Why do bees make hexagonal honeycombs, how does social distancing change the spread of COVID, why do cicadas only appear in prime numbered years, why are manhole covers round, what do cell phone antennas, African villages, and Lord of the Rings movies have in common, and why do the years seem to pass faster as we age? How is high school geometry now used to destroy kidney stones, how does a deck of cards hold more possibilities than there are grains of sand on earth, is there a best way to cut diamonds, and how does UPC coding work? How are prime numbers used to protect online transactions, why are Pringles potato chips all the same, how are the digits of Pi used in forensic accounting, and why should contestants always change doors on Let’s Make A Deal? All of these have mathematical explanations. Let’s explore these and other amazing connections between math and nature, music, art, finance, and more. Many hands-on activities.
Len Bonifacio spent over 40 years in math education as a teacher, department head, provincial examiner, and district consultant. He is a contributing author and advisor to the math textbooks currently used in western Canada schools. He was twice a semi-finalist for a provincial Excellence in Teaching award, and shared an Educator of the Year award from MCATA (Mathematics Council of the ATA). He continues to be enthused by all things mathematical and is excited to be back at ELLA as an instructor for a sixth time.