Categories
Math Curiosities
Most Popular
All Lessons
-
Math Curiosity: Four Squares
In this math curiosity, students investigate this fascinating pattern: every positive integer can be written as the sum of four (or fewer) perfect squares.
-
Math Curiosity: Magic Squares
In this math curiosity, students fill in a square using a set of integers so that each row, column, and diagonal have the same sum.
-
Math Curiosity: The Coloring Problem
Students will investigate the curious question: How few colors do you need to color in *any* map?
-
Math Curiosity: Odds & Squares
Here's a math curiosity involving squares and odds that turns out to be true for every case.
-
Fractals: Sierpinski’s Triangle
Sierpinski's Triangle is an example of a self-repeating shape known as a fractal. Students will learn to create their own as well as extend this idea into other shapes, leading to interesting math-based art.
-
Fractals: Koch Snowflake
The Koch Snowflake is an example of a self-repeating shape known as a fractal. Students will learn to create their own as well as extend this idea into other shapes, leading to interesting math-based art.
-
Math Curiosity: Waring’s Conjecture
Students will tackle Waring's curious conjecture from 1762: all odds are either primes or can be written as the sum of three primes. After 250 years, we still don't know if it's true or not!
-
Math Curiosity: Primes and Squares
Can all perfect squares be written as two primes added together? In this exploration, students will discover interesting relationships between these types of numbers.
-
Eulerian Paths
Have students tackle the classic "Seven Bridges of Konigsberg" problem - can you cross each bridge exactly once?
-
Math Curiosity: Legendre’s Conjecture
It seems like there's always at least one prime number between two perfects squares. But is this always the case?
-
Math Curiosity: Finding Primes
Prime numbers seem to appear randomly. How do we reliably find primes without dividing every number by every possible factor? The answer is thousands of years old…
-
Math Curiosity: Twin Primes
Twin Primes are prime numbers that have a difference of two. Mathematicians think there are an infinite number, but aren't sure yet. Have your students look for patterns as they dig into the Twin Prime Conjecture.
-
Math Curiosities
In this series, you'll expose students to curiosities, unproven conjectures, and intriguing patterns. There's no required work. Just exploration.
