Math Delights

Number Bracelets

Instead of addition drills, have children create number bracelets and explore the number sequences that they create. Number Bracelets can be found in Marilyn Burns book About Teaching Mathematics: A K-8 Resource, 3rd Edition, on page 162, and also on this website at mathdelights.org/delights/activities/11-number-bracelets.

To create a number bracelet, choose any two numbers from 0 to 9 and follow this rule:  Add the two numbers and record just the digit that appears in the ones place in the sum. For example, if you start with 8 and 9, then the next number would be 7. Then add the last two numbers (the 9 and 7) and record 6, the ones place of their sum. Continue until you get back to where you started: 8, 9, 7, 6, 3, 9, 2, ...  How many numbers in your series until you get a repeat?

1. How many different possible pairs of numbers can you use to start?
2. What's the shortest bracelet you can find?
3. What's the longest bracelet?
4. Investigate the odd and even patterns in your bracelet.

The following page provides wonderful visuals of number bracelets.
www.geom.uiuc.edu/~addingto/number_bracelets/number_bracelets.html

Integer Sequences

Find suggestions for teaching integer sequences including the Fibonocci sequence and Pascal's triangle online at www.davidparker.com/janine/mathpage/patterns.html