10 Surprising Maths Facts   

2. Converting Miles to Kilometres using the Fibonacci Sequence

If you want to convert quickly between miles and kilometres, then you can do this approximately by using the Fibonacci Sequence:

0  1  1  2  3  5  8  13  21  34  55  89;.

If you need to convert 34 miles into kilometres then simply choose the next number in the Fibonacci sequence which is 55.  It turns out that 34 miles is approximately equal to 55km. Again, 55 miles is approximately equal to 89 kilometres and so on. 

This seems like a trick, but it actually works because the ratio between successive numbers in the Fibonacci Sequence approaches the Golden Ratio which is around 1.6. Conveniently 1 mile is also equal to around 1.6 kilometres. Find out more in this Rob Eastaway article. 

3. The Number of Ways to Shuffle a Pack of Cards.

Photo Credit: Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Take a normal pack of 52 cards and give it a good fair shuffle. It is almost certain that you will never see that same ordered deck ever again and that nobody else in the history of cards has ever made that particular combination. You are holding something unique! 

This is because there is an unimaginably vast number of combinations of 52 cards. In fact, there are more possible decks of cards than atoms in the whole earth! With 52 cards in a deck there are 52 x 51 x 50 x … x 2 x 1 = 52! possible combinations.  

So, if you give your deck a good fair shuffle then you will be left with a unique order (probably).

4. Map Reading   

Photo Credit: Photo by Richard Bell on Unsplash

Photo Credit: Guinness World Records - Most times to fold a piece of paper

If you fold a piece of paper in half 45 times then incredibly it will be tall enough to reach from the earth to the moon. The world record is held by Britney Gallivan who folded a piece of paper in half 12 times. 

When she smashed the previous record in 2002, Britney was still in High School and developed mathematical equations to help her select the right length and thickness of paper. Incredibly she used a piece of paper that was more than a kilometre long. 

Exponential growth: How folding paper can get you to the Moon

8. The Number of Hairs on our Heads

Photo Credit: Photo by Ivy Shirn on Unsplash

Run your fingers through your hair for a moment. How many hairs do you think you have? Now think about where you live – do you think there is anybody in your town or city who shares exactly the same number of hairs as your supposedly unique head? 

You may in fact have a unique number of hairs on your head, but in London there are at least 50 people who share the same number of hairs. 

This is an example of the Pigeon Hole Principle and the figure of 50 comes from 7.5 million Londoners divided by 150,000 possible numbers of hairs. (It is estimated that 150,000 is the maximum number of hairs on a head.)

Find out more about the Pigeon Hole Principle here.