the deck.
Then allow a volunteer to split the deck (NOT shuffle.) They can take one card, or two cards, or as many cards as they like, remove it, and place it beneath the rest. They can do it as many times as they want.
When they hand it back, take from the top of the deck and lay out each row. Then flip over the cards... voila. If I've explained it right, and you've done it right, they should be in a recognizable pattern.
That one works on cyclical patterns... the cards aren't shuffled, they're cycled past the starting point. Imagine the cards arranged in a giant wheel, with the 'top' of the deck connecting with the 'bottom'. If you split the deck, you only rotate the wheel. {1,2,3,4,5,6} -> {2,3,4,5,6,1} -> {6,1,2,3,4,5} -> etc.

2 6-sided die:
roll both at once. Sum the values. Flip over the die; sum those values. Add all of the numbers together. Your number is 14. You can really amaze people by having the numbers written on your hands, taped to the bottom of their chairs, and so on.
(Each side plus its opposite is 7, so 7*2=14.)

>> No.1736447
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1736447

troll them with this

>> No.1736469

>>1736447
fuck yes
this, all the way
good luck finding a middle schooler who is well versed in graph theory

>> No.1736510

>>1736383

The Birthday Paradox.

It's really easy to explain from first principles (with a dash of basic probability), and it is mind-bogglingly freaky the first time you hear of it.

The probability of two people having the same birthday in a room of 23 people is 50%.

For advanced mathers, you can segway into the birthday attack.

>> No.1736514

>>1736444
Not this guy, but similiar advice...

Look for books by Martin Gardner.

>> No.1736520

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutilated_chessboard_problem

>> No.1736529

>>1736447
could i have corners in the line?

>> No.1736532

>>1736447
>mfw I can remember coming across this 'puzzle' in some book as a kid
>and the book didn't tell me it was impossible
>...or maybe I was just thick

>> No.1736540

>>1736447

>> No.1736558

/sci/ - trolling small children