Monthly Archives: June 2010

Right answers for the wrong reasons

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Brent

Here’s a recent xkcd which as a math educator I found particularly funny. Some questions for my readers: What numbers besides 3 and 9 would “work” here? Do you have any particularly funny or interesting stories of students getting something … Continue reading →

Posted in arithmetic, humor, links | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Optimal change-carrying

Posted on June 24, 2010 by Brent

Recently Michael left the following challenge in a comment: I’ve been trying to optimize my change-carrying habits. What is the smallest amount of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies one can carry while still being able to give perfect change (two … Continue reading →

Posted in arithmetic, challenges, counting | Tagged , | 11 Comments