The maths behind 2012

Free Olympic maths resources from University of Cambridge...

By what length would Usain Bolt beat you if you raced him in the 200m? Would you even be close enough to eat his dust? This is just one of the questions that children around the country are puzzling over as part of the new University of Cambridge programme, Maths and Sport: Countdown to the Games.

The programme’s resources can be found online here, are free to all and highlight the hidden maths behind the 2012 Olympics. For primary school children, activities range from using multiplication and fractions to work out how much performance in the long jump and high jump improves after training, to practical activities using schools’ sports equipment – basketballs, hockey balls, tennis balls - to help learn about the properties of circles and develop mathematical reasoning skills.

The resources for Key Stages 1 to 5 include detailed teachers notes giving ideas and suggestions for introducing the activities in the classroom. The online resources are also complemented by a Maths and Sport Roadshow, suitable for Key Stages 2, 3 and 4, which is visiting schools all over the UK to run special maths and sport events.