ISBNs
This set of Cre8ate maths activities requires students to think about place value, divisibility and remainders. It also requires logical thinking. Computer codes with check digits are widely used in the retail and banking sector. This activity focuses on one long-established code – the International Standard Book Number…
Running a Club
These Cre8ate maths activities draw on the mathematics of combinatorial thinking and involve a set of functional maths activities.
4/5- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Experiment
The Big Bang Lesson
The lesson activities and resources for 'The Big Bang Lesson' are provided here for teachers and lecturers to use in their own schools and colleges. The lesson outline includes links to many of the presentation slides used by Professor Cox in his lesson, and also to clips from Professor Cox's STAR lecture, which…
- 5/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Teacher guidance
Helicopter Seeds
This Cre8ate maths flight testing activity requires students to work in groups and, having made their own helicopter seed model from a template, record the landing positions and distances from a central point when the model is dropped from a standard height of one metre. The experiment is repeated ten times and involves the students…
- 5/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Open-ended task
Designing Logos
In this activity from Cre8ate maths students are encouraged to experiment with different kinds of symmetry to create a suitable logo. There is an exercise in using symmetrical properties to reproduce previously designed logos and this activity is complemented by Creating a logo, which gives students a free hand in using line…
Building Silos
This rich task from Cre8ate offers pupils the opportunity to develop their personal learning and thinking skills. It involves using recycled materials to construct a scale model of a silo and is well suited to group work. The task can be extended for more able students by investigating the resizing of their model to accommodate an…
- 4/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Experiment
Tiling Patterns
Cre8ate maths provides these activities which investigate the tessellation of regular polygons and its application in construction. Initially students identify which regular polygons tessellate, providing the opportunity to discuss the interior angles of polygons and the sum of angles at a point, before looking at patterns formed…
Bridges and Structures
These activities from Cre8ate maths sets challenges which require pupils to be constructive, creative and think strategically about simple structures. Working in groups of 3 or 4, students create structures from a single sheet of A4 paper, the tallest free-standing tower and the longest possible span between two end supports.…
Bricks and Tiles
This activity from Cre8ate maths investigates the lines of horizontal and vertical weakness in walls. Initially students are shown four walls and have to identify the lines of weakness in them, before finding the smallest rectangular solution which has no lines of weakness. Students should record their designs as they work and use…
- 4/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Experiment
Pit Stop
The Pit stop activities from Cre8ate maths are designed to motivate students to investigate the performance of model solar cars through a series of racing challenges. To do this activity you will need a set of model solar racing cars which are often shared between design technology and science departments. Students first work…
Supermarket Car Parks
These activities from Cre8ate maths explore the efficient use of space in car parks. These are two-dimensional ‘best fit’ problems which require logic and a systematic approach to find effective solutions. They give students the chance to devise and test out strategies using systematic trial-and-improvement techniques.…
- 4/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Group work
Hand Eye Coordination
This hand eye co-ordination activity from Cre8ate maths involves the collection of real data, hypothesis testing and scatter graphs. The extensions may also include the use of a variety of averages. Health professionals often have to assess a wide variety of attributes including hand eye co-ordination. This topic provides a fun…
Packaging
This topic explores flat designs which can be folded and used to package food and drink. These Cre8ate maths activities provide rich experience of visualising 3 dimensional shapes from 2 dimensional representations. In Four Chocolates and It Takes the Biscuit!, studentss will need to measure accurately and construct accurate diagrams.…
Making Molecules
This Cre8ate maths resource investigates the structure of some hydrocarbons. Molecules which have the same chemical formula but a different structure are called isomers. A printed sheet representing carbon and hydrogen atoms is cut up and used, as a kinaesthetic exercise, for students to build as many isomers as they can for two…
- 5/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Experiment
Rigid Structures
This activity from Cre8ate maths looks at the exciting mathematics connected with the regeneration going on in our cities. The three activities are based around the construction of rigid structures and provide opportunities for practical work and mathematical problem solving. Finding rigidity introduces students to the principle…
Growing More
This rich task from Cre8ate introduces students to a Latin Square, where each row and each column has all the variables once and only once. Students may be aware of Sudoku puzzles which are based on this scenario. They are challenged to find 12 different designs which satisfy the stated conditions for planting three types of rhubarb.…
Stretchiness
This Cre8ate maths activity draws on measuring stretchiness which involves the collection of real data, calculating percentages and experimental design. This resource models one way in which engineers use their knowledge of mathematics to investigate the properties of materials. Here students investigate the stretchiness of jelly…
- 5/5
- Publication year: 2010 to date
- Teacher guidance