Fortunately, many have taken it upon themselves to contribute new math puzzles since Gardner’s posthumous autobiography published in 2014. Several are uninspired, others are derivations of Gardner (which can’t be all bad), but some manage to distinguish themselves remarkably. When I made my first game, Synonymy, I had the privilege of having the project narrated by Richard Dawkins, whose writings had shaped my love of words, thereby inspiring the project. As an employee, Jack arrives at the racetrack to find three jockeys, Willie, Eddie, and Fidel, sitting in the media room waiting for a press conference to start. Jack’s boss (who loves puzzles) has left him a note instructing him to bring each jockey his racing silks and announce to the press which race each jockey has won and which horse he was riding. Review the clues to the puzzle to verify they lead to the correct solution. Choose 10 variables divided into two categories to use in the logic puzzle.
When you think about it, students are typically asked to solve math problems and find the answer. Showing their work is frequently stressed too, which is important, but not the end. Instead, students need to be able to look at math in different ways in order to truly grasp a complete understanding of math concepts.
When the outcome may affect very many people, as in the case of elections, the small chance of making a difference may be significant enough to offset the cost of voting. When a writer creates a story, an account manager pitches to a client, or a lawyer presents in court—they are all communicating within a framework that has a basis in mathematics. In fact, a former student recently emailed Rimmer to say that the brief time spent on logical arguments in his class really helped when it came time to complete the LSAT. As a scientist and technologist, I’m fortunate that I get to solve puzzles for a living.
When you join Math Inspirations, you become part of our worldwide Math Inspirations family. You’ll have access to our Help Center, Facebook group, online trainings, email support, and our live, weekly Q&A sessions called Jam Sessions.
Here are some more great math riddles.
Today, most states have some set of Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards for K-12, and particular standards targeting CT. Dating back to 1762, jigsaw puzzles were first introduced by British cartographer John Spilsbury as an educational tool to teach geography. Spilsbury mounted European maps on wood, cut along country borders, and offered these “dissected maps” to local schools. By the 1800s, puzzles became popular with adults as well as children, with more complex cut patterns and vivid lithographic printing of diverse images. These became known as “jigsaw” puzzles in the 1880s, named after the device with fine teeth used to cut the curved pieces. American companies began to mass produce puzzles in the 1930s, mounted on cardboard instead of wood.
It took one of my sons a week to discover how averages worked, but once he got it, he owned it and now it is his favorite. I would have just told him how, and he probably wouldn’t love it like he does now. According to Gardner’s theory, logical-mathematical learners are usually very organized and systematic. They think in clear and linear terms, making them very good at mental math and memorization. They also use patterns and sequences to absorb information– for example, logical-mathematical learners might have a precise planner or to-do list system. Simultaneously and paradoxically, they are comfortable with abstractions because of their ability to extract patterns and find consistency. Logical-mathematical learners are also heavily reliant on rules and structure.
And I myself was on a quest to figure out why such a seemingly simple math puzzle had caused so much controversy. We have been sharing the rectangle math riddle with math fans for a while—well, sort of. The original math puzzle was nearly identical, except that it asks How Many Squares? This problem, shown below, is not too difficult to solve and it is appropriate for students at the elementary levels and above. When you’re ready for more, this bundle of error analysis tasks contains more than 240 tasks to engage and enrich your students in critical thinking practice. Finally, error analysis is always a challenging way to encourage critical thinking. When we use error analysis, we encourage students to analyze their own mistakes to prevent making the same mistakes in the future.
