By David Shaw, 9 December 2014
Here’s a seriously crafty construction project to take on! While it’s impossible to make a Menger sponge in real life, give this approximation a go.
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By David Shaw, 6 November 2014
This decoration and the size of A4 paper share an interesting property. Get hands on to find out more! You will need A4 sheet of light card Pen Scissors Ruler Sticky tape What to do Making the pieces Measure down the long sides of the sheet of card, and make marks at 50, 149 and […]
By Jasmine Fellows, 4 November 2014
Written by Dennis Price In this activity, you’ll draw one long line that spirals and snakes around the page, known as a spirolateral. Start with a simple one, and then go on to invent your own spirolaterals!
By David Shaw, 7 October 2014
Have you ever wanted to measure something truly ridiculous? With a lamp and a piece of paper, you can answer a silly sounding question: How bright is the Sun?
By David Shaw, 23 September 2014
You will need Felt sheet Good scissors Cutting the felt Cut a rectangle of felt about 6 cm wide and 20 cm long. Fold the felt in half so the short sides match up. Make two cuts, equally spaced, coming in from the folded side. Stop cutting about 2 cm before you reach the short edges of the […]
By David Shaw, 18 September 2014
Fred’s teacher has a weird way of marking tests. He gives five marks for a right answer, but subtracts one for a wrong one. Fred answered 20 questions on a test and got 70 marks. How many questions did Fred get right?
By David Shaw, 9 September 2014
Blenders mix milk and chocolate topping. Cereal makers add sultanas and puffs to bran flakes. We all mix things every day, but we know surprisingly little about the mathematics of mixing. One of this year’s Fields Medallists is working to bridge this gap. Many people can shuffle cards, but Artur Avila can shuffle a line.
By David Shaw, 8 September 2014
You will need Two decks of cards. Younger mathematicians with small hands might have difficulty with a full sized deck of cards. Using smaller cards might be easier. If you’re still having difficulty, try asking an adult for help with shuffling. Overhand shuffle (for right-handed people) If you are left-handed, click here to see the […]
By David Shaw, 14 August 2014
The Australian National University recently renovated their fusion reactor. This magnetic marvel harnesses immense pressures and temperatures to replicate the reactions that power our Sun. And there’s a lot of maths that helps to keep the reactions going! A fusion donut Fusion reactors use hydrogen as fuel. Under intense heat and pressure, the electrons leave […]
By David Shaw, 12 August 2014
You’ve seen mazes on paper, you may even have explored big mazes on foot. But this maze has a geometric twist – it’s on the surface of a donut. This is a torus maze!
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Perfect for ages 8 – 14
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