Maths Busking

Maths Busking is, well, busking with maths: variety of mathematical delights to amuse and entertain passersby, performed by a growing number of volunteers. Nifty routines include Mind Reading and the Emergency Pentagon (ideal for cutting a pie, pizza or cake into five equal pieces).

What are the chances?

Tomorrow I am going to start off a probability topic by playing "Higher or Lower?", perhaps even picking names from a hat or using a random name generator. A card from a shuffled pack is turned over, and the participant has to work his or her way through the next 6-10 cards, deciding whether each card is going to be higher or lower than the one before. (Always best to set ground rules such as the worth of picture cards and whether aces are high or low before starting...) If the participant gets to the end correctly, she wins; if not, the person running the game wins.

A computer version can be found at Woodlands Junior School.