Bell Numbers - Short Maths Activity

Have students solve the puzzle presented by bell numbers in this short maths activity for form time.

This maths activity can be delivered in a number of ways, including using counters or physically moving reound the classroom. By the end of the lesson, students will have a basic understanding of what bell numbers are and how to use them.

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TRU_Maths_BellNumbers.pdf

TRU_Maths_BellNumbers.ppt

Bell Numbers – A Maths Activity for Form Time

This lesson takes the idea of ‘group work’ as a basis for an interesting counting problem, in which learners meet Bell Numbers, a class of numbers that they have probably not encountered before.

In many lessons, learners are likely to work in groups, but have they ever thought about how many possible groups there are for a certain sized class? They may be surprised at how large the numbers get when there are more than about 10 pupils. This lesson would work well with a Key Stage 4 class.

Included with this teaching resource are teacher guidance notes and a PowerPoint presentation.

The Aims of This Lesson:

Understand and use remainders to solve problems
Use exhaustive and logical thinking to enumerate all possibilities systematically
Explore patterns and structure in a typical classroom situation

The Learning Outcomes:

Students understand what Bell numbers are and how they may be used.