Maths Doesn’t Have to be the UGLY DUCKLING?

Even small children can think maths is hard work.

But it can be just as much fun as any other subject

if we use our imagination.

Maths does not have to be the UGLY DUCKLING

of school work.

2. MoMaths: Manhattan’s Museum of Mathematics

Mathspig is excited. O wonder. O rapture. O Mathematical magic.

A museum of mathematics has just opened in New York, on Manhattan no less.

George Hart with his math art and students at MOMATH

Here is a quote from New Scientist:  New Scientist 10 Dec 2012

The founders of the Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) know they have a fight on their hands, given the pervasive idea that the subject is boring, hard and scary. But they are determined to give mathematics a makeover, with exhibits that express an unselfconscious, giddy joy in exploring the world of numbers and forms.

“We want to show a different side of mathematics,” says museum co-founder Cindy Lawrence. “Our goal is to get kids excited, and show them the math they’re doing in school is just one tree in a whole huge forest.”

It looks like fun, fun, fun.

Mathspig will go all the way from Australia later in the year just to wallow mathspiggy-style in all this fun maths.

Menger Sponge Cycle

View Inside MOMATH math museum NY

Having fun at MOMATH

Weird Math ACTIVITY

Here is a link to a PDF file of some fantastic shapes that fold two ways like TRANSFORMERS.

You can make these fantastic shapes by Joseph O’Rouke, Olin Professor of Computer Science @ Smith College MA if you go here.

 

If you really are curious as to what research mathematicans do, go here. It’s really interesting stuff.

SNACK TIME

While you are in the cafe you better do something mathsy. Here is the way to cut a bagel for the maximum spread of cream cheese.

 

How to maximise cream cheese spread.

Lego Olympics Triathlon

This is the Lego Triathlon.

And, mathspiggies, your Lego Man/girl/alien has made it into the finals. 

…………………………………………..

EQUIPMENT: Your Lego Man, girl, alien, your brain, a calculator & one dice.

…………………………………………………………………

In the Olympic Triathlon contestants:

…………………………………………………………..

.

.

Swim 1.5 km = 1,500 m

Cycle 40 km = 40,000 m

Run 10 km = 10, 000 m

.

.

.

.

In a Lego Olympic Triathlon little Lego men, girls, aliens have to:

.

Swim 1,500/50 = 30m

Cycle 40,000/50 = 800m

Run  10,000/50 = 200m

But each contestant will be better at some section than another.

Your Lego man, girl, alien replaces one of the following contestants. Transfer their number and times to your column.

Now calculate the Total Times for each contestant.

THEN roll the dice.

3. Disqualified because your coach gave you an alien Smoosnot drink with banned drugs by mistake.

5. Disqualified because a Groppanator from the Urgastor Galaxy ran out of the crowd just before the finish line and hugged you with his 6 arms.

Triathlete	30 m Swim Speed + Time	800m Cycle Speed + Time	200m run Speed + Time	Total Time mins	Roll 3 or 5 Disqualified
1 Mummy’s Boy from Crytomania	40 m/hr ……………	400 m/hr ……………	250m/hr ……………	………….	…………..
2 PJ Boy from Pajamarama	30 m/hr ……………	200 m/hr ……………	500 m/hr ……………	………….	…………..
3 Olag from Beserk	40 m/hr ……………	200 m/hr ……………	500 m/hr ……………	………….	…………..
4 Dead-Eye Doc from AyeAwArghia	60 m/hr ……………	400 m/hr ……………	450 m/hr ……………	…………..	…………..
5 Hula Lula from Grinmania	50 m/hr ……………	400 m/hr ……………	500 m/hr ……………	………….	…………..
6 Mr Boopy from Bozonia	30 m/hr ……………	600 m/hr ……………	200 m/hr ……………	…………..	…………..
7 Gorilla Suit Guy from Halloweenotopia	50 m/hr ……………	500 m/hr ……………	300 m/hr ……………	…………..	…………….
8 BioHaz from Toxorama	60 m/hr ……………	500 m/hr ……………	400 m/hr ……………	…………..	…………..
………………… from ………………..	…………… + ………………..	…………….. + ……………..	…………….. + ……………..	…………..	…………..

