Cut-and-Sort Mathematics Card Sheet
A print-and-cut card sheet with matched prompts, representations and answers plus a teacher sorting key.
Works on any free AI · Best tool: Any AI chat (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)
✅ How to use this effectively
- 1. State the exact matching or ordering objective.
- 2. Review the card manifest and pair key.
- 3. Compile via a free Overleaf account on the intended card stock.
- 4. Cut one set and test that no visual cue reveals the pairing.
🔧 If it is not right, reply with this: If wrong, reply with: "Repair the pair key, equalise accidental visual clues and keep every card inside the stated cut margins."
THE PROMPT
ROLE: Act as a manipulative-card designer, pair-key auditor and print-sheet compositor.
CONTEXT: A [CLASS] lesson needs [CARD COUNT] cards for matching or ordering [CONCEPT].
INPUTS — FILL EVERY PLACEHOLDER:
- [CLASS]
- [CONCEPT]
- [CARD COUNT]
- [MATCHING RULE]
- [APPROVED CONTENT]
- [CARD SIZE]
- [PAPER SIZE]
SOURCE-BOUND TOOL FACTS AND EXACT URL WHITELIST:
- [OVERLEAF] Whitelist: https://www.overleaf.com/docs?encoded_snip={PERCENT_ENCODED_LATEX}. Overleaf requires a free account and sign-in before the imported project opens. Use pdflatex for the stated school-safe package set; use xelatex with fontspec only for multilingual documents. If the encoded URL exceeds 6,000 characters, output the full source plus manual paste steps instead of a broken link.
- [CODECOGS] Whitelist: https://latex.codecogs.com/png.image?{PERCENT_ENCODED_LATEX}. CodeCogs renders one equation image, not a document. Start permanent classroom PNGs with the encoded form of \dpi{150}, keep the URL short, and tell the teacher to download rather than hotlink it.
DO THIS:
1. Create a manifest with unique IDs, card faces and the intended matching group.
2. Audit every mathematical equivalence or order relationship before layout.
3. Arrange equal-sized cards with crop marks, safe margins and no answer-revealing colour code.
4. Provide a shuffled student sheet and a separate teacher key by card ID.
5. Add print-scale, paper-weight, cutting and storage instructions.
WORKED LINK EXAMPLE — COPY THIS EXACT ENCODING PATTERN:
Example task: Create a card matching x^2-5x+6 with its factorised form.
Expected result or check target: The pair key matches x^2-5x+6 to (x-2)(x-3), while shuffled positions reveal nothing.
check this yourself
CHECK → https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=factor%20x%5E2-5x%2B6
(paste-fallback: factor x^2-5x+6)
Encoding note: The WolframAlpha query is plain calculator syntax and decodes exactly to the fallback expression.
OUTPUT FORMAT:
1. Card Manifest — IDs, faces and intended groups
2. Maths Audit — equivalence or order checks
3. Cut Sheet — shuffled printable card grid
4. Teacher Key — matches by stable ID
5. Assembly Guide — scale, cut and storage steps
QUALITY AND TOOL GUARDRAILS:
- Do not create ambiguous pairs unless multiple matches are the explicit lesson goal.
- Overleaf requires a free account and login for the project route.
- Use pdflatex for English cards and xelatex only for multilingual scripts.
- Typst is paste-only and non-LaTeX; state this if offered as an alternative.
- Do not let border, colour, length or position leak the answer.
- Copy every [PLACEHOLDER IN SQUARE BRACKETS] character-for-character in every template, code block and translated variant.
- Never output a desmos.com URL with parameters, a mathsolver.microsoft.com URL, an invented GeoGebra material ID, an invented DIKSHA code, an invented Khan topic path, or an unlisted quiz or simulation slug.
- Never describe an AI answer as verified. Every external check must be labelled “check this yourself” for the teacher or student to inspect personally.
- Do not invent exam facts, source citations, marks distributions, tool IDs or inaccessible links. Separate mathematical proof from computational checking.
=== TOOL-LINK OUTPUT CONTRACT — follow every rule exactly ===
1. You may output clickable links ONLY to: wolframalpha.com/input?i= · symbolab.com/solver?query= ·
geogebra.org/graphing|geometry|3d|cas?command= · math.stackexchange.com/search?q= · oeis.org/search?q= ·
artofproblemsolving.com/community/q1_ · khanacademy.org/search?page_search_query= ·
overleaf.com/docs?encoded_snip= · latex.codecogs.com/png.image? · docs.google.com/forms/...viewform?usp=pp_url
(Forms only with entry.N IDs I paste in) · plus any URL I give you or that appears in this prompt's whitelist table.
2. NEVER output: desmos.com links with query strings (they load blank), invented geogebra.org/m/ IDs, Khan topic
URLs, DIKSHA dial codes, Wolfram quiz/demo slugs not in my table, or mathsolver.microsoft.com (dead site).
3. Write queries in plain calculator syntax (x^2, sqrt(x), pi, 3/4) — never LaTeX — EXCEPT Overleaf and CodeCogs
payloads, which are LaTeX.
4. Percent-encode the query part: space→%20, +→%2B, ^→%5E, =→%3D, [→%5B, ]→%5D; in LaTeX payloads also
\→%5C, {→%7B, }→%7D, %→%25, #→%23, &→%26, newline→%0A. GeoGebra ?command= exception: encode ONLY + as %2B;
leave ( ) = ^ ; as typed.
5. One link per line, formatted exactly: CHECK → <full raw URL> (no markdown brackets, nothing after the URL).
6. Directly below every link, print: (paste-fallback: <the un-encoded query or commands>)
7. Before printing any link, silently decode your own URL and confirm it reproduces the query character-for-character;
rebuild it if not. If a URL would exceed 1,800 characters (Overleaf: 6,000), print only the paste-fallback.
8. Label every link "check this yourself" — never claim the link proves your answer is correct.
9. On phones these links must be opened in a browser, not an installed app — say this once at the end.