Binary #MicDropMath Cards

There are five versions of the Binary #MicDropMath Cards below. To perform the Binary #MicDropMath, print out page one of the binary number cards. (NOTE: You only need to print these double-sided to include page two on the backside if you are using them with younger children who can’t yet add numbers but can count to the highest number on the cards.) Then, have someone think of a number between one and the highest number you see on the cards (1-7 or 1-15 or 1-31 or 1-63 or 1-127). Then, ask them to say yes or no to indicate if their number shows up on each card. For the cards they say yes to, add up the numbers in the TOP LEFT corner and using this #MicDropMath you will have their number. Young children can set the cards someone says yes to on the side and then count of all the dots or units on the back to get the number someone is thinking about. Some include the option to skip count by fives and some include ten frames.

A cool twist with the 1-31 cards is to ask someone to think of the number for the day they were born (this will always be in the 1-31 range). Then, use the process to figure out their birth day and impress them with your #MicDropMath. There is also a PowerPoint version of the 1-31 cards which can be included in presentations to wow large crowds of people! There are also lessons for using the 1-31 cards to explore patterns and to make your own cards from scratch to better understand the math behind this #MicDropMath.

While this Binary #MicDropMath Cards can be used on their own, the #STEMAZing Project has a series of lessons related to binary numbers in the Binary #MicDropMath Lessons collection. While all these lessons can stand on their own, in a perfect world with eons of time to engage students, the following would be the recommended sequence:

• Binary #MicDropMath Patterns
• Binary #MicDropMath Build Your Own Cards
• Binary #MicDropMath Multiply This
• Human Computers – Creative Message Communication
These can all be found here: https://stemazing.org/binary-mic-drop-math-lessons/