From the Integrating Mathematical Problem Solving project by Mathematics for Education and Industry (MEI), this activity for post-16 students demonstrates that coffee cools gradually because it is hotter than room temperature and heat is lost to the room. Mixing the coffee with milk also cools it but this effect is...

From the Integrating Mathematical Problem Solving project by MEI, this series of activities explores how mechanical oscillations are important in many areas of everyday life. Sometimes they are useful, for example the motion of the suspension on a car, sometimes they...

Many topological graphs have edges that cross. The aim is to re-draw the graph in such a way that none of the edges cross. The task informs students they are required to design a printed circuit board and since the wires are not insulated they must not cross.

Planarity: presentation - an...

This resource contains seven problems requiring students to explore the graphs of polynomials. Students are required to explain how they know whether a graph will cross the x axis, explain the differences and similarities of the graphs of two polynomials given just the equation, asked to devise questions that could...

The first of three RISP activities exporing polynomials, The Gold and Silver Cuboid requires students to find a connection...

This resource contains seven activities related to population statistics.

Data Assessment...

This engineering resource, produced by Mathematic in Education and Industry (MEI) for the Royal Academy of Engineering, asks the question: how can you predict future power requirements? Students are required to complete a table by substituting values into a formula and plot a graph. The activity offers good...

The workbook contains two simulations designed to help students to understand what is meant by a random process and to give some idea of the likelihood of particular events occurring.

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The presentation presents a box containing m white balls and n black balls. Students are asked to explore the probability that if two balls are chosen consecutively, without replacement, the two balls are the same colour. A spreadsheet simulating the situation is provided to enable students to experiment. The...

This excel program illustrates the effect of introducing bias when throwing coins.

The first interactive excel sheet simulates the outcome of throwing a coin ten times. The probability of each outcome is plotted and...

Students are presented with a normal six sided dice students and are asked to show that the probability of two events 'the score is odd' and 'the score is prime' are not independent. Students are then given conditions for the probabilities of the scores on a biased dice and are challenged to discover if it is now...

This activity involves the quest to show whether two events are independent. Students are required to use a Venn diagram and to apply logic to find all possible combinations of values within the diagram and thus calculate the probability of event A and event B being independent events. The answer provides a full...

In this activity students explore the probability involved in a particular game involving some special dice. The aim is to explain the reasons behind their findings when playing the game using some straightforward mathematics. Students are required to be familiar with...

Students are challenges to estimate the probability that if two dominoes are picked, at random, from a standard pack of dominoes that at least one number on each domino will match. The simulation on sheet one is then used to generate experimental results to predict whether their estimation is supported. Sheet two...

This resource from Susan Wall contains five activities designed to enable students to explore the properties of functions in order to connect ideas together. Students learn how to solve equations, how to differentiate, how to find equations of tangents… but sometimes fail to see the picture as a whole. These...