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Listed under:  Health  >  Psychology  >  Cognition  >  Thinking  >  Problem solving
Video

Introduction 'Technology' in AgriBusiness (Animation)

This is a video about how Australian farmers embrace technology. Using animation, photographs and commentary with occasional puns and jokes by a primary-school--aged boy, it sets the scene of the overall impact of technology, describes why Australian farmers have always been innovative; provides a definition of technology; ...

Interactive

Tsunami: the ultimate guide

This comprehensive web resource provides a series of six interactive slide shows (chapters) that introduce the cause and impacts of tsunami with a focus on Australia, Asia and Pacific regions. Produced by experts in the field, this information is clearly and simply described. The engaging presentation is enriched with photography, ...

Video

Marla Spivak: Why bees are disappearing

This is a video of a TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) talk by Professor Marla Spivak about the dramatic decline in the number of bees. The 16-minute video begins with a discussion of why humans should care about bees, including their critical importance for the world's food supply. Professor Spivak explains that ...

Video

MathXplosion, Ep 31: Heavy vs big

How would you measure and compare the weight of something? Learn why big things aren't necessarily heavy. All you need is something heavy and a lot of something light and you’ll be able to prove that weight is not the same as size.

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MathXplosion, Ep 40: Kaprekar's operation

Did you know that 6,174 is a very mysterious number? In 1949, the mathematician Dr Kaprekar from India devised a process now known as Kaprekar's operation. First, choose a four-digit number where the digits are all different. Then rearrange the digits to get the largest and smallest numbers these digits can make. Finally, ...

Video

BTN: What is an abacus?

An abacus is a tool that helps people solve maths problems. Why might some people still use, and encourage the use of, an abacus when there are more contemporary tools like calculators?

Video

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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MathXplosion, Ep 39: Area vs perimeter

Want to know the trick to making a really big fort? Using cushions to build a fort, explore the concept of finding the largest area for a fixed perimeter. Surprisingly, there is no direct relationship between the perimeter of a rectangle and its area.

Video

What skills are important for programming robots?

Listen as David McKinnon from UNSW describes some of the skills that are useful to have if you want to program robots. David explains an activity that exercises problem solving skills. Why don't you try doing it? Look at a map and find some towns that are close to yours. Use the scale on the map to work out the distances ...

Video

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'?

Video

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 ...

Video

For the Juniors: Drawing a floor plan

How do we know what a house will look like before it is built? Discover how house plans work by looking at the design of a house that Hugo's family is going to build. See how a floor plan shows the room layout. See drawings of what the house will look like from different views.

Video

BTN: What is the GST?

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a tax placed on things people buy with money or things people do for money. Can you name some goods and services that have GST? What about some goods and services that don't have GST? Find out when and why the GST was first introduced.

Video

Mixed Up Maths, Ep 12: Super Cyril's circus supplies

Do you know how to draw up a budget? Find out how it's done. In our example our host is throwing a circus party and has $100 to spend. See how he plans to spend the money. Throw in a few discounts of 10% and 50% and look what he can afford. Does he mange to stick to his budget?

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MathXplosion, Ep 1: Magic 9s

Follow these simple calculations to illustrate the special properties of the number 9. Pick your favourite number between 1 and 9 and multiply that number by 3. Add 3 to your answer. Multiply the result by 3. Treat your two-digit answer as two separate numbers and add them together. No matter what number you pick to start ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 17: Develop mathematical mind-reading skills

Amaze your friends with your super mind-reading skills. Here’s a brain game you can play by asking a few questions and substituting letters for numbers! Learn to follow a specific sequence of arithmetical steps to always arrive at the same answer.

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MathXplosion, Ep 38: How to tell time using a sundial

Find out how to tell the time without a clock! A sundial uses the position of the sun to indicate the time. Typically, a stick (gnomon) casts a shadow upon a plane or surface that has markings, which indicate the time by the position of the shadow. See if you can create a sundial of your own.

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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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Numbers Count: Adding two numbers

How many different ways can you think of to add two numbers to reach ten? Watch this video to learn them all!

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BTN: How many time zones are there in Australia?

Did you know that we have three time zones in Australia? This means that when it's 8am in Western Australia, it's 10am in Queensland and 9.30am in South Australia! Watch this clip to find out why we have different time zones and why South Australia is thinking about changing its time zone.