Off-line activities and games for all ages

By Tim Bell, Ian H. Witten and Mike Fellows
With assistance from Robin Adams, Jane McKenzie
and Matt Powell

Sample Activities

The following activities are currently available online. A full version of the activities is available as shareware. Watch our web site for new activities and related material. The contents page lists the ninteen activities available in the original Unplugged book.

Count the Dots—Binary Numbers

Using just five simple cards you can explore the binary number system, find out how computers store text, and discover how data is sent through a modem.

• 351 KB PDF file, taken from the Teachers' edition.
• 283K Sample file taken from the forthcoming Chinese edition.

Card Flip Magic—Error Detection and Correction

A magic trick that will intrigue children, and show them how detect, and even fix, corrupted files.

• 51 KB PDF file, taken from the original edition.

Beat the Clock—Sorting networks

A fun activity involving a simple maze marked on the ground with chalk or tape. Participants come out of the maze sorted into order!

• 156 KB PDF file, taken from the original edition.

The Poor Cartographer—Graph Colouring

It looks like colouring in, but it's a problem that even the most powerful computers can't solve efficiently!

• 78 KB PDF file, taken from the original edition.