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Maths posts

Measuring money Activity

by David Shaw, 8 October 2013 | 4 comments

Jar full of Australian coins. ©iStock.com/CraigRJD

There are some surprising patterns that can be revealed in Australian coins if you take a closer look.

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Hyperbolic crochet Activity

by David Shaw, 1 October 2013 | 0 comments

a piece of wool fabric - it looks like it has been knitted. It's all wrinkly around the edges.

Sometimes getting crafty means getting mathsy! Try some crochet to learn about curved surfaces.

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Statistics scavenger hunt Activity

by David Shaw, 24 September 2013 | 0 comments

Several cans of hairspray. They each say '25% extra free'.

A scavenger hunt can be an opportunity to explore the use of statistics in the world around you. Think of the scavenger hunt as a way to show the extent of your knowledge, your depth of understanding and your levels of sophistication in using some of your statistical skills.

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Party food database Activity

by David Shaw, 17 September 2013 | 0 comments

Several sheets of paper in a stack. they all have holes down the edge. there are three skewers going through different holes.

Trying to keep track of your recipes? Here’s a handy trick to keep things in order with a paper database. You will need A spiral bound notebook – if you can get one with thick paper, like a visual diary, this activity will be easier Skewers A pair of scissors Pens Make the database Bend…

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Birthday paradox Activity

by David Shaw, 3 September 2013 | 5 comments

A wrapped gift, a party hat, decorative ribbon, and a cupcake with a lit birthday candle on a calendar. ©iStock.com/Double_Vision

How likely is it that at least two people out of 30 will share a birthday?

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Blow bubbles! Activity

by David Shaw, 27 August 2013 | 0 comments

Keen to blow some seriously big bubbles? Try making this bubble mix!

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Approximately pi facts about pi approximation day News

by David Shaw, 22 July 2013 | 0 comments

1. Pi (or π) is a number that helps describe circles. It links the width of a circle with its perimeter, or the radius of a circle with its area, or the width of a ball and its volume. It’s the same number no matter how big your circle is – about 3.14159265.

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Mega quiz Activity

by Jasmine Fellows, 18 July 2013 | 0 comments

Black lightning bolt in purple circle

This August, get involved in National Science Week! Why not host your own science quiz night? Here are some questions and answers to help you get started.

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A giant step for twin primes News

by David Shaw, 10 July 2013 | 0 comments

Dr. Yitang (Tom) Zhang

Three and five. Five and seven. Eleven and thirteen. Prime numbers often appear as twins, only two apart. For hundreds of years, mathematicians have wondered – is there a biggest pair of twin primes, or does the list of twins keep going forever?

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The Ancient Greek social network News

by David Shaw, 9 July 2013 | 0 comments

An ancient Greek jug with a picture of a man sitting, surrounded by others.

In the last decade, services such as Facebook have provided scientists with lots of information about current friendship links. However, they tell us little about historical friendships. So what might be the structure of an Ancient Greek social network?

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