10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids! (with Answers)

10 Super Fun Math Riddles and Puzzles for Kids Ages 10+ (Answers Included!)

A Post By: Anthony Persico

Some have been around for centuries, while are others are brand spanking new—but all have been selected as the most fun and engaging math riddles for those who love to challenge their problem-solving skills and have fun solving math puzzles. Enjoy!

The Educational Value of Math Riddles:

Fun and engaging math riddles and logic puzzles are an amazing way to get students to think critically, develop problem-solving skills, and think about mathematics in a creative way!

In fact, several recent studies have shown that students who work on math puzzles—with and without teacher supervision—improve their math problem-solving skills, learning abilities, and willingness to stick with challenging problems, according to Edutopia.

And if you are looking for a collection of super fun, challenging, and sometimes silly math riddles and brain teasers for kids, then it’s time to put your brain to the test!

Note that the following math riddles are best suited for kids ages and older and they are also fun for high school students and adults!

Are YOU ready?

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10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids:

Each of the following math riddles includes an image graphic and there is an answer key at the end!

But if you want more detailed explanations of how to answer every riddle, check out the Math Riddles Explained! video link below and be sure to give it a thumbs up!

Watch the Math Riddles Video:

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Free Worksheet Included!

There is also a link to download a Free Printable PDF Math Riddles Worksheet and Answer Key that shares all of these riddles at the end of this post!

All of the math riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers below are from the best-selling 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Kids Ages 10+! PDF workbook, which is now available!

10 Awesome Maths Riddles and Brain Teasers for Kids:

Math Riddle #1: Truth or Square?

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Truth or Square?

Would you like FREE math resources in your inbox every day? Click here to sign up for my free math education email newsletter (and get a free math eBook too!)

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Math Riddle #2: How Old Is Lucy?

Keep reading the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve How Old is Lucy?

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Math Riddle #3: Triple Threat

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Triple Threat!

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Are you looking for more super fun Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers to share with your kids?

The best-selling workbook 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers for Kids Ages 10+! is now available as a PDF download. You can get yours today by clicking here.

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Math Riddle #4: Matchstick Mayhem

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Matchstick Mayhem!

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Math Riddle #5: The In-Between

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve The In-Between!

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Math Riddle #6: Which Weighs More?

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Which Weighs More?

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Math Riddle #7: Big Spender!

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Big Spender!

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Math Riddle #8: Mystery Parking!

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Mystery Parking!

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Math Riddle #9: Cuppla’ Coins

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Cuppla’ Coins!

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Math Riddle #10: Pascal’s Triangle

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve Pascal’s Triangle!

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Math Riddle #11: Bonus!

Keep reading to the bottom of this page to see the answer key AND click here to see a detailed explanation of how to solve the Bonus Riddle!

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ANSWER KEY:

1. 14 Total Squares (detailed explanation)

2. Lucy is 37 (detailed explanation)

3. 1, 2, and 3 (detailed explanation)

4. 0+4=4 or 5+4=9 (detailed explanation)

5. A Decimal Point (detailed explanation)

6. Neither. They both weigh the same! (detailed explanation)

7. The hoodie costs $125, the shoes cost $25 (detailed explanation)

8. 87 (flip the image upside down) - (detailed explanation)

9. One is a quarter and one is a nickel (detailed explanation)

10. 6 (detailed explanation)

11. 1, 5, 10, 10, 5, 1 (detailed explanation)

Free PDF Worksheet:

Click here to get your Free Math Riddles PDF Worksheet and Answer Key!

And click here to sign up for our math education mailing list to start getting free K-12 math activities, puzzles, and lesson plans in your inbox every week!

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Are you looking for more super fun Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers to share with your kids?

My best-selling workbook 101 Math Riddles, Puzzles, and Brain Teasers for Kids Ages 10+! is now available as a PDF download. You can get yours today by clicking here.

