Shubin, Tatiana. (2020). Mathematical Games. In S. Bowen (Ed.), Math Circle Activity Database. American Institute of Mathematics. https://mathcircles.org/activity/mathematical-games
Mathematical Games
Contributor(s): Tatiana Shubin
Math Circles: MTC Network
This session includes 15 games using manipulatives or paper and pencil. The goal is to decide which one of the two players has a winning strategy. To solve a game means to find a winning, or a non-losing, strategy for one of the players. An answer must include a detailed description of such strategy, and you have to explain what the winning player should do so that this player wins regardless of his opponent’s moves.
These games may be presented as a single circle session, or individually in a circle or classroom.
MP1 - Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
MP2 - Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
MP3 - Construct viable arguments and critique others' reasoning.
MP4 - Model with mathematics.
MP6 - Attend to precision.
MP7 - Look for and make use of structure.
MP8 - Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
MP2 - Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
MP3 - Construct viable arguments and critique others' reasoning.
MP4 - Model with mathematics.
MP6 - Attend to precision.
MP7 - Look for and make use of structure.
MP8 - Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Activity Guide
This guide looks at the activity in detail and goes into the underlying math.
