Asnat Doza, Comberton Village College: Great Lesson Ideas - Secondary Maths Fibonacci Numbers Teachers Pack
Asnat Doza, Comberton Village College: Great Lesson Ideas - Secondary Maths Fibonacci Numbers Teachers Pack
Asnat Doza, Comberton Village College: Great Lesson Ideas - Secondary Maths Fibonacci Numbers Teachers Pack
Fibonacci numbers
Teachers pack
Asnat Doza, Comberton Village College
This lesson is about Fibonacci numbers,
but my year 7 pupils don’t know this to
start.
I introduce the lesson as a challenge, for
them to work in groups through a set of
mysterious puzzles in envelopes I’ve put
on their desks.
Each numbered envelope contains one puzzle, and pupils must do them in
order. Each puzzle has a clue, but the group must agree that they’re stuck
before they can look at it. When they’ve completed a puzzle, they check
with me before moving on to the next.
I build up the challenge by explaining that, if any group completes all five
puzzles, they’ll get a special sixth envelope with a problem that’s never
been solved. It’s a version of the ‘Hailstone Problem’, which is so
deceptively simple that even some of my year 8 pupils have a go at it, even
though it’s has yet to be solved!
[NB. Not all this introduction is in the video]
This pack has a pupil guide and sheets and clues for each of the puzzles,
which need to be printed, laminated and copied.
1. Fibonacci numbers - this sheet has a series of Fibonacci numbers which
need to be cut up before putting them in the first envelope. There are no
instructions, so pupils need to work out what’s going on and recognise the
pattern and explain it. The background picture might help some pupils
construct the jigsaw. I explain that these are called Fibonacci numbers and
they are very special, while not giving away anything in later puzzles.
2. Fibonacci squares - has a series of squares which need to be cut up before
putting them in the envelope, or you can give pupils a photocopy of the
random squares to cut up for themselves. Pupils should recognise the
pattern, build up the shape and explain what’s going on. There’s also a
spiral to help explore how this relates to the sequence of squares. Don’t
provide the complete or combined image in the envelope - you decide when
to show it or demonstrate how the separate images overlay. You could
revisit this later to discuss Fibonacci numbers in nature.
3. Fibonacci rabbits - based on the problem Fibonacci was asked to solve.
4. Pascal triangle - for pupils to recognise various number sequences.
5. The Golden ratio and phi - for more advanced pupils to work out the
connection between phi and Fibonacci numbers.
6. The Hailstone Problem - for those who make it that far!
There’s a website about every aspect of Fibonacci numbers at
http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/
- and more about the ‘Hailstone Problem’ at
http://blog.functionalfun.net/2008/07/project-euler-problem-14-hailstone.html
You will have:
What to do:
Pack away each puzzle when you have finished with it.
1 1 2
3 5 8
13 21 34
55 89 144
Puzzle 2:
1. What do these squares have to do with Fibonacci
numbers?
2. Starting from one of the small squares, can you put
them together so that every time you add a square you
can create a rectangle?
3. How do these squares help you draw a spiral?
Puzzle 3
Fibonacci rabbits
Pascal Triangle
Phi
The Golden Number
1.61803398874989...
Φ = 1.618033988749894842.....
Use a calculator to find a link between the Fibonacci
sequence and Phi.
_________________________________________
Clue to puzzle 2:
_________________________________________
Clue to puzzle 3:
Clue to puzzle 4:
_________________________________________
Clue to puzzle 5:
Use your calculator to divide each Fibonacci term by the previous one:
1 2 3 5 8
, , , , , and so on…. How does this relate to the value of phi?
1 1 2 3 5
Puzzle 6
But some values for N generate many values before the repeating
cycle begins. For example, try starting with n = 27. See if you can
find starting values that generate even longer sequences.
Good luck!