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Did I miss your favorite math riddle for kids? Share your thoughts, questions, and suggestions in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

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Free Math Coloring Worksheets for 5th and 6th Grade

Are you looking for free math coloring worksheets to share with your 5th grade and 6th grade students?

(Were you looking for math coloring pages for grades 3 and 4?)

The following free math coloring worksheets for grade 5 and grade 6 are available as printable PDF files. They incorporate mathematical thinking and problem solving as well as understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and order of operations.

Each coloring worksheet can be used to supplement your lessons and they also make perfect warm up and cool down activities, homework assignments, and extra credit.

Keep reading to access the full PDF file that shares all five math coloring worksheets for 5th graders and 6th graders. To download each worksheet individually, right-click an image and save it to your computer.

Check This Out: Free PDF Math Puzzles for All Grade Levels

Math Coloring Worksheets for 5th and 6th Grade

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Math Coloring Worksheet #1/5: Monkey Math!

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Math Coloring Worksheet #2/5: Summer Fruit!

Are Your Kids Ready for These Candy-Themed Math Puzzles for Grades 1-6?

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Check This Out: Free Growth Mindset Math Poster for Your Classroom!

Math Coloring Worksheet #3/5: Toys and Games!

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Are YOU looking for some super fun daily math puzzles for your students in grades 3-8? Our best-selling 101 Daily Math Challenges workbook is now available as a PDF download!

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Math Coloring Worksheet #4/5: Pirate Adventure!

Check This Out: 10 Super Fun Math Riddles for Kids (with Answers)

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Math Coloring Worksheet #5/5: Snack Time!

Click here to download all 5 free Math Coloring Worksheets for 5th Grade and 6th Grade Students as a PDF file AND access the answer key to each puzzle.

And click here to access free math coloring worksheets for grades 3 and 4!

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You Might Also Like…

Have any questions or ideas? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

Reflection Over The X and Y Axis: The Complete Guide

What is a Reflection in Math?

Learning how to perform a reflection of a point, a line, or a figure across the x axis or across the y axis is an important skill that every geometry math student must learn.

In real life, we think of a reflection as a mirror image, like when we look at own reflection in the mirror.

This idea of reflection correlating with a mirror image is similar in math.

This complete guide to reflecting over the x axis and reflecting over the y axis will provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to perform these translations.

 First, let’s start with a reflection geometry definition:

Math Definition: Reflection Over the X Axis

A reflection of a point, a line, or a figure in the X axis involved reflecting the image over the x axis to create a mirror image. In this case, the x axis would be called the axis of reflection.

Math Definition: Reflection Over the Y Axis

A reflection of a point, a line, or a figure in the Y axis involved reflecting the image over the Y axis to create a mirror image. In this case, the Y axis would be called the axis of reflection.

What is the rule for a reflection across the X axis?

The rule for reflecting over the X axis is to negate the value of the y-coordinate of each point, but leave the x-value the same.

For example, when point P with coordinates (5,4) is reflecting across the X axis and mapped onto point P’, the coordinates of P’ are (5,-4). Notice that the x-coordinate for both points did not change, but the value of the y-coordinate changed from 4 to -4.

What is the rule for a reflection across the Y axis?

The rule for reflecting over the Y axis is to negate the value of the x-coordinate of each point, but leave the -value the same.

For example, when point P with coordinates (5,4) is reflecting across the Y axis and mapped onto point P’, the coordinates of P’ are (-5,4). Notice that the y-coordinate for both points did not change, but the value of the x-coordinate changed from 5 to -5.

You can think of reflections as a flip over a designated line of reflection. You can often visualize what a reflection over the x axis or a reflection over the y axis may look like before you ever apply any rules of plot any points. This aspect of reflections is helpful because you can often tell if your transformation is correct based on how it looks. If the new image resembles a mirror image of the original, you’re in good shape! If it does not, you probably did something wrong.

Examples of Reflection Over the X Axis and Y Axis:

Notice how the reflection rules for reflecting across the x axis and across the y axis are applied in each example.

