Explore the ideas and history behind numbers, shapes, patterns and mathematical thinking. Choose an article below; its reading controls let you move between the available levels.
1,419 public articles · Page 29 of 30
For printable practice and answer guides, visit Maths worksheets.
We can use rules to find things. We start with zero. Then we find the next one. We do this many times. It helps us see a long line. This helps us know things are true. Can you find a pattern?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome numbers are very, very big. They go on and on. They never stop. We use them to count things that are huge. They help us learn about the world. Can you think of something huge?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleYou can change how things look. You can turn a shape. You can slide it too. This helps us see new patterns. It is fun to play with shapes. Do you like to move things around?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome things follow a rule. If A is part of B, and B is part of C, then A is part of C. This is like a family tree. Your grandma is an ancestor of you. Is she also an ancestor of your baby? Yes, she is! Can you find a…
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleYou can move a shape. Just slide it to a new spot. Do not turn it or flip it. Every part moves the same way. This helps us see things in new places. It is like sliding a toy. Can you slide your book?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe move things from one place to another. We want to do this the best way. This means we use the least work. It helps us save time and money. It is like moving piles of dirt. Can you find the best way to move things?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleYou can flip a grid of numbers. It is like a mirror. Rows become columns. Columns become rows. This helps us work with math. It is a fun way to move things. Can you try to flip a grid?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleA trapezoid is a shape. It has four sides. Two sides run in the same way. They do not touch. This shape is everywhere. Can you find one?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleImagine you must visit many towns. You want to go fast. You need the shortest way. You must go to each town once. Then you go home. This helps us plan trips. It even helps make tiny chips. Can you find the best way?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleDots can be joined by lines. These lines make a shape. It looks like a tree. It has no loops. It helps us show how things link. Do you see the lines?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleA triangle has three sides. Two sides together are long. They are longer than the last side. This helps us find the best way to go. A straight line is the shortest path. Can you find a triangle?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome math shapes look like triangles. They have many zeros in them. This makes them easy to use. They help us solve hard puzzles. It is like a neat pattern. Can you find a triangle?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleMath uses groups of things. A trinomial is a group of three parts. You can see them in math problems. They help us find answers. It is like having three pieces of a puzzle. Can you find three things in your room?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe can use tables to find answers. These tables show what is true. They use rows and columns. They help us see patterns. This helps us build computers. Can you find a pattern?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome things are true. Some things are false. It is like a light switch. It is on or off. This helps us think. It also helps computers work. Can you think of something true?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleTullio was a man who loved math. He lived in a place called Italy. He used math to study how things move. His work helped other smart people. He was very good at his job. Do you like to count things?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleYou can make a list. Put things in a row. The order of the list matters. It helps us keep track. We use lists every day. Do you like making lists?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleA man worked in a brick factory. He saw tracks on the ground. The tracks crossed each other. This made the work hard. He wanted fewer crossings. Can you draw lines without crossing them?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome puzzles are hard to solve. Some puzzles are very hard. We can rank them by how hard they are. This helps us see the difference. It is like a ladder of hard tasks. Can you find a hard puzzle?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleA machine can follow rules. It uses a long tape. It reads marks on the tape. It can write new marks too. This helps it do math. It works like a computer. Can you follow a rule?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleYou can solve a hard puzzle. You might need help from a friend. A friend can tell you things. You use those things to find the answer. It is like using a tool. Can you use a tool to help you?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome math puzzles are very hard. A man named Alan Turing looked at them. He found some questions that no machine can answer. This helps us know what machines can do. It is a big idea! Can you think of a hard puzzle?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleYou can count many ways to share. Imagine you have balls and boxes. You can put balls in boxes. Some boxes might stay empty. Some boxes might have many balls. You can count all the ways to do this. It is like a fun…
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome numbers are special. They are close to each other. They sit two steps apart. We call them twin primes. They are like friends. Can you find them?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleYou can move in two ways. You can go side to side. You can also go up and down. A flat sheet of paper is a space. A ball is a curved space too. It is fun to look at shapes. Can you find a flat shape?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSometimes we make mistakes when we guess. We might think something is true when it is not. We might also miss something that is real. It is hard to be perfect every time. We try our best to be right. Can you think of…
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe can use clues to find things. These clues tell us how a thing acts. One clue might be a shape. Another clue might be a size. We can group these clues together. This helps us know what to look for. Can you find…
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe use rules to sort things. We put things in groups. This helps us stay organized. It helps computers work well, too. We can use it to solve puzzles. Can you find groups of things?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe can group things together. We can pick a group of things. This group can be very special. It picks almost everything. It can also pick almost nothing. It helps us find a way to choose. Do you like to pick groups?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe can use many groups to make one. We look at many things at once. We pick the parts that stay the same. This helps us find new things. It is like a magic trick. Can you find a pattern?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSometimes we do not know what will happen. We might wonder if it will rain. We might not know the answer yet. This can make it hard to choose. It is okay to wonder. Do you like to guess what comes next?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleLines can move in a special way. They can stay very close to a new shape. This helps the shape stay smooth. It makes the math work well. Do you like shapes?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleA unit circle is a round shape. It has a length of one from the middle to the edge. This helps us find new numbers. It is very useful for math. We use it to see how things turn. Can you draw a circle?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleMath can find a special way to do things. It looks for a pattern that works every time. This helps us know what to expect. It makes hard math much easier. Do you like finding patterns?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe use words to talk about every thing. We can say that all dogs bark. We can say that all birds fly. This helps us talk about many things at once. It is a way to be very clear. Do you see things that are the same?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleA universe is a big group. It holds all the things we study. It can be a group of shapes. It can be a group of numbers. It helps us stay organized. It makes math easy to see. Do you want to find a group?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe can group things together. Some things are the biggest. Some things are the smallest. These help us find limits. It helps us know how much we have. Can you find a big group? We can look for them.
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome things have a size and a way they move. You can say how far you go. You can also say which way you go. This helps us talk about force. It helps us talk about speed. It is very useful. Can you think of a way to move?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe use math to show a way. It shows how far to go. It also shows which way to go. This helps us find things. It is a fun way to see. Can you find a way to go?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleWe use math to see how things move. It helps us find paths. It can show how a field works. This helps us learn about things like magnets. It is a big tool for us. Do you like to find paths?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome paths move in many ways. They can go up and around. They can make a shape like a spring. This helps us track things that move. It can show where a rocket goes. It can even show how fast it flies. Can you see the…
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleImagine some dots with lines between them. We want to pick some dots. We must pick dots to touch every line. This helps us cover the whole shape. We try to use as few dots as we can. Can you find the best dots?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSome drawings look like a violin. They show us lots of facts. We can use them to compare things. They help us see how many things are in a group. It is a fun way to look at data. Do you see the shape?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleSometimes we see things that hide a secret. We see clues to find the truth. It is like a doctor finding a sickness. The math helps us guess the best way. It helps our phones talk too. Can you find the clues?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleVito Volterra loved math. He used math to study life. He looked at how fish live in the sea. His work helps us learn a lot. Math is a great tool. Do you like to count things?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleImagine you have many lines to color. You want to use few colors. You can color them so no two lines at one spot have the same color. You only need a few more colors than the most lines at one spot. Can you color…
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleMath helps us look at space. It can find how much is inside. We can find the weight of a box. It helps us know things about our world. Math is fun to learn. Can you find a box?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the articleMath uses many groups of things. We can build these groups in steps. We start with nothing at all. Then we add more and more. This helps us see how things grow. It is a big way to look at math. Can you see the pattern?
Early Reader · Change the reading level on the article