 | The snail and bean conundrum 2008 - Mathematics B-day | © freudenthal institute | 149 views | Home | |
Task
 | The snail and bean conundrum This Maths Bday assignment comprises two parts. In the first part, you will study the movement of a special sort of snail: snails made of cubical blocks.< br /> The second part is inspired by a traditional African game which is usually played using seeds as counters and is known by many names such as: Kalaha, Oware, Wari or Awélé. In this assignment the counters will be referred to as beans; we deviate from tradition anyway. You can use anything you like: coins, peas or bottle tops. You don’t have to use cubical blocks either for the snails, you could also use rectangular blocks or draughts pieces. However, you must be able to stack them. The assignment is a conundrum looking at how the snail and the division of beans ‘shape up’. When you have finished your investigation you should formulate hypotheses and validate them where possible.
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Background information
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Mathematics B-day During the Dutch Mathematics Day Contest students work in teams of about 3 to 4 members on an open mathematical problem solving task during a couple of hours. The product of this work is a report (and sometimes a presentation). |
Using your skills in a new setting The task gives the students the opportunity to show what they have learned from mathematics and how they can use the knowledge and skills in a new situation. |
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