Check out the video lesson below to learn more about reflections in geometry and for more free practice problems:

You can download the free lesson guide that accompanies this video lesson by clicking here.

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Looking for More Geometry Transformation Help?

Free Guide to Geometry Dilations and Scale Factor

Free Guide to Rotations (90, 180, 270, 360)

Free Guide to Translations on the Coordinate Plane

Tags:  Reflection over the x-axis (x axis), Reflection across the x-axis (x axis), Reflection over the y-axis (y axis), Reflection across the y axis (y axis), Reflection in the x-axis (x axis), Reflection in the y axis, Reflection geometry definition, Reflection math definition

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Have thoughts? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

10 Awesome End of Year Math Activities for Grades 1-8

Looking for Effective and Easy End of Year Math Activities?

The final weeks of the school year have arrived and keeping your students engaged in learning math is no easy task.

You can mix up your instruction and keep your students interested in learning math by incorporating a few awesome end of year math activities and projects into your upcoming lesson plans.

The following end of year math activity ideas are perfect for implementing during the final weeks of the school year, an extremely hectic time when sticking to your usual routine is nearly impossible.

And each end of year math activity is easy to modify to best meet the needs of your students! The activities can be modified for students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

So, which end of year math activity will you share with your students this spring?

(Tags: end of year math projects, end of year math activities, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, grade 1, grade 2, grade 3, grade 4, grade 5, grade 6, grade 7, grade 8)

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1.) Math Book Report

Description: Standard math curriculums hardly ever make time for students to actually read about math. The end of the school year is the perfect time to give your students an opportunity to choose a book about math and create and share a book report.

One option is to have your students research a famous mathematician. I also like having students choose a math-related fiction book, like any of the ones included on this list of 13 STEM Fiction Books Your Kids Will Love.

There are tons of excellent math-fiction books available for students of all grade levels.

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2.) Tessellation Project

by GeometryCoach.com

Description: This project blends elements of the history of math, geometry, and art/design into an engaging learning experience where students use mathematical thinking to manipulate shapes to create “Escher tiles” and use them to create geometric works of art!

Tessellation Monsters via www.artwithmrsnguyen.com

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3.) Barbie Bungee

Description: The Barbie Bungee data collection activity may be the most underrated math activity ever. Ideal for pre-algebra students, this activity gives students a fun and engaging opportunity to make predictions, collect real-world data, and then analyze the results within the context of their initial hypothesis. This activity is even endorsed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), who share free lesson resources for any teacher interested in trying the Barbie Bungee in their classroom.

Image via http://fawnnguyen.com

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4.) Escape Room!

Description: Classroom ‘escape room’ lessons are growing in popularity. Why? Because classroom escape rooms boost student excitement and engagement while helping your kids apply and improve their mathematical problem-solving skills.

If you are new to the idea of classroom escape rooms (sometimes called breakout challenges), check out this blog post So You Want to Build a Classroom Escape Room… by We Are Teachers.

Are you ready to turn your classroom into an escape room for a day?

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5.) The Parachute Project

by Amy at www.allabout3rdgrade.com

Description: Students use their math skills to design and build a parachute that will stay in the air the longest. This STEM activity is a great opportunity for math and science teachers to collaborate—and it’s a great activity to do outdoors!

Image via www.allabout3rdgrade.com

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Are YOU looking for some super fun daily math puzzles for your students in grades 3-8? Our best-selling 101 Daily Math Challenges workbook is now available as a PDF download!

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6.) Plan and Budget Your Dream Vacation

by Jennifer at www.loveteachingkids.com

Description: Students are given a budget and have to work groups to plan all aspects of their determined “dream vacation.” This end of year math activity allows students to learn more about budgeting, personal finance, and real-world math applications. Aside from vacation planning, this activity can be modified to budgeting things like personal finances, events, starting a business, etc.

