Do you know a delightful math YouTube video?
April 12, 2020 10:53 AM   Subscribe

Tell me about math videos that are delightful, intriguing or funny!

Because of covid, I'm now teaching my math class online. I am assigning ordinary classwork. But I have some students who would love some extra math to do. So I am also making "Optional Extra Work". Each week, I'll include math contest questions, "Problems of the week" and a link to a math video. That's where you come in!

I want videos which are interesting. That's my main requirement!

A perfect example is Vi Hart's Hexaflexagons, because:
- the narrator is engaging
- anyone can understand why this thing is interesting
- viewers who want to can do some more investigation on their own (but this isn't necessary to appreciate the video).
Two people making the kind of thing I'm imagining on YouTube are Vi Hart and Numberphile. But feel free to recommend specific videos by them, too, because I haven't seen many of them.

It has to be available for free online, without any login. YouTube is ideal.

Any length is okay, although I guess maybe under 10 minutes would be ideal?

My students are about 13 years old, so they don't know a lot of math yet. But I'm imagining that most of the best videos will not necessarily be directly related to school math.

It's okay if they don't understand the mathematics, as long as they're interested by it. My ideal reaction from the kids would be "Wow! That's cool! How does it WORK!?!"
posted by MangoNews to Education (24 answers total) 40 users marked this as a favorite
 
Have you looked through the videos on Numberphile and PBS Infinite Series?

It's hard for me to predict what you'll think is interesting for this age range, but for example, I thought Numberphile's video on The Josephus Problem was entertaining and very well explained. (Even if you don't get the solution yourself, it's easy to follow their solution.)

Of course, this particular problem is a little macabre. (The presenter says he was assigned it in high school, and I think it would be fine, but you're the one who's most familiar with the culture of your school...)
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 11:02 AM on April 12, 2020


Donald in Mathmagic Land is a masterpiece of the genre, IMO.
posted by AaRdVarK at 11:10 AM on April 12, 2020 [3 favorites]


Check out the math section of The Kids Should See This.
posted by caek at 11:29 AM on April 12, 2020


3 Blue, 1 Brown may be too far into higher math, depending on your students' ages and interest levels -- he's done a lot with calculus and linear algebra -- but he's also done a few videos on algebra and probability that might be more level-appropriate. His style is great, at least in my opinion.
posted by Alterscape at 11:32 AM on April 12, 2020 [3 favorites]


standupmaths (Matt Parker) is a bunch lighter than most Numberphile / 3Blue1Brown videos. Much more geared to the high school level of interesting experiments and such with a bit of math in there.

MPMP: Can you play Scrabble over a video call?
Calculating π by hand the Isaac Newton way: Pi Day 2020
Stand-up comedy routine about Spreadsheets
The unbelievable solution to the 100 prisoner puzzle.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:41 AM on April 12, 2020 [2 favorites]


Dr. Eugenia Cheng's The Perfect Way to Share a Cake.
posted by spamandkimchi at 11:44 AM on April 12, 2020 [1 favorite]


The irrepressible Matt Parker is posting videos of math problems. Explantion here.
posted by SemiSalt at 12:00 PM on April 12, 2020


I teach high schoolers, a little older than your group, but have kept a folder of videos to show them on off-days. Here's some of the favorites:

A math major talks about fear.

The international maths salute with James Grime and James Tanton (both of whom have their own wonderful channels.)

I like videos from engineerguy. Not explicitly math, but I'd not hesitate to show them in my math classes.

I also like to show Claire from Bon Appetit to my math classes. It's not mathematical-content related, but more something showing how collaboration, trial+error, experimentation, and persistence.

Also, I'm sure you have sources for problems already but University of Waterloo CEMC is posting leveled enrichment problems every day (they usually post weekly). My students have been enjoying them.
posted by Wulfhere at 12:38 PM on April 12, 2020


I cannot recommend 3 blue 1 brown enough. In my opinion, he is the single best mathematics educator on YouTube. As Alterscape said, some of his videos may be too advanced, but others should be easily understood by your students.

For example, there is a video on a mathematical olympiad question that requires very little prerequisites beyond elementary geometry. Instead, it is an exercise in pure reasoning that everyone can follow by just thinking about his argument hard enough.
posted by milan-g at 12:47 PM on April 12, 2020


I don't have any math beyond high school algebra and the 3 blue, 1 brown video that blew my mind and made me say "whooooooooa" was The Most Unexpected Answer to a Counting Puzzle
posted by Daily Alice at 12:52 PM on April 12, 2020


Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions so far! Wulfhere, the CEMC is in fact my main source for problems!

