Sunday Morning Math Games!

This Fall, the SMMG will stand for Sunday Morning Math Games! Every other Sunday, we'll post a super fun math game and ask questions about it! If you have an answer to any of the questions we ask, you can either make a video of yourself explaining the answer and send it to us, or you can email us your answer at smmg@math.utexas.edu.

We will also have an SMMG Discord where, every other Sunday at noon, you will be able to ask volunteers questions about math and the games! If you want to join the SMMG Discord, or you can email us at smmg@math.utexas.edu with your first name and what school you go to and we will send you an invite link!

TBD

SMMG – Game 1

Title: The Tower of Hanoi

Volunteer Office Hours: September 13, 2020, 12-2pm on Discord!

Game Link / Intro Video

Hint Video--don't watch this until you've tried hard to answer the questions on your own--you'll be amazed what you can figure out without the hint!

Questions:

  1. First thing's first--can you move three disks from start to finish?
  2. What is the smallest number of moves to move 3 disks from start to finish?
  3. What is the smallest number of moves to move 4 disks from start to finish?
  4. What is the smallest number of moves to move 10 disks from start to finish? (Hint: Answer the question when the number 10 is replaced with 2 or 1, make a table, and see if you see a pattern!)

TBD

SMMG – Game 2

Title: 15 With 3

Volunteer Office Hours: September 27, 2020, 12-2pm on Discord!

Intro Video / Video Transcript

Question: Do you think the first player can make it so they always win? Do you think the second player can make it so they always win? Or, if both players play perfectly, do you think the game will always be a draw? (Small Hint: You have almost certainly played this game before!)

Hint Picture--don't watch this until you've tried hard to figure out the game on your own--you'll be amazed what you can figure out without the hint!

TBD

SMMG – Game 3

Title: The Light Bulb Game!

Volunteer Office Hours: October 11, 2020, 12-2pm on Discord!

Intro Video / Video Transcript

Question: Which switches will stay on at the end? Email questions about the problem to us, or answers--we have fun variations on the problem!

TBD

SMMG – Game 4

Title: Brussel Sprouts!

Volunteer Office Hours: October 25, 2020, 12-2pm on Discord!

Intro Video / Picture of Game / Video Transcript

Full Explanation

TBD

SMMG – Game 5

Title: Gerrymandering

Volunteer Office Hours: November 8, 2020, 12-2pm on Discord!

Intro Video / Transcript

Hint Video--don't watch this until you've tried hard to answer the questions on your own--you'll be amazed what you can figure out without the hint!

TBD

SMMG – Game 6

Title:Connect Four!

Volunteer Office Hours: November 22, 2020, 12-2pm on Discord!

Part 1 / Game Link / Transcript

Hint for Part 1 - Don't watch this until you've tried hard to answer the questions on your own--you'll be amazed what you can figure out without the hint!

Part 2 / Transcript / Hint (Text)

Part 3 / Game Link / Transcript