Home

The
Program

Student &
Guardian Info.

Teacher
Information

Registration

FAQ

The Oakland/ East Bay Math Circle (OEBMC) is a weekly after-school program for middle and high school teachers and students centered on mathematical exploration and discovery.

Starting again September 18, 2008, OEB Math Circle courses will be at Laney College on Thursdays from 4:30-5:30 PM, providing the opportunity for students to learn advanced mathematics and teachers to receive professional development and math enrichment.

Newsflash!

OEBMC will return again on Thursday September 18th, 2008

Click Here for the latest OEBMC News! (.pdf)

Click here for the upcoming class schedule

Monthly Problem

Breaking Chocolate

Two people take turns cutting up a rectangular chocolate bar which is 6 x 8 squares in size. You are allowed to cut the bar only along a division between the squares and your cut can be only a straight line. For example, you can turn the original bar into a 6 x 2 piece and a 6 x 6 piece, and this latter piece can be turned into a 1 x 6 piece and a 5 x 6 piece. The last player who can break the chocolate wins (and gets to eat the chocolate bar). Is there a winning strategy for the first or second player? What about the general case (the starting bar is m x n)?

From San Francisco Math Circle Sample Problems