Description/Aim

This is a card game. It's to introduce quadratic equations to 13-14 year olds so that you, the student!, get a feel for what they are.

In pairs, threes or fours, you lay all the cards out face up and roll a die. You can then take as many cards as you can for which a value of x = roll of the dice, makes the equation = 0. Good luck!

Why we like this activity ….

Unless you have scientific or engineering parents etc.you may never have seen Quadratic equations outside of the mathematics classroom. Even if you have seen them, you may have struggled to understand why/how/what on earth? such bizarre symbols can possibly represent anything in the real world! The youtube clip hopefully provides a first insight into how quadratics (and equations generally) were an amazing invention by the Frenchmen, Descartes, for defining position in space perfectly. The motion of projectiles, rockets, hand grenades can be described perfectly by quadratics.

How this activity be used ….

As above, or you can play it as a "snap" game in pairs, threes or fours, each with a pile face down, each player turns one card over at same time, player with X value for the equation that makes it equal to zero wins etc.

Connect3 or 4, where cards are laid out in a rectangle, each player can turn over one card at time by saying what X value makes the equation = 0. First to get 3 or 4 in a row etc.

There are lots of variations, up to you to discover and explore, make up your own games (provided they are mathematical!).

What to expect when using this activity – from our experience

You may need help from the teacher to begin with so don't be afraid to ask, but once you've understood what all these symbols mean, it never changes and you'll get quicker and quicker at it. I think you can expect to surprise yourself by how weird you thought it looked to begin with and how, bty the end, you could answer almost everything!

Extra Notes