Who won?

You can work it out mathspigs.

Total Times are published @ the end of The Lego Olympics Closing Ceremony.

12 minute Maths Guru

Meet Salman Khan. He has put free maths on-line.

This article on Salman appeared in The Sunday Times, UK, 12 JUN 2011.

Salman, 28, started putting tutes online for his 12-year-old niece, Nadia, and things grew. So far the Kahn Academy’s claim to fame are:

* Over 2,400 videos including hundreds and hundreds of 12-minute maths tutes

* Over 63,000,000 lessons delivered.

* Bill Gates kids use the site.

* A staff of 1 with funding from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

* Tutes on Biology, Chemistry and Physics too.

You can look up the maths tutes by topic @ The Khan Academy.

Or search topics on Youtube eg. Introduction to Conics Khan

Why Does Mathspig like The Kahn Academy? Because it’s:

1. Free.

2. Quick

3. Clear

4. Low-key

.

.

.

.

.

.

Salman gives digital chalk-and-talk tutes like a teacher. He hand draws the equations and graphs. He uses a calculator from time to time, but he tends not to use whizz bang spreadsheet graphs or perfectly presented textbook equations. It’s a bit wobbly and it’s all coming from Salman’s head.

And students like this approach. It makes maths look do-able.

Go, Salman.

Mathspig thinks you are just GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!

 Australia’s Year 7 – 12 Maths Curriculum is already on-line and free, funded by McDonald’s. See What are maths teachers for, sir?

The tutes on Maths Online are produced by Aussie Maths teachers and they are very good. Mathspig, of course, imagined the quadratic function tutes might look something like this:

Friday Maths Madness

  Introducing FRIDAY MATHS MADNESS for Maths Piglets (Prep – Grade 2)

  It is Friday, the weather is improving, it’s time to take maths outside. You mathspigs know about Gardner and Multiple Intelligences. This week’s exercise involves kinesthetic learning.

 

     Thanks to mathspigs Sophie and Ivy, both 7, for the Pig Art. Now to maths business.

Evey kid in the class should have a shirt with a number. Most schools have a set of  soccer, Aussie rules, basketball shirts or singlets. Or you can to choose one number each between 1 and, say, 25 or the size of the class. Students can draw the number on an A4 sheet and tape it to their chest.  You can make two teams and score the game or just have some random fun. If you score a game appoint an official scorer. It’s good for their maths.

 

   You can do +, – , X, / .

  Friday Maths Madness 1:  Put two kids from one team in the middle of both teams. Say 7 , 8. Then yell ADD. The answer has to run out to the middle. Or yell take away. Again the answer must run to the centre for the team to score. Make up the sums as you go along. Note: Madness increases when answers aren’t available. (1 Point for correct ‘running’ answer. )

 

Friday Maths Madness 2: This time the answer is in the middle of the two teams. Again call out add … the first two numbers to run out get a point each. Repeat. You can also yell take away etc. (1 Point for each correct answer)

 

Friday Maths Madness 3: Now everyone in a team has to form an even number with another student. This should work like musical chairs. There may be one odd student. Then they have to form odd numbers with a pair. ( 1 point  for each pair.)

 

Friday Maths Madness 4: This is about times tables. Line up the teams. Call out for all… 3 times tables numbers to go in the middle. Repeat for 2, 4, 5 etc. ( 1 point for each team with correct answers in numerical order)

Friday Maths Madness 5: This is a time trial. Ask teams to form a line from the lowest to the highest number. Then yell ready set go. You can do this for evens only, odds only.  (5 points for correct numerical lines.)

Friday Maths Madness 6: Ask each team to send out the numbers that they think add up to your age!!!! That should be entertaining. Tell them you are going to take away lots of points if they make you too old or too young. Ham it up!!!!!!