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These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.

Hide the Spies

This Nuffield activity is set in the context of a park. Students determine where spies should sit in the park that has a square grid of benches, interspersed by bushes, so that they cannot see each other. Students also investigate how many different arrangements of spies are possible.

The key processes involved in this activity are:

*Representing - choosing a mathematical approach to finding arrangements.

*Analysing - working systematically, generating arrangements and using symmetry.

*Interpreting and evaluating - identifying patterns, making generalisations and considering findings to form convincing arguments.

*Communicating and reflecting - explaining the approach taken and the outcomes achieved at each stage of the work.

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