The Challenge: Create your own version of Matt Henderson’s triangle incenters.
Materials needed: Paper? Pencil? Origami? Graphing software? (There are lots of options here.)
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, geometry, polygons, symmetry, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: Using rules from the “above row”, create a new row below.
Materials needed: grid (can be home made!) paper, pencil/pen.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: Probability, randomness, expected value
The Challenge: Fold a Miura fold. This was used on the Japanese “Space Flyer Unit” launched in 1995! (That website also has decent instructions.)
Materials needed: Patience, paper, some sort of pen/flat thing to sharpen creases.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: geometry, origami, symmetry
The Challenge: I’m seeing the trees start blossoming around here (MN) so this felt like a good time for this one. I used Samira Mian‘s instructions. If you’re interested in Islamic Geometry, I cannot recommend her enough. Here is my creation, followed by her youtube video.
Materials required: Compass, straight edge, pencil.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: circles, geometric construction, Islamic geometry, symmetry, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: Crochet your very own Hyperbolic Plane (or Pseudosphere?)
Materials Needed: Crochet hook, yarn.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: exponents, hyperbolic geometry, proportions/ratios, topology
The Challenge: Build your own Hyperboloid
Materials needed: Skewers, Tiny rubber bands (I was able to get skewers at the grocery store and polybands from Target)
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: Angles, geometric construction, lines, symmetry, topology, vertices/intersections
The Challenge: Represent a pattern of permutations
Materials Needed: ??? There are so many options here. I used paint, but you could draw, use yarn, legos… anything.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: combinations & permutations, counting
The Challenge: Make the Origami Firework, but this time, only use ONE PIECE OF PAPER.
Materials Needed: A long piece of paper, patience, and the knowledge that I BELIEVE IN YOU.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, origami, symmetry
The Challenge: Drawing only straight lines where all lines must cross all other lines, how many can you draw?
Materials Needed: Paper, pencil, maybe a ruler.
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: angles, calculus, lines, slope
The Challenge: Can you find the 4, 5 and 6 crossing knots?
Materials needed: Patience, creativity, paper, pencil, maybe some strips of t shirts and a safety pin?
Math concepts you could explore with this challenge: Combinatorics & permutations, counting, graph theory, knot theory, topology, vertices/intersections
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