Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages, this month, under the back-to-school big top, a lineup of special performers is putting on a mathe-magical extravaganza. You'll see juggling numbers, weight-lifting triangles, acrobatic squares, and a shrinking flock of sheep. Between acts, be sure to check out the sideshows--a series of intriguing arithme-tricks waiting to be solved. And now, without further ado, we'd like to ask for a little audience participation. It's time to click the links below and get on with the show!

A STRING OF NUMBERS
Mathematicians have always recognized the beauty of number sequences--lists of numbers that follow a certain pattern or order. But while kids may have fun reciting simple sequences (2, 4, 6, 8...), it's not as easy for them to visualize the pattern. For a fun way to help your child to see what a number sequence looks like, use it as the basis for making a colorful, unique necklace.

TESSELLATION SENSATIONS
Because a square is symmetrical and it's a shape that can be fit together to cover a flat surface without leaving gaps (picture a tiled floor), you can use it to create an interesting form of mathematical art called a "tessellation." Take a look at the tessellation shown here--you'll see two distinct patterns as your eyes switch focus between the blue shapes and the green shapes. Click on the link above for a simple method your child can use (with a little help from you) to create a tessellation of her own.

Brain Teaser: A Timely Manner
As the circus ringmaster's assistant, Larry the Lion is continually called on to think quick on his paws. Just the other day, for instance, the boss decided to catch a short nap. "Okay, Larry," began the ringmaster. "The trapeze artists will be taking their bows eight minutes from now, and the audience will clap for two minutes. Wake me up in precisely nine minutes so that I can introduce the next act!" Well, wouldn't you know, just that morning Larry had lent his watch to one of the clowns. He did have a couple of hourglasses at his disposal, though--a 4-minute glass and a 7-minute glass--just what he needed to calculate exactly when 9 minutes had passed. How did he do it? Once you think you've figured it out, see how Larry handled the situation.(Click here for the answer.)

TRIANGLE CONSTRUCTION
Sometimes more is less. Take a triangle. It has only three sides, but when used in construction, it's stronger than a square. A triangle spreads the force equally over its sides, which keeps it from collapsing under pressure. (That's why a pitched roof is supported by a series of wooden triangles--to keep it from caving in under heavy rain or snow.) Click on the link above for a fun way your child can test the strength of triangular construction.

Brain Teaser: Pondering Popcorn
When the circus's popcorn vendor went on vacation, Charlie the Chimp saw it as the perfect opportunity to start a new act, so he volunteered to man the stand. Everything was going great until the very end of the day, when a set of twins showed up. There was just 1 large box of popcorn left to sell, and it was too late to pop another batch, so the twins asked Charlie if he could split the popcorn into two equal portions.Charlie knew that the large box held exactly 12 cups of popcorn. He also had 2 empty boxes on hand: a medium box that held exactly 8 cups and a small box that held exactly 5 cups. But none of the boxes had any measurement markings on them. There must be a way to divide the 12 cups of popcorn so that the two boxes contain exactly 6 cups each, thought the chimp. But how? Suddenly the answer came to him. See if you and your child can arrive at the solution Charlie worked out.

SHRINKING SHEEP
You know how something huge (like a jumbo jet) looks tiny when it's far away? That phenomenon (known as perspective) is what an artist uses to create the illusion that certain drawn or painted two-dimensional objects are off in the distance. Here's a simple collage project that will help your child experience the same effect.

Brain Teaser: Railroaded
Three circus performers decide to go to the big city on their day off. At the train station, the ticket clerk charged them $30 ($10 apiece) to share the same car, but after they boarded, the clerk realized she had made a mistake. The collective price to their particular destination was really $25. So she asked the porter to return $5 to the performers. Knowing that $5 can't be split evenly, the porter kept $2 and returned $1 to each performer. Now the performers had paid $9 apiece ($27 collectively). Add that to the $2 the porter kept, and the total is $29. Where did the other $1 go? (Click here for the answer.)



Cindy Littlefield is a Senior Editor at FAMILYFUN and the author of REAL-WORLD MATH FOR HANDS-ON FUN! (Wiliamson Publishing Company).