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Mixed Up Maths, Ep 1: Monumental measurement mess ups

Did you know that in Australia we use a metric system for measurement? See if you know the units of measurement for length, mass and volume. Find out what system the United States uses. You guessed it - they don't use the metric system! See how a mix up of these units can cause all kinds of mess ups.

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Area of a square and a triangle

Do you know the formula for working out the area of a square? How about a triangle? Watch this short maths video to learn the formulas for both.

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Catalyst: Probability and the gambler's fallacy

Mathematician Lily Serna visits Luna Park to explain a great probability pitfall. She shares a century-old tale from Monte Carlo casino, and then she puts its lesson to the test. If you flip a coin and it lands on heads three times in a row, what result would you predict for the next flip? Find out why intuition might land ...

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Count Us In, Ep 3: Counting forwards and backwards up to 10

Count with Dodly and Flynn as they count their clay monsters and their toy dinosaur collection. Count a range of animals including kangaroos, butterflies and whales. Even count backwards as they launch a rocket into space.

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MathXplosion, Ep 32: A mean trick

Learn a cool trick using the concept of the mean (or average). Pick any 3 x 3 block of dates on a monthly calendar. The number in the middle square is the mean of the nine numbers that form the 3 x 3 square. If you add all the numbers and divide the total by nine (the number of squares), the answer is the number in the ...

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ABC News: Mapping the sea floor

Hydrographers chart the seabed and coastline, giving ships a map to help them avoid running into underwater trouble. Use this clip as a context for exploring the mapping of the sea floor. Think about scale and how to indicate different depths using contour lines.

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Count Us In, Ep 4: Ordinal number: first through to sixth

Dodly and Flynn explore counting with ordinal numbers from first through to sixth. Investigate the order of ice-cream on an ice-cream cone, sheep being shorn and playing 'pass the parcel'. Where did the missing birthday cake go? Could it be the prize in pass the parcel?

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Odd and even numbers

Do you know what makes an odd number and what makes an even number? There are a few ways to test whether a number is odd or even. Find out about one method in this video, then see if you can discover at least one other method.

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Mixed Up Maths, Ep 11: Funny money

What do you use money to buy? In this clip we look at Australian money. See the different coins and notes that make up our money system. We investigate if size, (in coins) does matter. Check out how many 5 cent pieces you need to make two dollars. We also look at some currencies used around the world. Find out which country ...

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Mixed Up Maths, Ep 8: Strawberry milkshake warrior princess

Super heroes have amazing powers. To avert disaster we need a super hero who has intelligence, strength and speed. Which super hero has the right super units of each super power? Compare the super hero bar graphs. Will it be Mega Muscle Man, Atomic Angel, Keyboard Kid or some other super hero? Watch the clip to find out?

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Can you guess the weight of Uluru?

What is the "wisdom of a crowd"? Mathematician Lily Serna investigates a mathematical phenomenon that suggests that if you have a large enough crowd, with a broad variety of people making estimates, then the mean (average) answer of the crowd will be accurate! Find out if a crowd can guess the weight of Uluru from the ground ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 8: Birthday probability

What is the probability there are at least two people in your class who have the same birthday? If you have at least 23 people in your class, the chances are good. Find out the maths behind this theory.

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Working out the areas

Do you know how to work out the area of a square, a rectangle or a triangle? Learn the simple maths formulas needed from this video. What would be the area of a rectangle with a height of 5cm and a length of 3cm?

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My Five Cents: Why borrowing can cost you more

Think credit cards are basically free money? Gen Fricker will make you think again. Learn how interest rates and fees affect the money you borrow, and why they may be more expensive in the long run. Oh dear! Then test yourself with ASIC MoneySmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

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Catalyst: Probability and the birthday paradox

Even when a maths problem seems simple – for example, the chance of two people sharing a birthday – the maths can run counter to our human intuition. Mathematician Lily Serna poses a maths problem to the Clovelly Bowling Club: how many people do you need to gather to get a 50 per cent chance of any two people in that group ...

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What Are the Chances?

Do you know what chance is? It's the probability or the likelihood of something happening. Watch this video as Grace explains the probability of picking a red marble out of a bowl. What's the probability of picking a green marble?

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A mini chemistry set in a stick

Do you know how glowsticks work? Watch this clip and discover the chemical reaction that takes place when you snap a glowstick and release the reactants. Find out about chemiluminescence in nature, when scientists first created glowing sticks and the chemical equation that describes the reaction. Can you guess which glowstick ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 50: How to use a tetrahedron to solve the tree problem

How can you place four trees exactly the same distance apart from one other? By making a model! By using miniature trees to make a model of the problem, it becomes clear that a 2D solution is impossible. We learn how objects can help us visualise the problem situation, which in this case requires a 3D solution: a tetrahedron.

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Catalyst: Magical maths

At first glance, maths and magic might not appear to have much in common, but did you know that you can use maths and logic to come up with solutions to problems that can seem magical? Learn one such maths trick in this video from ABC Catalyst. What is the probability of the letter not being 'e'?

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MathXplosion, Ep 16: It's an estimate, not a guess!

An approximation is the nearest estimate without having the precise size or measurement of something. See how accurate estimates are made in logical ways using information about many things in our everyday lives.