NOTE: THIS CONTEST IS NO LONGER ACTIVE.
How can you win a copy of Math for Grownups (or if you already have one, some other cool prize)? Check out the details for the Math Treasure Hunt contest below.
1. Each day, I’ll post a status update that features something you should find — like π or a prism or an improper fraction — in your everyday life. Once you notice this math-related something, post about it under the status update. Here’s an example:
Math Treasure Hunt Clue: A negative number (example: -4, -723, -1/2)
“On today’s weather report, the weekend forecast shows -4 degrees F for Saturday.”
(God help anyone who sees that forecast in April!)
2. Here are a few extra hints and rules:
If someone else has already posted the exact same sighting, don’t post it again. (If the clue is π, and someone has already posted that cute little cartoon about π and I, don’t post it again. Or if the clue is an octagon, and someone posts that they saw a stop sign, that one is off-limits to everyone else.) So it pays to check out the clues early. It also pays to be creative.
Want to include photos? That’s great! Think it’s okay to simply scour the internet to find an example? Nope. If I think you’re stretching, your post won’t count. (And I won’t necessarily tell you. That’s the former high school teacher in me. Meaner than a snake.)
Share your stories about what you noticed. Were you surprised? Was it something you saw or heard every day but didn’t connect with math? It’s much more fun and interesting if we hear a little bit about the thought behind your choice.
3. I’ll post a new clue each day, Monday through Friday. You can post as many discoveries as you’d like, but each one must be unique. (No fair posting the same one 253 times.)
4. For each post you make, you’ll be entered into the contest one time. If you post one unique and appropriate response each day, you’ll have five entries. If you post 15 times in a week (all unique posts, ya’ll!), you’ll be entered into the weekly contest 15 times.
5. It doesn’t matter when you post what you’ve found — just as long as you do it before Friday at midnight EDT when each weekly contest ends. So if you want to post all of your findings at one time on Friday, that’s fine. Or you can play along daily. Just make sure that your weekly entries are in before Friday at midnight EDT.
6. Each weekend, I’ll randomly select one entry from all of the posts made that week. And that’ll be our winner!
7. The next Monday, the contest starts all over again, with a new winner selected at the end of the week.
Got it? Ask questions, if you’ve got ’em. And keep your eyes peeled!