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probability and statistics posts

Red and black brainteaser Brainteaser

by David Shaw, 12 June 2019 | 12 comments

Brain icon

I have four playing cards: two of them are black and two are red. I turn them face down so you can’t see the colours, and shuffle them so you don’t know which is which.

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Run an election Activity

by David Shaw, 16 May 2019 | 1 comments

Someone is numbering the boxes on a ballot paper

Running an election is a good way to let everyone have a say. In this example, we will be voting for the tastiest vegetable, but if you design your own ballot papers, you can use this method to run an election about anything!

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Newspaper numbers Activity

by David Shaw, 11 October 2017 | 0 comments

Soemoen has circled $122 milion in a newspaper

Mathematicians can find patterns wherever there are numbers. In this activity, see if there’s a pattern in the numbers inside a newspaper!

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How do you model a bushfire? Activity

by David Shaw, 13 September 2017 | 0 comments

a bushfire

Bushfires are destructive and dangerous. They can be fickle, but scientists are developing ways to predict their behaviour. This activity shows you one way that a scientist might think about bushfires.

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Pencil cricket Activity

by David Shaw, 16 June 2017 | 0 comments

Stuck in a boring class? Can’t wait for cricket season to start up again? Have a go at pencil cricket, and fix both your problems at the same time!

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Fold an ancient Chinese dice Activity

by David Shaw, 8 June 2016 | 2 comments

The completed dice shape - with hexagon and square faces.

Thousands of years ago, ancient Chinese people played a game with strange dice – and now you can make your own!

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Thumb wrestling tournament Activity

by David Shaw, 6 January 2015 | 4 comments

two interlocking fists

Have you ever wondered who thumb wrestles the best? Run a tournament to find out. Even better, you could run two!

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Mixing things up! News

by David Shaw, 9 September 2014 | 0 comments

Mathematican Artur Avila

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.

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Shuffle like a pro! Activity

by David Shaw, 8 September 2014 | 0 comments

Someone has cupped their left hand around the deck of cards and is shuffling them.

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…

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Spot the rice Activity

by Pat, 8 July 2014 | 0 comments

a container of rice with a few black grains.

You may have heard a climate scientist talking about ‘parts per million’ or ppm. If you want to get a handle on what that means, and how much CO2 is in our atmosphere, you’ve come to the right place!

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