september 21

Partition lattice shapes into equal parts

Morse theory - try to move to abstract isoclines picture

Vectors

Bulls and Cows

Hopscotch: dino pursues the monkey getting bigger and bigger. Small steps, repeated...

august 24

Maxima and minima again

Magic squares - give an example; count the row/col sums; ask for another example

Hopping in a circle: every step, every other; every third... How long before coming back?

Adding vectors

Coding with Hopskotch

june 22

1. We'll cut squares - and more generally, rectangles, on the graph paper into 1x2 'domino's. 2x2 is easy. 2x3 too, and 4x4. Can one cut 3x3? What about 4x4 with 2 opposite corners removed?
2. More practice of finding remainders: when dividing by 2, by 3, by 4...
3. Back to graph paper: we'll be finding areas of various squares...
4. ...and adding vectors. This time, also trying to solve (1,2)+(x,y)=(3,4), or suchlike.

experiment: capillary forces, again, or perhaps, microwaving empty plastic bags...

june 15

1. We'll work again on residues, or remainders of dividing n by m: how many apples left if we try to split 7 between 2 people? 3 people?

Then, if we know that dividing between 3 leaves 2 apples, and dividing between 2 leaves none, how many apply one can have?

2. Some puzzles with lego pieces: how to assemble a solid 2x2x4 piece out of 8 1x1x2 pieces? How to assemble a blob with 5 colors so that each color touches each?

3. Can you design a baby version of SpotIt game? Say, 4 cards with 3 elements on each so that any 2 cards have exactly 1 element in common?

4. We'll try to learn how to add vectors on the plane (by concatenating programs that describe them).

For the experiment, we'll look at the capillary effect (microscope plates are handy!).

june 8

1. Some number of birds tries to sit on some number of branches.
If on each branch just one bird sits, one bird is left without a branch to sit. If the birds sit two a branch, one branch stays empty.
How many birds? How many branches?

What if:
again, if just one bird sits on each branch, one bird has no branch. If two birds sit on each branch, two branches are empty.
 How many birds? How many branches?

OK, one more:
If one bird sits on each branch, two birds are without a branch. If the birds two a branch, one branch is empty.
 How many birds? How many branches?

2. Anne, Boris, Cynthia, David, Ellis, Fatima and Greg sit in a row at a lunch table. When they opened their lunch boxes, it turned out that any two neighboring kids have exactly 3 apples between them. Anne has 1 apple. How many apples has Greg? How many apples they have altogether?

3. There are some kids in the room, having lunch. Any two of them have 3 whole apples between them. How many kids are in the room?

4. Two friends want to climb two paths - orange and purple - to the top of the mountain. They are friends, and want to stay all the time at the same height. Can they do it?

And what about these routes?

may 18

At the movies, Alice is left neighbor of Bob, Dorothy is right neighbor of  Carl. Dorothy and Alice are not neighbors. Who sits next to whom?

Quick Nick makes 4 laps, while Slow Joe makes just 1. If they start together, how many times Nick passes Joe? What if the numbers are 5 and 2? 5 and 3?

Draw boundaries on an island.

Vector addition.

Dragon, Unicorn and Sphinx again come to the restaurant.

may 11

Dragon, Unicorn and Sphinx again come to the restaurant.

At the movies, Alice is left neighbor of Bob, Dorothy is right neighbor of  Carl. Dorothy and Alice are not neighbors. who sits next to whom?

Quick Nick makes 5 laps, while Slow Joe makes just one. If they start together, how many times Nick passes Joe?

Four kingdoms on an island have all common boundaries. Can all four have also access to the ocean?

Vector addition.