Ontario Math Links: Math Links for Week Ending Oct. 23rd, 2015

I have finally got around to making my first Desmos Polygraph. If you are not sure what that is, check out their description here. The best way I have to describe it is by comparing it to the game Guess Who? You get 16 choices, you pick one and your partner has to ask yes or no questions to try to guess which one you picked. And because Desmos allows for anyone to create their own Custom Polygraph, I made this one for Distance time graphs.
Curriculum Tags: MPM1D, MFM1P
http://engaging-math.blogspot.ca/2015/10/polygraph-distance-time-graphs.html

This week I was surprised when I found that some students had not been familiar with making patterns with toothpicks. So it seemed like perfect timing that @mathletepearce created a 3Act task with patterning using toothpicks. Check out the whole thing here
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P
https://tapintoteenminds.com/3act-math/placing-toothpicks-part4/

I like that collaboration that happens over the Interwebs. @alexoverwijk posts something on this activity about sucking lolly pops. Then @mrorr_Geek adapts it for his class and posts his results . Check out all of the analysis. Reminds me of the classic tootsie roll commercial. And you can definitely adapt it for anything from a grade 9-12 class.
Curriculum Tags: MPM1D, MFM1P, MHF4U, MCT4C
http://mhf4uoverwijk.blogspot.ca/2014/10/sucker-rates.html
http://mrorr-isageek.com/lollipop-lollipop-oh-la-la-lollipop-rates-of-change/

And further sharing between teachers with @mrorr_Geek having a nice activity that starts with something from Would You Rather then develops the distance formula for points and the finished with homework developed from @marybourassa. Keep the sharing coming.
Curriculum Tags: MPM2D
http://mrorr-isageek.com/distance-formula-without-the-formula/

I thought I would start a new section to the Math Links blog here. Many teachers blog about their ideas of various topics in math and normally I just focus on things you could use explicitly in class but this week I saw that @paul_math started his first blog with a post about the categories and problem solving with a great focus on Ontario math and thought maybe it's time to start featuring some of these types of posts. And I also loved the throwback image from curriculum documents from the past. Take a look
Curriculum Tags: All
http://mathsoxlearner.blogspot.ca/2015/10/my-first-blog-post-its-thinking-stuped.html

I love Benford's Law and spoiler alert, as it turns out, it's buried in the digits of powers of 2. So awesome. I really think this is great for the idea of hidden data (For MDM4U) as well as modelling exponential functions (for MCT4U and MHF4U)

Curriculum Tags: MDM4U, MCT4U, MHF4U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKwsPBeSiOc

Some great combinatorics and probability stuff here with a change in the UK lottery.

"The new winners of the UK lottery are mathematicians "

I love the work on really looking at how the change affects the probability of winning

Curriculum Tags: MDM4U

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOx_daJT_8c

We had an election here in Canada. It was of course mathematical. I really liked watching the results come in on the CBC Canada Votes site and noticed that once it was all set and done, there was a proportionality question in the results. Take a look
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P

There is probably a lesson on proportionality here. Maybe not, perhaps just civics #mathchat pic.twitter.com/dDeTRzeWVv
— David Petro (@davidpetro314) October 20, 2015