#1 - Math Tricks! • Magic 9’sMathemagician Eric reveals a cool math trick that will amaze your friends! Nomatter what numbers are chosen, the answer will always be nine. The Educational Gist: This episode introduces the concept of following simplecalculations that illustrate the special properties of 9. Follow a given sequence… multiply by three, add three, multiply by three, and add two digitsand behold the amazing answer!

• It’s So DiceEric rolls out an amazing dice trick. Just by looking at a tower of any numberof die, he can accurately calculate the sum of the hidden faces. The Educational Gist: The sum of the digits on two opposite faces of dice willalways be seven. In this episode, dice are used as fun tools to reinforce fact families of seven, multiples of seven, and subtraction skills.

• The Danish ElephantAmaze your friends with your mind- �reading super skills. Here’s a brain gameyou can play by asking just a few questions and substituting letters for numbers! The Educational Gist: This episode demonstrates how following a specific sequence of arithmetic steps and the special properties of 9 will always result in the same answer, in this case the number 4. The result of step 3 will alwaysyield 9, so subtracting 5 always yields 4, which in turn forces the letter D...which leads most people think of Denmark (because, besides Denmark, therearen't many well known countries starting with D) and then elephant for ananimal starting with E. Finally, all elephants are grey.

• A Nut for a Jar of TunaA palindrome is a word, sentence or verse that reads the same forward or backwards, that is to say from right to left and left to right. RACECAR, KAYAKand even BOB are palindromic words. Join Eric as he shows us how palindromes exist in numbers too! Our mathemagician will demonstrate a fascinating sequence of steps that can turn any number into a palindrome. The Educational Gist: The episode demonstrates how all numbers can be converted into palindromes using a reverse and add rule (algorithm). With reversing and adding, you will nearly always arrive at a palindrome answerwithin six steps.

• The Magic NumberNo matter what numbers you use, there’s one constant answer to this mathtrick. Here’s Eric the mathemagician with a number trick that will amaze you.It’s not magic… it’s math!The Educational Gist: 6174 is a very mysterious number. In 1949 the mathematician D. R. Kaprekar from India, devised a process now known asKaprekar's operation. First choose a four-digit number where the digits are notall the same. Then rearrange the digits to get the largest and smallest numbersthese digits can make. Finally, subtract the smallest number from the largestto get a new number, and carry on repeating the operation for each new number. You always reach 6174: a constant.

#2 - Measurement – It’s Not Just about Rulers – Part 1 • Weigh to Go!Eric shares an amazing trick to show that heavy does not equal big. All youneed is something heavy and a LOT of something light and you’ll be able toprove that weight is not the same as size. The Educational Gist: This episode is about another measurable property of objects – weight – and how you can measure and compare this property usingspecific tools (such as scales, which demonstrate the concepts of greater than,less than, and equal to), units (kilograms), and volume (space occupied).] Theconcept of “balance” through equivalence is introduced.

• Vanishing Into the SunsetDid you know some things look further away - � almost as if vanishing - � thanothers on a flat surface? It’s an illusion called the vanishing point. The Educational Gist: This episode is about one of the techniques used bypainters: perspective. Perspective is the art of drawing objects in such a way soas to give them depth and show their distance from the observer. This gives adrawing the illusion of three-dimensional space as well as representational accuracy.

• Sun TimeHow can you know what time it is without a clock? The Educational Gist: A sundial is a clock that uses the position of the sun toindicate the time. Typically a stick (gnomon) casts a shadow upon a plane orsurface. On this surface are found markings that indicate the time by the position of the shadow. This episode demonstrates the construction of a sundial by tracking the shadow of a stationary object (a stick) throughout theday and explains how shadows on these markings indicates what time it is!

• Oops, I Forted!Want to know the trick to making a really big fort? Eric shares a top-secretplan to building a better bunker. Gather your cushions and secure the perimeter! The Educational Gist: While the relationship of length, width, and area of arectangle is multiplicative, that of its length, width, and perimeter is additive,and, surprisingly, there is no direct relationship between the perimeter of arectangle and its area. Using cushions to build a fort, this episode explores theconcept of finding the largest area for a fixed perimeter.

• Going Off GridWant to make a great impression of yourself? Eric shares a trick to drawing apicture of yourself that’s completely to scale—even if it is teeny tiny! The Educational Gist: A scale drawing is one that shows a real object with accurate sizes reduced or enlarged by a certain amount - � called the scale. Byusing gridlines, an object can be scaled up (magnified) or scaled down (shrunk)by using corresponding grids to manually produce an image that is the sameshape as the original, but is a different size (which in math means they aresimilar).

