Math Club Resource Hub

Challenge students with Fermi problems to build number sense.

Fermi problems are open-ended estimation problems that require students to use reasoning to make assumptions and educated guesses to creatively solve a problem. There is no single correct answer and Fermi problems can be tailored to a variety of age levels.

Some examples include:

• How many jelly beans would fit in a school bus?
• How many sheets of paper are used in your school each day?
• How long would it take to count to a million?
• How far could you walk in one year?
• How many fish are in the sea?

See the attached activity for additional information about Fermi problems, along with over 60 sample Fermi questions to ask your students. 

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