Find the sum of the numbers 1 through 100. Ex. 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+.......99+100 = ? (hint: google the famous mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss to see his method of quickly summing these numbers, it is pretty cool and can be done in seconds in your head!)
5050.
ReplyDeleteOK, so that was a fun challenge (especially since you told me how to cheat). The best part was looking up Carl Friedrich Gauss to learn more about him. What an amazing man! I have heard of some incredible scientists and mathematicians, but I had never heard of him before. I think sharing this challenge with students and then sharing the story of how he figured it out as a youth would be pretty motivating for students.
I give the same problem to my 8th and 9th graders and you would be surprised at how many of them actually use the hint. Most of the kids try to get the answer all by themselves or use a calculator. When we come back the next day I have the students who studied up on Gauss and his method teach it to the rest of the class and everyone is pretty impressed.
ReplyDeleteI knew how to figure it out, but I still was not in any shape this afternoon to figure it out in my head. Those of us that are math illiterate may need to use a calculator.
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