Bumpy Wheel
(MathPickle 2022)
Bumpy Wheel is a two-player game.
Setup:
Put an even number of dots in a circle.
Copy this pattern so both players have it.
Rules:
1) On your opponent’s dots: Secretly place consecutive integers starting at zero. They can simultaneously be doing the same with your dots.
2) Connect up your dots with pairs using straight lines which do not intercept.
3) For every pair of connected lines your opponent must pay you the product.
Variations:
1) Instead of having the dots in a circle, have them in any pattern. If a two dots have a dot between them they cannot be paired.
2) Instead of using positive integers, experiment with having some negative numbers.
Teaching is an experimental science. Don’t expect to be a great teacher your first year standing in front of a class.
Standards for Mathematical Practice
MathPickle puzzle and game designs engage a wide spectrum of student abilities while targeting the following Standards for Mathematical Practice:
MP1 Toughen up!
Students develop grit and resiliency in the face of nasty, thorny problems. It is the most sought after skill for our students.
MP2 Think abstractly!
Students take problems and reformat them mathematically. This is helpful because mathematics lets them use powerful operations like addition.
MP3 Work together!
Students discuss their strategies to collaboratively solve a problem and identify missteps in a failed solution. MathPickle recommends pairing up students for all its puzzles.
MP4 Model reality!
Students create a model that mimics the real world. Discoveries made by manipulating the model often hint at something in the real world.
MP5 Use the right tools!
Students should use the right tools: 0-99 wall charts, graph paper, mathigon.org. etc.
MP6 Be precise!
Students learn to communicate using precise terminology. MathPickle encourages students not only to use the precise terms of others, but to invent and rigorously define their own terms.
MP7 Be observant!
Students learn to identify patterns. This is one of the things that the human brain does very well. We sometimes even identify patterns that don't really exist 😉
MP8 Be lazy!?!
Students learn to seek for shortcuts. Why would you want to add the numbers one through a hundred if you can find an easier way to do it?
Please use MathPickle in your classrooms. If you have improvements to make, please contact me. I'll give you credit and kudos 😉 For a free poster of MathPickle's ideas on elementary math education go here.
Gordon Hamilton
(MMath, PhD)
