A Recreational Approach to Mathematics

Author(s): C. F. Gardiner
Source: Mathematics in School, Vol. 11, No. 4 (Sep., 1982), p. 32
Published by: The Mathematical Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30213762 .
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 of many people, who, on arts courses and not in any way con-
templatinga seriousstudy of mathematics,havebecomeinvolved
A in the Rubik cube type of problem, usually emanatingfrom one
of the mathematicscourses, and, by perseverenceand natural
inquisitiveness, have worked their way to some significant
mathematical experience. (Hardy4 makes a similar point.)
Recreational Notice, too, that with the Rubik cube, there is no need to
approximate,or "model". The mathematicsis clearly intrinsic
to the situation, and it ranges from the level of the book by
Nourse7,for example, to that of Singmaster8.

Approach This suggests that it might be worthwhile going systematic-

ally through the mathematical concepts to be introduced to
children in school from 5 + onwardsand finding some game or
puzzle which intrinsically involves the relevant concept. A
reference book written along these lines could be used by
to teachersto supplementtheir usual teaching methods. Averbach
and Chein', and Bolt2give some idea of what might be achieved.
However, I would hate such an approachto become stereotyped
to the point of boredom. I think that it is essential to vary the
Mathematics approach to suit the particular personalities of both teacher
and child. There is a place for the Spode approachand for the
recreationalapproach,side by side. Of course, one of the weak-
nesses of the latter is that it might trivialise mathematics as
"just a game". We must be on our guard.
To close, let me give two examples of mathematicsvia recre-
ations. The first is taken from Litton'sProblematicalRecreations
edited by Angela Dunn, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York,
1971.
The first Martian to attend a class in algebra on the planet
by C. F. Gardiner, Departmentof Mathematics earth, as part of an educational exchange visit, watched the
Universityof Exeter teacher show that the only solution of the equation 5x2- 50x
+ 125= 0 is x= 5. The Martian thought this was strange, as on
Mars x= 5 is only one of two solutions to this equation. As-
suming that the Martianshave more fingers than humans have,
and that, like us, the number of fingers is the base of their
number system, how many fingers do Martianshave?
My next example is the game of sprouts, which was invented
by John Conway and Michael Patersonat Cambridgein 1967.
Recently, much publicity has been given to David Burghes and The game begins with n points placed on a
the Spode Group and the teaching of mathematicsthrough real plane. A move
consists of drawing a line on the plane joining one point to
life situations.The first volume of their programmehas justbeen
another point, or to itself, and then marking a new point on
published:SolvingReal Problemswith Mathematics,CIT Press. this line. There are
While any attempt to make mathematicsmore attractiveto the just two rules.
majoritymust be welcomed, I would like to make three points (a) The line drawn must not cross a previously drawn line,
of criticism. cross itself, or pass througha point.
The first is philosophical. The Spode approach encourages (b) No point may have more than three lines meeting it.
the view that mathematicsis something extraneousto the real Two
players take turns to move. The winner is the last player
life situation and to be applied to it, like a tool. We are en- able to make a move.
couragedto think of "modelling" the real situation; thus sup- What is the best strategyfor the first player?What is the best
porting a view that mathematics is distinct from "reality". strategy for the second player? How many moves is a game
There is, however, anotherquite valid view that mathematicsis
likely to last? Perhapsthere is an upper bound on the number
reality, the fundamental reality underlying all things, call it of moves in any game. Starting with n= 1, the game becomes
"God", if you like. From this point of view, the symbols, the progressively more difficult to analyse as n increases. I refer
techniquesof writing and presentingmathematics,arethe tools, the readerto Gardnersfor further details.
but mathematics itself is the ultimate reality. The latter is But this is only the beginning. We can play the game on any
what the mathematicianis concernedwith and trying to under-
surface, not just a plane. Try a torus, or maybe a projective
stand. Thus, when we "model" a real life situation, what we
plane. The mathematics intrinsically involved becomes more
are doing is to make the intrinsic mathematicsof the situation
sophisticated.We are led inevitablyinto the bewilderingrealms
simpler than it actually is in order to cope with it. In other of algebraictopology. For further details of these delights, the
words, it is a process of approximationand is properlya part of readeris referredto Firby and Gardiner3,and Giblin6.
approximationtheory.
The second and third points are both practical.In the Spode References
approach, the "doing" of mathematics is complicated by the 1. Averbach, B. and Chein, O. (1980) Mathematics:ProblemSolving through
art of modelling or approximating.The latter is a quite separate RecreationalMathematics,W. H. Freemanand Co.
Bolt, B. (1982) MathematicalActivities - A ResourceBook for Teachers,
skill to that of acquiring a basic understandingof the concepts 2. CUP.
involved, and may well hinder this. Finally, since the mathe- 3. Firby, P. A. and Gardiner, C. F. Surface Topology,Ellis Horwood (to
matics of the real life situations accessible to most people is appear).
little more than simple arithmetic, the Spode approach may 4. Hardy, G. H. (1967) A Mathematician'sApology,CUP.
well leave the majorityof people far short of the mathematical 5. Gardner,M. (1976) MathematicalCarnival,Allen and Unwin.
6. Giblin, P. J. (1977) Graphs,Surfacesand Homology,Chapmanand Hall.
experiencesthey could enjoy. 7. Nourse, J. G. (1981) TheSimpleSolutionto Rubik'sCube,Bantam Books.
In my work at the Open University's Summer Schools, I 8. Singmaster, D. (1979) Notes on the "Magic Cube", Polytechnic of the
have been surprisedat the untapped potential for mathematics South Bank.

32 Mathematics in School, September 1982

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