The Chinese tangram puzzle was known as far back as 1813. It has remained popular ever since. It consists of seven simple polygonal pieces of card which can be assembled in the form of a square. The reader is presented with some popular shape such as the man or cat above, and then asked to construct this using the tangram pieces. There are whole…

"First-generation" college students, whose parents have not attended college, are an increasing presence at elite colleges and universities. Admitting these students, however, is not enough to ensure that they can take full advantage of the opportunities available to them in college and succeed there. Indeed, research indicates that…

We observe that recruitment efforts aimed at alleviating the shortage of skilled workforce in computer engineering must be augmented with strategies for retaining and motivating the students after they have enrolled in our educational programmes. At the University of California, Santa Barbara, we have taken a first step in this direction by…

One way to teach Pythagoras' Theorem is through use of puzzles. Marshall (2004:1) points out that, "in creating their individual solutions to puzzles, students may reveal mathematical thinking on which approaches to the standard curriculum could be based." This article describes a puzzle-like spatial structuring activity related to…

This booklet contains word games and puzzles, designed for use as introductory exercises at school food service training workshops, nutrition education classes, community health meetings, or for use by students. Time needed to play the games ranges from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the nutrition knowledge and experience of the participants.…

Step-by-step details are given for a classroom activity in which fifth and sixth graders construct original crossword puzzles. (SJL)

Recommends crossword puzzles as a useful method for teaching students parliamentary procedures. Outlines steps in creating puzzles using the computer program "Crossword Match." Includes two parliamentary puzzles and answers. (PD)

The author describes how her personal interest in puzzles led her to create Puzzle Parties at the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico. Now regular events, these puzzle parties attract several hundred adults and children from the community. (SJL)

A biography of Martin Gardner is given, elaborating on how he developed his "Mathematical Games" column. (PK)

A crossword puzzle for social dance using terminology of seven dances is presented. (JMF)

The generalization of the solitaire checker puzzle and the attractive patterns that emerge during the process of solving the puzzle, as well in analyzing the minimal solutions of various cases are discussed. Both linear and quadratic patterns are intrinsically linked to this game and the shift from one to the other involves only a slight change…

We describe a card trick in which the magician is able to identify correctly a card chosen randomly from an array of cards by a member of the audience. We then explore the mathematics behind the trick.

A collection of games and word-search puzzles to be used by the Home Economics teacher are presented. (BP)

The jigsaw puzzle approach applies a geological analogy in a structured scenario in which students identify fossils and determine the age of strata. The engaging strategy increases student confidence and interest in learning science. (SK)