Math Madjik - A Dicey Situation

I started out as a good student. Then, at a cognitive point when I started becoming bored with the usual lesson plans most of my teachers were using, I drifted off and became what would have manifested as the poster boy of the total educational system breakdown and failure, were it not for my incredible parents who saw what was happening and immediately stepped in to see to it that my mind was challenged at every opportune moment. They also helped me to see what the problem was and showed me how to challenge myself rather than simply drifting off into the abyss that devours so many of our bright, intelligent, and would-be over achievers today.

One of the tools that helped me the most was the way my parents used to show me how things that I was learning applied to situations and problems that existed in the "real world". Both my parents used to emphasize the idea that there were still so many questions that remained unanswered, and how it was ever so possible that I could be someone responsible for finding solutions to many of the worlds most pressing issues. The jury is still out on whether or not I will play a role in the annals of human history. However, I did manage to get through school with an outstanding academic record and a good idea of how to apply the education my parents worked so hard to make sure I received and appreciated.

Along those lines, I have a few theories about how to get kids to study or learn things that they don't think they want to learn. For instance, you can pull your hair out trying to get a kid to study math, but that same child will perform repetitions of some little move used in a magic trick until he/she gets it down or gets a blister. With that in mind, I've written a series of little articles on math magic, or rather, simple magic tricks that kids love to master but can only learn using math. The real magic comes when a young magician/student realizes he/she has been doing math problems all day long.

I hope you enjoy learning and teaching these mathmagical feats...

A Dicey Situation:

Have a friend role two dice without you seeing the result.

1. Tell your friend to multiply the number on first die by 2 then add 1.
2. Next have your friend multiply the above total by 5 and add the number on the second die.
3. Have your friend tell you the number he/she comes up with.

You can always tell your friend exactly what the numbers were on the dice he/she rolled by simply subtracting 5 from his/her answer.

Example: Your friend rolls a 2 and a 3.

1. 2 x 2 +1 =5
2. 5 x 5=25, 25+3=28
3. 28-5=23, 2, and 3.