Math is everywhere! In fact, it's a mathXplosion - outside, inside, everywhere,every day!

In each of these exciting, entertaining and funny math-shorts, ‘mathemagician’Eric shares secrets from the not-so-hidden world of math, such as measuringthe height of a tree using your thumb—no ladder, no measuring tape, no kidding! Discover how to multiply using ‘Mummy Math’ from ancient Egypt,multiply yourself with the marvels of reflection. But make no mistake, it's notmagic, it's math!

While the focus is on math, mathXplosion also incorporates STEM themesthroughout the series. (Guided by Ontario's elementary mathematics curriculum.)

NOTE: Each mathXplosion episode consists of 5 x 3 minute segments bundledby theme.

THE EPISODES:

#3 - Measurement – It’s Not Just about Rulers – Part 2 • Eight Heads Tall Put your heads together to figure out this experiment: we are approximatelyeight of our own heads tall. The Educational Gist: This episode is about non- �standard measurement unitsand the application of proportions to art, by reinforcing the notion that reliablemeasurement units can be derived from representational objects in the every-day world. This is an illustration of the concept of anthropometry: the built- �inratios for body measurements first proposed by Leonardo DaVinci.

• How Tall is a Tree?How can you find the height of something tall – like a tree or a basketball net –without using a ladder? All you need is to follow the rule of thumb. The Educational Gist: When we can't directly measure a distance using a ruleror some other measurement device, indirect measurement, proportions and estimation can be used to compute linear measures with surprising accuracy.

• The Perfect SquareWhat shape are you? Chances are, you are square, just like most of us! But youcould be a tall or short rectangle…find out what shape you’re in in this hands- on episode. The Educational Gist: Using non- �standard measurement units and anthropometric proportionality ratios, this episode reinforces the notion thatreliable measurement units can be derived from representational objects in theeveryday world - � in this case, your arm span and your height.

• String Self-PortraitDid you know that just by using string and some cool rules about the humanbody you can figure out the size and position of different parts of your face? The Educational Gist: This episode shows how an artist can determine the accurate placement of eyes, ears, nose, chin and lips on the portrait of a face byapplying some special body ratios, and using proportions.

• I’m Seven Feet TallDid you know that most of us are seven feet tall? Seven of our own feet that is. The Educational Gist: This episode is about the concept of a measurementunit; non-standard measurement units; non-standard measure; and, indirectmeasure. The notion of proportion is introduced using visual non-standard relationships (proportions) within the human body that have been used forcenturies by artists and designers (e.g., the human figure is approximately 7 ofits own ‘feet’ tall). Indirect measure is used as a tool for establishing reasonableestimates for body part dimensions, illustrating the practical application andutility of long established and widely used non-standard measures.

#4 - Math Maybes – Birthdays, Probabilities and Estimates • Birthday ProbabilityWhat if somebody dared you to prove that at least two people in your class hadthe same birthday? Would you take the challenge? If you accepted, and yourclass had at least 23 people, chances are you would win! The Educational Gist: This episode uses the concept of probability to explorehow likely something like sharing the same birthday will be in a group.

• Birthday TrickeryCan you determine someone’s birth year and age using just a calculator? Youabsolutely can! The Educational Gist: This episode uses a fixed set of computational steps thatuse simple arithmetic and basic algebraic conventions (e.g., doubling expressions to generate a known solution).

• Actually, It’s an EstimateEric astounds with his amazing powers of estimation! Figure out how to arriveat estimations (not guesses!), for example, how many hours you’ll sleep by thetime you’re 18 years old, by using some general facts and approximations.The Educational Gist: An approximation is the nearest estimate you can getwithout having the precise size or measure of something. In this episode, wesee how accurate estimates are arrived at by using information about manythings in our everyday lives, in logical ways.

• This with That and ThatHow many combinations can you get from 6 shirts and 4 pairs of pants? Determine the number of different outfits using mathemagical powers of themultiplicative principle. The Educational Gist: Using clothes to make different pairs, this episode introduces the concept of possibilities (possible outcomes) and combinations(different combinations and total outfit combinations).

• Matching SocksEric performs a feat of mathemagical mastery, blindfolded in the dark, as hetests the theory of probability using his messy sock drawer. You will not believe your eyes! The Educational Gist: This episode presents a probability puzzle that requiresyou to weigh all the possibilities and pick the most likely outcome when confronted with a drawer full of loose, unpaired socks and come up with amatching pair.

