World of Tan 26 - Old Chestnut
Children you might like to:
- Find all the references to time within the story and list
others that could have been used.
- Consider the phrase "that's cool". Discuss what it
means and give examples of when you might use such a term.
- Talk about the different ways in which you work while at
school.
Parents you might like to:
- Explain the terms 'old chestnut' and 'that's cool'
- Help try to solve the problem in the activity, and show what
this problem has to do with the mathematician called Euler.
- Look up and discuss the words unicursal and transversable.
- Pursue similar problems - remember trying to join up 5 dots
when you were young?
Teachers you might like to:
- Explore other words/ phrases that are similar to 'old
chestnut'
- Show why the problem Little Ming and Little Fung were arguing
aboutcan or cannot be done
- investigate at greater length the mathematician Euler and what
he is famous for
- Use the Internet to find similar problems. Hint: research
Hamiltonian journeys/ salesmen journeys find appropriate
mathematical 'old chestnuts' for the children to solve.