I discovered this solution to a maze during a "Math Explorations" class at Eleanor Roosevelt Community Learning Center in Visalia, CA. The class had a mix of homeschoolers ranging from 2nd to 5th grade. I took in a stack of mazes and crayons and I simply set them to work looking for strategies. I didn't have a preconceived solution method. This solution emerged organically out of the conversations during the class as I was interacting with questions from the students. It was a truly exciting event for all. My original "solved" maze was done with crayons. After class I saw that it could be done quickly with a paint program.
https://mathwithoutborders.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg1d177V2jw
I purchased a small indoor trampoline, or "rebounder," for light exercise at home. It required assembly. I found that the force needed to stretch the 30 bungees over the frame was very difficult to muster, so I brought my physics experience into play to devise an improvised "block and tackle" solution. See more at https://mathwithoutborders.com.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGO9NliWO6A
I developed this method of creating a regular pentagon with origami a few years ago, motivated by seeing a different method that turned out to be only approximate.
http://MathWithoutBorders.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNThO9z59iA
This is part of a series of arithmetic lessons created for my grandkids, but I'm opening them to the world. You can access an annotated index with links on my Math Without Borders website here: https://mathwithoutborders.com/the-grandpa-project
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9CzQxUuApY
Archimedes approximated the value of Pi by starting with the fact that a regular hexagon inscribed in a unit circle has a perimeter of 6. He then found a method for finding the perimeter of a polygon with twice as many sides. Applying his method repeatedly, he found the perimeter of a 12, 24, 48, and 96 sided polygon. Using the perimeter as an approximation for the circumference of a circle he was able to derive an approximation for Pi equivalent to 3.14. This video uses a somewhat simpler method of doing the same thing and carries it out to polygons with millions of sides. All that is needed to understand the calculation is knowledge of the Pythagorean Theorem.
For a followup (showing both the inscribed and circumscribed polygons) see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zO0-QOcJQ0
For a good explanation of Archimedes actual steps used to carry out his calculation see
https://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/clindsey/mhf4404/archimedes/archimedes.html
See my website: https://mathwithoutborders.com
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rJdkhlWZVQ