#5 - Math Stew – Bits ‘n Bites – Part 1 • Quest for Roman NumeralsWhat do C, D, I, L M, V and X represent? They’re Roman numerals - � createdthousands of years ago and still used today. Join Eric on his quest for Romannumerals. The Educational Gist: This episode explores an alternate way to communicatenumbers using the anchor numbers 5 and 10 and the ancient counting systembased on letters from the Roman alphabet. Roman Numerals were usedthroughout Europe, well into the middle ages, and still appear in the names ofmonarchs, the production year of films, on buildings, and on timepieces.

• Take Note of Musical FractionsBreak down a song by counting how long the notes are in action – it’s musicalfractions! Then join Eric as he creates his own cool song, using what else?Fractions of course! The Educational Gist: This episode is about patterns in rhythms and musicalnotes, and the role of fractions in denoting whole, half, and quarter notes, andcreating distinct sounds.

• The Mysterious Multiplying EricsEric travels into another dimension! Look deep into the mathemagician’s secret mirrors and mysterious illusions will abound. The Educational Gist: A mirror reflects everything in front of it including another mirror. If you place two mirrors at an angle, you will see an ever - in-creasing number of objects as you move the mirrors closer together (reducingthe angle between them); if the two mirrors are parallel, you can see infinity.

• Pick a Block of Dates - Any BlockA trick you can do by calculating the sum of a 3 by 3 block of dates on acalendar without using a calculator. The Educational Gist: This episode introduces the concept of the mean (or average): the number in the middle square is the mean of the nine numbersthat form the 3 X 3 square. If you add all the numbers and divide by nine (thenumber of squares) the answer is the number in the central position. So, tofind the sum of the nine numbers quickly, just multiply the number in themiddle by 9.

• Reflecting on Mirror WritingMirror, mirror on the wall, can you read Eric’s handwriting at all? Eric exploresthe mathemagical mystery of secret messaging mirrors. The Educational Gist: This episode is about mirror writing�formed by writingin the direction that is the reverse of the natural way for a given language, sothat it appears normal when it is reflected in a mirror. The most common modern usage of mirror writing can be found on the front of ambulances,where the word "AMBULANCE" is often written in very large mirrored text, sothat drivers see the word the right way around in their rear- �view mirror.

#6 - Math Stew – Bits ‘n Bites – Part 2 • The Many Sides of TrianglesEric tests the strength of a paper chair. Will it buckle under pressure or will itstand up to the test? Triangles have a deep- �seated tradition of holding up lotsof weight—are they really the strongest shape ever? Let’s see! The Educational Gist: The emphasis is on the right angle, right triangle andequilateral triangle. Triangles are inherently strong because they form a fixedrigid shape that’s been used in architecture and design through the ages.

• Circles Get AroundBehold how the pinky pivot can produce a perfect circle. Did you know you candraw a perfect circle by using your pinky finger? The Educational Gist: This episode introduces basic geometric constructions.It’s about creating circles from a fixed pivot- �point where all points radiatingfrom the centre are the same distance.

• Same But DifferentExplore the world of illusions with Mathemagician Eric. How will this trickmeasure up to your expectations? Take two different shaped containers for example: a tall, skinny cylinder and a short wide one. Which one will holdmore beads? The Educational Gist: This episode is all about capacity. When two containershave the same surface area, they can have very different shapes and sizes, sothey can have different volumes or hold different capacities—and the resultsmay surprise you!

• On the GridAhoy there! Unearth the key to reading maps with gridlines and join Eric in hissearch for a hidden buried treasure. Arrrr! The Educational Gist: This episode is about graphs, grids and mapping, with afocus on mathematical process skills such as reading and writing location datausing coordinate geometry. Grids and maps illustrate the concepts ofparallel/perpendicular lines (axes or labelled number lines), ordered pairs, andintersection points.

• Go Fly a KiteJoin Eric on a high- �flying mission. Unfurl the secret of symmetry used in kitesto make them fly. The Educational Gist: The gist of this episode is that a kite in geometry looks alot like a kite in the sky! We see that a kite is a special quadrilateral in whichone of its two diagonals (long and short) is also its axis of symmetry and that ifyou fold the kite along that diagonal, the two halves will match up exactly (i.e.,they are congruent).

#7 - Multiplication Marvels • Old Math is New Again Travel back in time thousands of years ago with Eric to ancient Egypt! Discoverand demystify a secret multiplication system. The Educational Gist: This episode is a fun experiment for novices and expertsalike to explore an age- �old multiplication method that used repeated doublingof numbers to get a product. Tune in to see how this ancient method of multiplication, using times two, is similar to that used by modern computers.

