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An Introduction to Recreational Math: Fun, Games, and Puzzles

Discover what recreational math is and how to use it in education and mathematical research. Join Weizmann Institute of Science's online math course.

Duration

3 weeks

Weekly study

2 hours

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How it works

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Get an introduction to the fun, games and puzzles of recreational math

Math doesn’t have to be boring or difficult. In fact learning about recreational math can not only enhance your creative thinking but it can be exciting and useful in daily life.

During this course you will challenge your brain and have fun while learning about the math of various entertaining subjects such as magic squares, puzzles and games. You will also learn about famous recreational mathematicians.

Week 1
What is recreational math? Meet some recreational mathematicians
- Who are we and what do we want?
  This activity is for us to get to know each other and set the stage for the course.
- What is recreational math?
  In this activity we will try and answer the question: "what is recreational math?" As we will see, there is not a simple answer to this question...
- Some famous recreational mathematicians
  In this activity, we will learn about some of the important, historical and contemporary people involved in recreational math.
Week 2
The rich worlds of mathematical puzzles
- Problems, puzzles and mechanical puzzles
  In this activity, we will be introduced to some famous puzzles and problems, and see some archetypical mechanical puzzles
- Logic puzzles
  In this activity, we will learn about logic puzzles.
- Cryptarithms, Soduku and more
  In this activity we will learn about some other kinds of puzzle, like Sudoku, Secret Codes and Cryptarithms.
Week 3
Mathematical games
- The game of Nim
  In this activity we will learn about a mathematical game called called ‘Nim’
- Tic-tac-toe
  In this activity we will learn about the math behind tic-tac-toe
- The Game of Life
  In this activity we will learn about John Conway’s Game of Life
- Course summary
  Course summary