Two kinds of secret writing, codes and ciphers, are discussed. The weakness of a ciphering system mentioned in the March 1981 issue is pointed out, and an alternate method is presented. Programs written in BASIC are presented which can be used to encipher messages and help break ciphers. (MP)

Details of pupil exploration as to the largest number of sides that a polygon could have on a geoboard are presented. The problem is not seen as open-ended, but many different avenues of pursuit stem from it. (MP)

Calculators are seen to shift the student focus in problem-solving situations from "how to do it" to "what to do," by keeping computation from standing in the way when pupils write or solve problems. (MP)

Activity requires secondary students to make an entrepreneurial decision concerning a conflict between long-term and short-term results. Students read a dilemma story involving an automobile manufacturer. They must write down positive and negative consequences for alternative decisions on a "Human Consequences Matrix" and an "Economic Consequences…

Presents a science project involving the production, transportation, handling and preparation of food for human consumption. Calculations of caloric value of the food intake and the energy costs of cooking are included. (Author/SA)

The uses of random number generators are illustrated in three ways: (1) the solution of a probability problem using a coin; (2) the solution of a system of simultaneous linear equations using a die; and (3) the approximation of pi using darts. (MP)

The author recommends allowing elementary students to use pocket calculators, so that they may concentrate on the sense of a math problem without getting bogged down in computation. He presents calculator activities on place value, estimation, and arithmetic operations, suitable for grades 1-6. (SJL)

The use of the randomized response technique as a tool of obtaining answers to sensitive questions is illustrated. Directions for two classroom experiments are included. (MP)

Suggests a set of activities that foster physical and intellectual growth through thought-provoking situations which require no special equipment and can take place indoors or out. (MP)

Describes an exercise designed to help students experience the inequities of land and wealth distribution and to raise serious questions about solutions to those inequities. (FL)

Graphs and charts are discussed in terms of levels of applications and skills necessary for effective use. Five activities, most appropriate for upper-elementary or junior high students, are suggested. (MK)

Determining which whole numbers can be expressed as the difference of two squares and which as the sum of two squares forms the basis of two discovery exercises. (DT)

Highlights the need for classroom activities that connect in-school and out-of-school mathematics. Presents two exercises from real life situations related to measurement concepts that involve a floor-covering context and the process of measuring. (ASK)

Presents an activity that connects area with cutting brownies which are in different shapes for different numbers, uses algebraic equations, and fixes the exact dimensions of brownies. Concludes with four different solutions from six people for the class of 16 and a trapezoidal brownie. (ASK)

Describes how the author used many versions of the Cinderella story as a springboard for a variety of activities in her sixth-grade class, including discussion of fairy tale elements, aspects of story structure, summarizing, and problem-solving activities. (SR)