by MathPickle | Sep 16, 2015 |
Thirsty fractions (MathPickle, 2013) In a bar I once overheard the proverbial argument “glass-half-full” versus “glass-half-empty.” A second later my own beer arrived and the waiter inexpertly poured it with the beer glass at the wrong angle so...
by MathPickle | Sep 16, 2015 |
Unfair Thrones (MathPickle, 2013) This was MathPickle’s first puzzle to get into the New York Times. It is perfect to give students motivation to subtract fractions and turn the result into a percentage. Start the class by naming an empress and getting her to...
by MathPickle | Sep 16, 2015 |
Half Fraction Snake (MathPickle, 2013) This is the best puzzle to introduce students to fractions. It was the third MathPickle puzzle to get into the New York Times. Why is it so good to introduce fractions? Because only 1/2 is used – that’s the secret. I...
by MathPickle | Sep 15, 2015 |
Daedalus and Icarus try to Escape (Lothar Collatz, 1937) The Collatz conjecture from 1937 is essential in every student’s experience of mathematics. Here we present it with a backdrop from Greek mythology. It gives students practice in multiplying by 3 so when the...