Generally, if your friends who don’t necessarily identify as math people would think something’s cool, then it’s probably an appropriate level. It doesn’t need to be for kids, and my kids don’t like things that seem babyish, although silly is always good! It just can’t start off assuming much knowledge.

I especially appreciate the recommendations for specific videos, even more than the recommendations for channels. But many thanks for everything so far, and keep it coming!
posted by MangoNews at 12:59 PM on April 12, 2020 [1 favorite]


My favorite Vi Hart video is definitely Wind and Mr. Ug, which has a delightful twist, if you will.
posted by ktkt at 1:22 PM on April 12, 2020


Magic PI Math Animations is great.
posted by dpx.mfx at 1:43 PM on April 12, 2020


By the way, mere mortals may struggle to make a hexaflexagon just from watching the video, even they slowed it down and watched multiple times, but fear not: vihart.com has a page with some templates and followups to the original video.

Another website (Aunt Annie, with geometric toys and wide variety of homemade boxes and bags) has templates and detailed instructions for a number of mathy crafts, including the 6-faced hexa-hexaflexagon briefly addressed at the end of your linked video.

I have used similar templates successfully with many kids as young as 8 or 10, though sometimes they need assistance, usually due to not being precise enough with motor skills yet. Should be great for 13yo.

If this fun business of staying inside carries over to fall, then I heartily recommend the Vi Hart Thanksgiving math videos as well. (Really everything I have seen her do is fabulous.)

Also, the Art of Problem Solving website has a lot of nice videos by Richard Rusczyk. The MathCounts and AMC sections at the end are likely to address some math beyond the traditional school curriculum.
posted by ktkt at 1:43 PM on April 12, 2020 [1 favorite]


These are all quite good: https://ed.ted.com/lessons?category=mathematics
posted by nkknkk at 2:16 PM on April 12, 2020


Mind Your Decisions. Not sure what the name is supposed to refer to, but it's full of geometric problem solving shorts.
posted by ctmf at 2:42 PM on April 12, 2020


Only five percent of them probably count as math, but I've had an enthusiastic response to Minute Physics in class. The topics may be a bit advanced, but it is designed for a public audience.
posted by eotvos at 2:51 PM on April 12, 2020


doing math with gears, before electronic computers,

U.S. NAVY BASIC MECHANISMS OF FIRE CONTROL COMPUTERS MECHANICAL COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONAL FILM 27794

Here're reciprocals at the 7:50 mark.
posted by at at 3:01 PM on April 12, 2020 [1 favorite]


Flula Borg has started doing math homework help on his channel. I love Flula. He's definitely silly. He has published three math homework problem videos in the last two weeks. Here is his first:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUod4k-ROp8
posted by loveandhappiness at 4:44 PM on April 12, 2020


Definitely hear you on the push for specific videos. We teachers have suddenly become content curators and it's... hard. Here's two more of my faves:

Vi Hart on Star Polygons

Nigel Stanford - Cymatics (I show while teaching sine waves.)
posted by Wulfhere at 6:26 PM on April 12, 2020 [1 favorite]


Vi Hart’s Snakes and graphs is my favorite. Some might enjoy these booklets on graph theory here if they like that. http://jdh.hamkins.org/math-for-eight-year-olds/ http://jdh.hamkins.org/math-for-seven-year-olds-graph-coloring-chromatic-numbers-eulerian-paths/
posted by azalea_chant at 10:25 PM on April 12, 2020 [1 favorite]


Calculating π through collisions.
posted by plinth at 7:13 AM on April 13, 2020


This Johnny Ball (Numberphile) video on calculating with straight lines had me shouting out loud several times and asking my partner why nobody had taught me this in grade 5.
posted by maudlin at 7:51 AM on April 13, 2020 [1 favorite]


Lockdown math announcement.

3Blue1Brown just announced switching up the channel to do Tuesday/Friday videos targeted to high school math students.

I retract my 3Blue1Brown is often a bit hard for the 13-ish age range thoughts and hope that it will be cool and interesting for the teen range.
posted by zengargoyle at 5:38 PM on April 16, 2020 [1 favorite]


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