• From Zero to HeroWhat’s the most powerful number in the universe? One billion? One trillion?One googol? It’s zero! There’s nothing to it! The Educational Gist: This episode is about the enormity and quantity of largenumbers. The role of zero as a placeholder for large numbers such as one million, one billion and one trillion is presented, and the notion of place valueand powers of ten are introduced through the act of bead counting.

• The Power of the Power of TwoMathemagician Eric demonstrates the amazing power of two that can turn onegold coin into over one billion coins in one month. The Educational Gist: The concept of exponents - � how many times the multiplication number is multiplied by itself - � is introduced in a visual way toemphasize how growth occurs quickly when powers are involved telling ushow many times to multiply the number by itself: (21= 2, 22= 4, 23= 8, 24=16, 25= 32, 26= 64 and so on).

• The Impossible Folding PaperWhy can a regular sheet of paper be folded only about six times? Mathemagician Eric tries his hand at busting this folding paper myth. The Educational Gist: This episode is about the power of repeated multiplication. By folding a sheet of paper in half, over and over, the number of layers and the thickness of the paper doesn’t just double – it increases exponentially. Find out how many times a sheet of paper can actually befolded!

• Lattice Have FunBehold, a centuries- �old math trick that uses a lattice grid to multiply two- digitnumbers. The mystery is straight and simple. The Educational Gist: This episode introduces the Gelosia method of multiplying large numbers using a cross- �hatch, or lattice template. To begin,each digit of the multiplicand is multiplied separately with each digit of themultiplier, and the product is recorded in the corresponding split square. Tocomplete the calculation, you simply add the diagonal columns from top rightto bottom left.

#8 - No More Conundrums! • Cracking the CipherIntercept a secret message! Eric cracks the code to decrypting the ancient cipher box used by Roman Emperor, Julius Caesar over 2000 years ago! The Educational Gist: By shifting the alphabet or replacing a letter for anotherfurther down the alphabet sequence, you can crack or decipher a coded message. The secret to a cipher is one special piece of shared informationknown as a key (in the above example each letter in the alphabet (A,B,C...) wasmapped to a different letter (A=D, B=E,C=F...) according to a specific shift (3).This shared key is required for two parties to encrypt (HELLO = KHOOR) &decrypt (KHOOR=HELLO) messages.

• Magic CupsAmaze your friends with this familiar magic cup trick. Following a fast flippingsequence is the trick to performing this puzzle in just three moves. The Educational Gist: This trick is all about “even” and “odd.” The goal of thistrick is to end up with three cups facing down after making exactly threemoves, but the rule is that for each move, two of the three cups must be flippedsimultaneously. Since the goal is to get all three cups facing down (an oddnumber) and you start with one cup facing down (also an odd number) youmust turn down an even number (two) of cups, because an odd plus an even isan odd.

• Thinking Outside the JamEver been in a jam? Eric shares a secret to getting out of sticky situations. Tryusing different ways, creative thinking, and scrumptious strawberry jam ontoast to feed your imagination. The Educational Gist: This episode introduces a dramatic problem solvingstrategy: acting it out. To “act it out” you use puppets, objects or people to actout the problem by trying to do what the people or things in your problem do.It will help you because you are actually doing the problem!

• The Word on Problem SolvingPay close attention! Mathemagician Eric reveals his trick to problem solving ina mind- �bending mathemagical story. The Educational Gist: This episode focuses on the importance of reading mathproblems very carefully so you can determine the important facts and understand the question that you are being asked to solve. You may find an answer using pictures and numbers, but if you didn’t answer the right question, even “right’ can be “wrong.”

• Can See the Tetrahedron for the TreesEric digs deep into an age- �old mystery of how to place four trees so that theyare exactly the same distance apart from each other. The Educational Gist: This episode illustrates the power of another problemsolving strategy: make a model. By using miniature trees to make a model ofthe problem that is posed, it becomes clear that a 2D solution is impossible. Welearn how objects can help us to visualize the problem situation, which in thiscase requires a 3D solution: the tetrahedron. This episode looks at geometryand the three- �dimensional object called a tetrahedron.