Image via www.loveteachingkids.com

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7.) Build Fraction Kits

by Anthony at www.youtube.com/mashupmath

Description: Many students struggle with fractions and never really grasp the important concepts. Whether you want to help fortify your students’ understanding of fractions before the school year ends or you want to expose them to fractions a little early, this simple hands-on activity is highly effective and is definitely worth giving a shot!

Click here to get your Free Fraction Kit Lesson Guide!

Image via www.mashupmath.com

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8.) Area and Perimeter Architecture

By Glimmersnaps Homeschool

Description: Students explore and apply the concepts of area and perimeter by building a city using LEGO bricks! This hands-on activity is another great example of how math teachers can use LEGO to teach challenging concepts.

If you don’t have access to Lego bricks, check out this free STEM: Area and Perimeter City activity guide by teachbesideme.com.

Image via www.glimmersnaps.com

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“I always look forward to getting my Mashup Math newsletter email every week. I love the free activities!”

-Christina R., 5th Grade Math Teacher, Dallas, TX

Do YOU want free math resources, lesson activities, and puzzles and games for grades 1-8 in your inbox every week? Join our mailing list and start getting tons of free stuff (including a free PDF workbook)!

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9.) Year End Reflection Activity

by Brain Waves Instruction

Description: In this activity, students take time to reflect on what they learned in math this past school year, what challenges they overcome, and how they’ve grown as problem solvers. This activity is perfect for teachers who have students complete a math portfolio over the course of the school year.

Image via www.fouroclockfaculty.com

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10.) Math Puzzles and Brain Teasers

Description: The end of the school year is a great time to let your students apply their mathematical problem-solving skills to fun puzzles, brain teasers, and challenge questions.

You can access dozens of free math puzzles for all grade levels by visiting our Free Math Puzzles page.

Get your free math puzzles for all grade levels at www.mashupmath.com

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Have any more ideas for awesome end-of-year math project ideas? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

(Never miss a Mashup Math blog--click here to get our weekly newsletter!)

By Anthony Persico

Anthony is the content crafter and head educator for YouTube's MashUp Math and an advisor to Amazon Education's 'With Math I Can' Campaign. You can often find me happily developing animated math lessons to share on my YouTube channel . Or spending way too much time at the gym or playing on my phone.

Teaching Math Through Major League Baseball

The Mathematics of Major League Baseball

Spring is finally here, which signals the closing weeks of the school year for students and teachers as well as the beginning of a new season of Major League Baseball. 

      Baseball, arguably more than any other sport, is driven by statistics. Even the casual fan understands the concepts of batting average, fielding percentage, and earned run average. The analysis of such data is used to evaluate a player’s performance and has a tremendous impact on rankings, contracts, and awards.

Math teachers can take advantage of their students’ enthusiasm for the new baseball season by teaching math concepts like averages, probability, and sample sizes in the context of baseball and the popular statistics that apply to both pitchers and hitters.

In fact, some MLB teams have put this idea into practice by establishing Math and Science in Baseball summer camp programs for local students. 

Fortunately, you don't need access to sponsored programs to share the benefits of teaching math in the context of baseball. The following is a step-by-step guide through an activity, which can be done in the classroom or at home, that gives students the opportunity to calculate and analyze the most popular performance statistics of their favorite baseball players.

The following section will walk you through the Baseball Stats Analysis activity. You can download the free, corresponding PDF guide by CLICKING HERE.

Activity: The Mathematics of Baseball

For this activity, you will need to visit ESPN.com, where you will be able to access the statistical profile of the professional players (past or present) whom you choose to analyze. You will have to choose one hitter and one pitcher and you can access their profiles by using the search feature on ESPN's website.

To access a player's statistical profile, type his or her name into the search box on ESPN.com.

From a player’s profile page, click on the STATS tab to access his career performance data.

For this example, we will be using Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals as our hitter and Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets as our pitcher. 

