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Everything you need to know to ace every level of the AMC competition. The American Mathematics Competition, better known as the AMC, is the first step to becoming America’s best mathlete and going all the way to the Math Olympiad. But the AMC is so much more than just the pathway to winning the title … Continue Reading
It’s the time of year when we think about changes and improvements for the new year. Here are three that IMACS would be delighted to see on every educator’s list: Teach computer science. The opportunity for American students to learn this increasingly important subject in school is woefully rare. If we want future generations to … Continue Reading
At IMACS, we’re committed to providing the best STEM education for kids. That’s why we were thrilled to hear about Emily’s experience with our Math Enrichment classes. Emily, an HR operations director, her husband Brian, an iOS app developer, and their twin 7-year-old boys live in St. Louis, MO. The boys have had a blast … Continue Reading
When you hear the name Newton and math together, you probably think of Sir Isaac. At IMACS we think of Paula Newton and her family whose mathematical talents have flourished for three generations. Their story begins in the 1960s when Paula was a gifted math student at Nova High School under the tutelage of IMACS co-founder Burt … Continue Reading
This blog post offers simple advice on how to address the ultimate question in a way that stimulates logical reasoning and critical thinking skills. It can be endearing, or at times downright frustrating – that eternal question, “why?” When bright children discover that single word, they seem to grab onto it and won’t let go. … Continue Reading
Can you link all nine dots using four or fewer straight lines, without lifting your finger and without tracing the same line more than once? We all understand what is meant when a person exclaims, “That’s so creative!” This is a typical reaction to a new and often pleasing, useful or clever idea. It might … Continue Reading
Ava and Bianca were bored on a rainy afternoon. Ava, who loved math and language arts equally and had a very impressive vocabulary, challenged Bianca to give her any math-related word to define. Ava said, “Bianca, I’ll bet you a quarter that I can give you a definition for any word that a mathematician might … Continue Reading
Georg Cantor was a mathematician who invented the branch of math known as set theory. He lived from 1845 to 1918. Try this fun logic puzzle about time traveling to meet Cantor. Professor Henderton from University College is obsessed with set theory and Georg Cantor. Ever since Henderton wrote his dissertation on Cantor’s theory of … Continue Reading
Try this fun puzzle and learn about the Collatz conjecture. Zara Zeld, a math Professor at the University of Sikinia, was trying to understand why it seemed like you could pick any positive integer, do some simple math and always end at the number 1. The simple math was this: If the number is odd, … Continue Reading
Challenge yourself and your friends with this fun number puzzle. Martin Gardner was one of the most important American puzzlers and popular science writers ever. He lived from 1914-2010, and wrote thousands of fascinating puzzles in his lifetime, as well as writing a deeply important popular science column weekly for 25 years. Some of the … Continue Reading
Try this puzzle! Alexa, Barney, Cara, Dylan, Ethan, and Frances are all planning to compete in the Kangaroo Math Contest, and each week they write Kangaroo Math sample questions and answers for each other so they can practice. Each kid writes one problem for exactly one other kid, and each kid receives one problem from … Continue Reading
A College Mathematics Text For Everyone About Mathematics, by State University of New York Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus Gerry Rising, together with three colleagues, is a new textbook that serves in particular students who have an aversion to math. The text aims to give students who wouldn’t otherwise seek out the subject the background they … Continue Reading
Why did the math riddle cross the road? Like Mac and Cheese or an ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day, silly riddles are an essential comfort of a joyful childhood. No matter how corny a riddle is, it is pure magic to hear a child shriek with laughter at the goofy wordplay and … Continue Reading
Keep math exciting, and your kids will keep doing math. Hello, logic puzzles! Logic puzzles for kids are a great way to pique your child’s interest in mathematics since logic and math go hand-in-hand. Any time kids are engrossed in tricky brain teasers, they’re building the skills they’ll eventually use to ace the SAT, lead … Continue Reading
Virtual classes can be problematic for talented children. Teachers design classes so that every student — regardless of their skill level — can learn the material. When delivered in-person, teachers can adapt in ways that prevent more advanced students from becoming too bored. In a virtual classroom, that’s almost impossible. And that’s a big issue … Continue Reading