#9 - String, Paper, Scissors! • That’s So TwistedEric is tangled up with what seems to be a never-ending challenge. How will hemake a set of linking rings from one strip of paper? The Educational Gist: This episode explores a "twist" on the standard Mobiusstrip - a piece of paper with a 1/2 twist and one surface. We take a regular Mobius strip and divide it into thirds. As we cut the twisty strip lengthwise intothree pieces, something magic happens - we get three interlocked rings andnone of them have a twist! It’s an instant paper chain!

• Pop Up PaperHere’s a trick for junior mathemagicians. Turn any piece of paper into a threedimensional object. Join Eric as he folds, cuts, and… Pop! The Educational Gist: This episode introduces paper engineering: the art of following a specific sequence of origami folding instructions using a standardsheet of paper, a few cuts and reverse folds to construct a 3D object.

• A Magic Curve BallEric lays it on the line with this mathemagical illusion that makes a straightline look like a curved line.The Educational Gist: This episode is about geometrical “line design.” Line designs are created by connecting points on lines or curves with straight linesegments. When carried out on cardboard with sewing needle and thread, theprocess is referred to as Curve Stitching or String Art. String Art works because when the straight lines meet at an angle, there is an illusion that youhave created a curved line by drawing straight lines. And the more subdivisionsyou make in the original two lines, the smoother the curve looks.

• Star PowerEric the famous mathemagician shares his secret tips on how he made himselfa star against all odds through hard work… determination… and folded paperand scissors. Make yourself a beautiful five- � pointed star, just like Eric!The Educational Gist: In this episode, we use kirigami (paper folding and cutting) to make a star polygon, also known as a pentagram (or pentangle): the5- �pointed star famous for being a magical symbol.

• Folded Paper, Hopping FrogHere’s a “ribbetting” experiment. Turn a two- �dimensional flat sheet of paperinto a three- �dimensional hopping frog. You don’t have to be a mathemagicianto make a frog… but you do have to be a princess to make a frog turn into aprince! The Educational Gist: This episode is about the connections seen in the geometry of paper folding. Origami folds have associated geometric patterns or “paper trails,” in which we are able to visualize different types of triangles,angles, polygons, lines and symmetry.

#10 - Arresting Arrangements – Patterns • It’s a Bird! It’s a Fish! It’s a Metamorphosis! Marvel at the mystery as mathemagician Eric turns a bird turn into a fish!What’s the secret to his shape-shifting trick.The Educational Gist: Using Escher’s special twist on creating tessellations, weuse two shapes from one repeating tile in a pattern to make a metamorphosis:creating the illusion of one animal slowly transforming into another, line byline.

• If the Shoe Fits…Learning to lace and tie shoes is a difficult hurdle that everybody has to over-come in the course of growing up. But as you lace over, under, in and out, haveyou ever wondered how many ways you can tie a shoelace? Follow Eric’s stepsas he shows us a couple of the 43,000 ways to tie shoelaces.The Educational Gist: This episode is about patterning, such as over/under,left/right, in/out, red/black, zigzag/crisscross and following instructions. Itdemonstrates how different people, not just mathematicians, use mathematicsdaily for practical and creative purposes.

• The Tessell NationWatch and be amazed! Mathemagician Eric makes a tessellation using a geometric tile in the shape of his head! The Educational Gist: This episode is about tessellations or tilings (createdwhen a shape is repeated over and over again covering a plane without anygaps or overlaps), and transformational geometry (e.g. slides, flips and turns),which provide visually rich designs to explore geometry, patterning, spatialsense/relationships, and the integration of mathematics with the visual arts.

• Frieze DanceEric shows off his fancy footwork to prove how math patterns are used indance, art and in architecture.The Educational Gist: HOP! JUMP! SPINNING JUMP! SIDLE! SPINNING HOP!SPINNING SIDLE! STEP! No matter how hard you try, it is impossible to makea repeating 2D design that does not have one of these geometric “footprints,”physically and mathematically. This episode uses physical movement (dancesteps) to illustrate the unique patterning, transformational geometry and symmetry in a few of the seven frieze patterns.

• Math is EverywhereHit the trail with Eric and see the world through mathemagical eyeglasses.From pinecones to pineapples math is found in living things and natural structures. The Educational Gist: This episode explores mathematical patterns in naturesuch as the tessellating hexagonal units of a honeycomb, the bilateral symmetry of a leaf, the radial symmetry of a snowflake and a spider’s web, andthe number of right or left spirals on a pinecone or a pineapple (Fibonaccinumbers)

Produced by GAPC Entertainment10x15 mins © 2016 Grades 2-6

$795

Available in Canada from :McNabb Connolly

info@mcnabbconnolly.ca • www.mcnabbconnolly.ca866.722.15522