Double Maths First Thing: Issue 6D

Double Maths First Thing is tangled up in knots Hello! My name is Colin and I am a mathematician on a mission to spread the joy and delight in doing and discussing maths. This week I have been in error-recovery mode after drawing a wrong conclusion on a consulting project. Compared to Chris Lewicki’s classic, it wasn’t a disaster, but it’s still going to take a bit of work to put right. I’ve been very carefully modelling “how to respond when you screw something up” to the rest of the team; own the mistake, figure out the root cause, and do all you can to put it right. Links Eyal Weiss has been in touch with a demonstration of the Parrondo paradox, two losing games that, played alternately, are a winning game. His Wonderlattice site is full of cool experiments. Have a play! Another lovely gave via Ben Cornish about knot theory. (I love that the French for puzzle is ‘casse-tête’, or ‘head-breaker’.) Also in games: suggestions on how to use HexSum in the classroom. Why did the beach cry?…