*Note that all statistics referenced in the post are current as of 4/21/2016. Any changes in data are a result of games played after the posting date.

Part One: Calculating Batting Statistics

Once you have your player’s performance data handy, you will be able to calculate the following performance statistics:

• Batting Average (AVG): The likeliness that a player will get a hit in any given at-bat.

• Slugging Percentage (SLG): Measures a hitter’s power by weighing hits based on the total number of bases. For example, a triple would be worth three times as much as a single.

Note that each of these statistics are reported to three decimal place. A player with an AVG of .300 is considered to have a batting average of three hundred.

Now you are ready to perform your calculations with the aid of the following formulas:

We'll begin with calculating Bryce Harper’s career batting average. To find this offensive stat, you will be focusing on his career statistics, which are compiled in the TOTAL row at the bottom of the statistics table on his player profile.

The TOTAL row at the bottom of the player profile shows compiled career statistics.

To find Bryce Harper’s career batting average, you will need to divide his 544 career hits by his 1879 career at-bats

      And since batting average is reported to the third decimal place, you can confirm that he has a career AVG of .290.

      This statistic tells us that Harper will collect, on average, 290 hits for every 1,000 at-bats, or 29 hits for every 100 at-bats, or 14.5 hits for every 50 at-bats, etc.     

Isn't this fun? Let’s keep going. To find Harper’s slugging percentage (SLG), you will have to first calculate his total bases (TB). To find TB, you will need to know the total number of singles, doubles, triples, and home runs he has hit. From his profile, you can see that he has 102 doubles, 15 triples, and 104 home runs, for a sum of 221 extra-base hits.

To find the number of singles, simply subtract the number of extra-base hits (221) from his 544 total hits, to get 323.

Now you are ready to calculate the numerator of the formula. Notice that singles (1B) are only counted once, doubles (2B) are counted twice, triples (3B) are counted thrice, and home runs (HR) are counted four times!

323(1) + 102(2) + 15(3) + 104(4) = 988

Finally, divide the 988 total bases by 1879 career at-bats, for a slugging percentage of .526 !

By comparison, where does Bryce Harper's slugging percentage rank him amongst players like Dexter Fowler of the Chicago Cubs, Josh Donaldson of the Toronto Blue Jays, and David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox?

Part Two: Calculating Pitching Statistics

Now you will reference your pitcher's profile page. Pitchers play a unique position and have their own performance statistics, two of which you will learn to calculate: 

• Earned Run Average (ERA): The mean number of earned runs scored against a pitcher per nine innings pitched. An ERA of 3.00 would mean that, on average, a pitcher allows three runs per nine innings pitched.

• Walks Plus Hits Per Innings Pitched (WHIP): Reflects how difficult it is for a batter to reach base against a pitcher. The lower a pitcher's WHIP, the more difficult it is to reach base against him.

*Note that both of these statistics are reported to the second decimal place.

 Now we are ready to perform our calculations with the help of the following formulas:

You will also need to reference your pitcher’s statistic profile. I have chosen to analyze the Noah Syndergaard of the New York Mets.

To find Syndergaard’s career ERA, you will need to divide his total career earned runs (ER) by innings pitched (IP) and then multiply that quotient by 9:

So you can conclude that he has a career ERA of 2.96.

By comparison, where does Noah Syndergaard's 2.96 ERA rank him amongst pitchers like Felix Hernandez of the Seattle Mariners, Clayton Kershaw of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Dellin Betances of the New York Yankees?

Finally, we can calculate Syndergaard’s WHIP by first adding his total walks (BB) and hits allowed (H) and then dividing the sum by his total innings pitched (IP):

You can conclude that Syndergaard has a WHIP of approximately 1.04,  which means that, on average, he allows about one batter to reach base per inning.

Conclusion 

Learning math in the context of sports statistics is an awesome way to engage students and to expose them real-world applications. 

Be sure to download the free lesson guide that accompanies this activity and let me know which players you chose in the comments below!