Use small group discussions augmented with some computer programming to enhance the mathematical concepts discussed in "The Number Devil," by Hans Magnus Enzensberger. Chapter 5 introduces triangle and square numbers along with some of their properties. Very little programming experience is necessary. Sample responses to all the questions, discussion topics, and programming challenges are included.
Keywords: triangle number, square number, Snap, programming, coding
Generate a list of the first 200 triangle numbers. Generate a second list of the sums of consecutive triangle numbers.
Form lists of the the sums of two and three triangle numbers. Create a third list demonstrating that all the integers from 2 through some upper bound can be formed by summing two or three triangle numbers.
Write a test program in which a user enters a positive integer and displays all the combinations of two or three triangle numbers summing to the input.