Check out our Christmas Tree. We need to buy lights for the tree. Without calculating, guess how many feet of lights you will need. What information do you need to better estimate the number of feet of lights that you…
In this activity students determine if this method for minimizing wrapping paper is actually more efficient then the traditional method. For a hands on learning experiment, have students actually wrap a small rectangular prism using any available paper in both the traditional and diagonal methods. Then let them compare the two quantities of wrapping paper and decide which method uses less paper and by what percent.
As the Halloween season begins, let your students play a spooky game. How does this work? Students can play this game online at Ghost Whisperer Crystal Ball and then Figure out why it works. Construct viable arguments Critique the work of others…
Can you imagine being stuck in the dark for such a long time? How do all of the numbers play out? In this activity, students get a chance to talk about the experience of this ordeal while calculating usual rates…
Fanatics is an online sportswear retailer that has promised to accept jersey returns if your chosen player makes a team switch. In this activity student try to calculate how much this “Jersey Assurance” program will actually cost the company. This…
This weekend is the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markel. This will be quite an event and we can expect it to dominate the media. What have you heard about the event? What interests you? The mathematics in this…
Based on this data, which do you think is the greatest March Madness program ever? Once students decide their “best program ever” challenge them use a different criteria than they originally used. That is, ask them to think of another way…
Friction, score-keeping, trajectory and weirdness are the main concepts in this activity. Curling is not a well-understood sport but the science and strategy are easily understood and enjoyed. Let your students watch this video to get a feel for the…
There is some beautiful land in Utah that was just recently changed from federally protected land to mostly Utah overseen land. What was the point of that? Was the land needed to allow for population expansion or what? Let your…
The Last Jedi (most recent Star Wars film) will open this weekend. How much did it cost to make? How much will it gross? Is the Star Wars phenomena a guarantee for success? How would you compare these movies? We’ve…
Clicking on the image above will show the heart larger in a new window. Canstruction® is an event hosted in more than 150 countries throughout the world to demonstrate “innovation, hunger relief and collaboration”. Canstruction has raised more than 40 million…
Each year the Boston Ballet highlights the holiday season with the Nutcracker ballet. In 2014, the Boston Ritz Carlton Hotel’s chef, Andrew Yeo and his pastry team, created a gorgeous and massive Nutcracker cake of macaroons and fondant to celebrate the…
One of my favorite foods is a burrito. One of my favorite places to get a burrito is Chipotle. Their food is delicious and environmentally friendly. For Halloween 2016, Chipotle ran a promotion and charity drive. Chipotle offered $3 burritos…
There must be a lot of Olympians who haven’t brought home medals. Probably most of the athletes that went to Rio didn’t win anything. We couldn’t find any data about this. Can you deduce it? In this activity students try to…
Develop some understanding of the many Olympic sports and their various judging requirements. Should the Olympics only include performances that can be objectively measured?
