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How Can I Teach Number Theory?

Participating in fun activities are one way to teach number theory that helps the teacher in getting the students to be motivated to learn. Fun stuff like games and activities take the students' minds away from learning useless and boring math to focusing on completing an activity. Number theory is the study of integers and everything involved with them. It is a very old form of mathematics that has been developed by ancient Egyptians. Number theory helps to reduce the difficulty of far-reaching problems.

Things You'll Need

  • Tape measure
  • Graph paper
  • Colored pencils
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Instructions

  1. The Golden Ratio

    • 1

      Have the students pair together and provide each pair of students with a measuring tape and tell them to record the measurements. Have them measure from the top of the head to the bottom of the neck, and from the bottom of the neck to the belly button. Also have them measure from the belly button to the kneecap and from the kneecap to the floor. Now have them measure from the top of the head to the belly button and the belly button the floor.

    • 2

      Have the students divide the larger number of each set of data by the smaller number, or vice versa, to record what they find.

    • 3

      Tell each student to bend their index finger into a u-shape. Have them measure from the first knuckle to the second knuckle and then the second knuckle to the third. The students should now divide the numbers similar to step two.

    • 4

      Divide the larger number by the smaller number and it should yield 1.618, and dividing the smaller number by the larger should yield 0.618

    Square Numbers

    • 5

      Divide the students into groups of three.

    • 6

      Write numbers one through 20 on the chalk board or dry erase board.

    • 7

      Explain to the students that their objective is to identify which of the numbers on the board are square numbers.

    • 8

      Have the students color in one square on the graph paper with a colored pencil or the number one. They will continue coloring in the same number of squares on the graph paper for each number written on the board.

    • 9

      Tell the students to write down the pattern if they see one. Numbers 1, 4, 9 and 16 are square numbers.

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