Expanding Your Horizons - Math & Science for Girls

Mill's College in Oakland Ca. had another great Expanding Your Horizons conference encouraging girls into math and science. It's so inspiring to see the many incredible women role models volunteering to do fun hands-on workshops for the girls. As for me, I just take my video camera around and shoot two second shots then quickly run it to music in imovie and play it on the big screen for the girls at the end of the day. It's great for them to be able to see themselves doing high level math, science and engineering activities. The picture shows a view of the rocketry workshop.Here's the 4 minute movie of the day. There are EYH conferences all over the country. If you'd like to do a workshop at one, or just help out, check out the national Expanding Your Horizons Network or the Mills College EYH.

Matchstick Puzzles - Old Favorites

I can't resist poking around with puzzles and matchstick puzzles are always a good distraction because they exercise the brain and you can do them as a problem solving activity or on a school field trip when you're waiting for the bus, or have them in stations. Of course we don't use matchsticks usually. Toothpicks, pine needles, twigs or anything long and thin will suffice. I was glad to run into this webpage with a great collection. Check it out. Jim Loy's Matchstick Puzzles.
The one shown here described as an olive in a martini glass, but I just say it's a cherry at the bottom of an ice cream sundae glass. Move two matchsticks to redraw the glass so the cherry is outside the glass.

2000 Frames a Second

An instant is no longer an instant at 2000 frames a second. This video of a water balloon popping at high speed lets us experience time in a way that isn't possible in our normal human time frame. Also, the math problems we can pull out of this can make it a motivator in any math class. Video normally plays at 30 frames per second. What percent increase do we have here.

Mathletes

Imagine 200 middle schoolers in a large multipurpose room doing sophisticated math problems in two minutes each. That's what Mathletes is like. I've been doing a Math Club twice a week at Willow Creek Academy the public charter school in the Sausalito Marin City School District and we and the students from Martin Luther King Academy in Marin City went to the Marin Mathlete's competition in Novato recently. What a hoot! The students are packed in at cafeteria tables, problems are handed out one at a time, questions answered and then "Go!" turn your paper over and you get two minutes to solve the problem. The problems are the best part. Well actually, the kids' energy is the best part - there's so much excitement in the room it's unbelievable - AND its all over mathematics! But the problems are good too. They're high level, but can be solved in two minutes. Here are a few samples.

What is the percent increase from 5² to 2⁵ ?

In base three, place value is based on the powers of 3. In base four, place value is based on powers of 4. How is the value written as 1222_{base 3} written in base 4?

Check out the MathCounts.org website for more info.