Introducing Binary Code using the Montessori Power of Two Cube
The Power of Two Cube, like the Binomial Cube, is a great physical material to use with children ages 3-6 as a tool to practice ordering and identifying patterns. When working with students in the 9-12 environment, the material can be brought back out and used as a concrete model for exponentiation. The cube represents the mathematical expression 2n (for this particular cube, n is an integer from 1 to 6). When presenting this work, if you do not have a physical set of the materials, the cards included can be used in its place.
Matching cards for the different components of the Power of Two Cube can be used by the student to practice identifying exponential forms and a corresponding answer key is included.
Lesson plans are provided for the entire introduction to the material and "Binary Dot Cards" are also included as a bridge to translate decimal system numbers into binary.
Lastly, a list of suggested follow-up activities are listed to provide extensions.