Chinese New Year Maths

Here are some mathematical activities from Transum
which all have a traditional Chinese connection.

Celebrate

Recognise the contribution the Chinese people have made to the development of Mathematics by doing some of the following activities.

The activities can be enjoyed any time of the year but the dates of the Chinese New Year are given here for reference.

10 February 2024Dragon
29 January 2025Snake
17 February 2026Horse
6 February 2027Goat
26 January 2028Monkey
13 February 2029Rooster
3 February 2030Dog
23 January 2031Pig
11 February 2032Rat
31 January 2033Ox
Chinese Numbers Jigsaw

Chinese Numbers Jigsaw

An online interactive jigsaw puzzle of a grid of Chinese number symbols.

Magic Square

Magic Square

Each row, column and diagonal should produce the same sum.

Nim

Nim

Nim is a mathematical game of strategy in which two players take turns removing objects from groups of objects.

Pascal's Triangle

Pascal's Triangle

Get to know this famous number pattern with some revealing learning activities

Playing Card Maths

Playing Card Maths

Imagine you are on a desert island with nothing but a pack of playing cards. Do you have to stop learning mathematics?

Pong Hau K'l

Pong Hau K'l

Take turns with the computer to move the stones to the empty space. You win if the computer is unable to make a move.

Tangram Template

Tangram Template

An online challenge to use all the pieces of the tangram puzzle to fit into the outlines provided.

Famous Chinese Problem

🏮

If cockerals cost 5 qians each, hens cost 3 qians each, and 3 chickens cost 1 qian, and if 100 fowls are bought for 100 qians, how many cockerels, hens and chickens are there?

Population

🏮

Chinese New Year is celebrated by more than 20% of the world. Roughly how many people is that?

Absolutely Everyone

Chinese Remainder Theorem

🏮

It was first published in the 3rd to 5th centuries by the Chinese mathematician Sun Tzu. It will determine a number n that, when divided by some given divisors, leaves given remainders.

Happy New Year:
新年快乐
xīn nián kuài lè

ChatGPT,

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

"The Chinese have contributed many important concepts and techniques to the field of mathematics, including the invention of the decimal numeral system, the use of negative numbers, the development of algebraic equations, the invention of the abacus, and the discovery of the Pythagorean theorem. They also made important contributions to the study of geometry and trigonometry, and developed methods for solving polynomial equations. Additionally, the Chinese developed early forms of mathematical logic and set theory, and made significant contributions to the study of combinatorics and number theory."

Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for those learning Mathematics anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments.

 

Abacus
A Chinese abacus known as a Suanpan
Dragon
A giant Chinese New Year decoration at Emquatier, Bangkok, Thailand February 2022
Dragon
A giant Chinese New Year decoration at Emquatier, Bangkok, Thailand February 2023
Strange Creature
A giant Chinese New Year decoration at Emquatier, Bangkok, Thailand February 2024
Pair of Compasses
A pair of compasses, both made in China but one is much better than the other for getting your bearings!

The solutions to the Famous Chinese Problem and other Transum puzzles, exercises and activities are available when you are signed in to your Transum subscription account. If you do not yet have an account and you are a teacher, tutor or parent you can apply for one by completing the form on the Sign Up page.

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Lantern Lantern
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