Let’s Play!

It’s been a while since we posted a new problem on Play With Your Math. But we’ve been playing! And we have several problems that we are excited to share. For (at least) the rest of the year, we plan to post a new problem at the start of each month.

After you’ve had some time to play on your own, I’m going to write a little about the problem. Inspired by how Ben Orlin organized Math Games with Bad Drawings, each post will include:

• How to Play – how I might introduce the problem to a class of students
• Tasting Notes – some of the subtleties and highlights of playing with this problem and how I might handle those moments with a class of students. Be warned: there will be some spoilers here!
• Where It Comes From – the original source of the problem, where we first saw it, and/or how we made it our own
• Why It Matters – some ideas that excited us while playing with the math, designing the poster, or sharing the problem with our students
• Variations – some new problems to play with!

Thanks to those who have been playing with us for the past 10 years! If you just got here, welcome! Let’s Play!