This is mathematics in action, in context, in real life, and in detail. Begin the journey with Archimedes, and travel alongside the likes of Fermat, Fibonacci, Coxeter, and Adler. There is much to consider and opportunities to make links to things that might be "known", but maybe not well appreciated. On the way you will come across an angular…

An inconsistency between American and British accounting methods led the author to this problem whose solution involves linear equations and geometric series. (SD)

Students were given the problem: Given a deck of cards in a certain order, after how many shuffles will it return to its original order? They worked with small decks of cards to develop a general formula, but were unhappy with the results. (SD)

An example of an unrealistic "real world" problem from the National Assessment of Educational Progress highlights a comparison of school and "folk" mathematics. The failures of typical problems taught in school and some suggested remedies are featured. (MP) Aspect of National Assessment (NAEP) dealt with in this document:…