It’s Autumn in UK & FALL in the USA so it’s the perfect time for a little bit of outdoor math for Grade 3-5 with AUTUMN leaves. Of course, you don’t need FALL LEAVES for this exercise, but it is colorful.
This fab idea comes from Juliet Robertson, an outdoor education consultant in Scotland. Her blog Creative star learning is one of the most inspiring outdoor maths blogs you will find.
Check out Mathpig’s protractor joke here.
Another fab idea from Juliet Robertson.
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This is middle school maths at its best. To understand Wild Fires you must understand the angle of a slope. REQUIREMENTS: Just this story and a white or blackboard to show how the fire speed changes with the slope angle.
On 5th August 1949 Wag Dodge was dropped by parachute with 14 other firefighters into Mann Gulch, a steep-sided gully in a Montana pine forest. Firefighters who parachute in to put out small blazes started by lightning are called Smoke Jumpers. As they worked their way down the sides of the gully the breeze was blowing away from them. But the wind soon shifted. This produced an updraft, which increases the speed of the fire front. The 15 Smoke Jumpers turned and started running for their lives uphill.
Heat rises and so there is a Chimney Effect pushing the fire uphill. The rule of thumb used by firefighters is:
Each 10º increase in slope, the fire front speed doubles. So a fire front traveling at 60 kph (37 mph) becomes a fire front traveling at 120kph (75 mph) moving up a slope of 10º.
When the fire front changed direction Wag Dodge and 14 other Smoke Jumpers found themselves running for their lives up a steep slope. What did Wag do next?
ANS: Here’s the amazing thing. Wag realised he could not outrun the fire at that point. So he stopped, took off his backpack, took out some MATCHES, and lit a fire in the grassy patch in front of him. Just before the firewall hit he threw himself face down on the burnt patch. He survived. The other 14 firefighters did not. You will find maths exercises here: METRIC UNITS and USA UNITS.
Try it first. You might be surprised.
Requirements: This story.
Goldfish Memory This is what Epidemiologists do. They find out if there are statistics to support the theory. These mathematicians have been providing vital information during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
According to the ABC news, this myth was busted by a 15-year-old Adelaide schoolboy named Rory Stokes. He fed his goldfish near a Red Lego brick. The fish started anticipating food near the brick. He took it away and replaced it several weeks later. The fish remembered the red brick!!! More here.
Other maths myths to check out:
Chewing food 32 times before swallowing helps you lose weight. Here.
You must drink 8 glasses of water a day. Here.
You are 6 degrees of separation from anyone in the world. Here.
It takes 43 muscles to frown and only 17 to smile. Here.
Requirements: A pencil and a timer on a phone.
Can students manage a drumbeat to popular songs? Here are some songs with their BPMs (Beats per minute listed).
Tones and I Dance Monkey 98 BPM.
The Rubens Live In Life 104 BPM.
Lady Gaga Bad Romance 118 BPM
……………….Just Dance 119 BPM
Flume Rushing Back 176 BPM (Try the middle of the track. It varies)
Panic! At the Disco 186 BPM (Recommended by Jog.FM for jogging)
More DRUM BEATS and a story about Drummers’ Brains here.
Requirements: Phonebook.
Read the instructions at this link. Very simple. And you can amaze the students. Or Vice Versa. A student can amaze a maths teacher.
Requirements: pipe cleaners or stick cube and detergent and a bucket with water.
All ages love this exercise.
How? Read the link here.
Challenge: Students use a smartphone to take 5 mathsy photos for homework. Ideas here.
However, start in the maths room. Look for parallel lines, angles, rectangles, spheres, parabolas (not in the textbooks). See parabola below.
Requirements: A product with a barcode.
Read this link and check the barcode.
Requirements: Box of matches, an accomplice.
Read this link and amaze the class.
Requirements: 2 large coins. 20c in Australia, Half-$ USA or 25p UK.
Read this link first. It’s so counterintuitive.
Mathspig has tracked the Covid 19 Stats through the Worldometer tracker and calculated the AVERAGE NO. DEATHS per day at the 50, 60, 70, 80, 100 , 200 DAY and the 1 YEAR mark ..
and now at the 500 DAY mark.
Note: Approx 1/3 of deaths around the world are due to accidents, diseases other than Covid, or suicide.
1. How many bristles in a toothbrush?
2. What % of Oxygen in the atmosphere comes from forests?
3. How loud was the loudest recorded human scream?
4. How many apples could kill an average-sized adult?
5. How many countries in Africa?
6. What happens when you Google this number, 241543903?
7. How many vertebrae in a giraffe’s neck?
8. What is the highest recorded wind speed?
9. What is the world record high-jump height for a guinea pig?
10. How many times does England fit into Australia?
11. How much did the most expensive dessert ever cost?
14. How many burgers does McDonalds sell a second worldwide?
16. How many times was the most frequently married person in the world, married?
17. Why is Zero Zero Zero like 123?
18. What is the world record for the greatest number of snorts in 10 seconds?
19. How long would it take to grow your hair to your feet?
20. What number causes the greatest loss of money in the world?
1. How many bristles in a toothbrush? HERE
2. What % of Oxygen in the atmosphere comes from forests? HERE
3. 3. How loud was the loudest recorded human scream? GOOGLE IT!
4. How many apples could kill an average-sized adult? HERE
5. 5. How many countries in Africa? GOOGLE IT!
6. What happens when you Google this number: 241543903? HERE
7. How many vertebrae in a giraffe’s neck? HERE
8. What is the highest recorded wind speed? HERE and HERE
9. What is the world record high-jump height for a guinea pig? GOOGLE IT!
10. How many times does England fit into Australia? GOOGLE IT!
11. How much did the most expensive dessert ever cost? GOOGLE AGAIN.
12. Why is 70 a weird number? HERE
13. Why Google Googol? HERE
14. How many burgers does McDonalds sell a second worldwide? HERE
15. If the population of the world spread across the USA , what area would we get each?
GOOGLE THE NUMBERS!
16. How many times was the most frequently married person in the world, married?
GOOGLE HIM.
17. Why is Zero Zero Zero like 123? HERE
18. What is the world record for the greatest number of snorts in 10 seconds? HERE
19. How long would it take to grow your hair to your feet? HERE
20. 20. What number causes the greatest loss of money in the world? HERE
1. How many bristles in a toothbrush?
2. What % of Oxygen in the atmosphere comes from forests?
3. How loud was the loudest recorded human scream?
4. How many apples could kill an average-sized adult?
5. How many countries in Africa?
6. What happens when you Google this number, 241543903?
7. How many vertebrae in a giraffe’s neck
8. What is the highest recorded wind speed?
9. What is the world record high-jump height for a guinea pig?
10. How many times does England fit into Australia?
11. How much did the most expensive dessert ever cost?
14. How many burgers does McDonalds sell a second worldwide?
16. How many times was the most frequently married person in the world, married?
17. Why is Zero Zero Zero like 123?
18. What is the world record for the greatest number of snorts in 10 seconds?
19. How long would it take to grow your hair to your feet?
20. What number causes the greatest loss of money in the world?
1. How many bristles in a toothbrush? HERE
2. What % of Oxygen in the atmosphere comes from forests? HERE
3. 3. How loud was the loudest recorded human scream? GOOGLE IT!
4. How many apples could kill an average-sized adult? HERE
5. 5. How many countries in Africa? GOOGLE IT!
6. What happens when you Google this number: 241543903? HERE
7. How many vertebrae in a giraffe’s neck? HERE
8. What is the highest recorded wind speed? HERE and HERE
9. What is the world record high-jump height for a guinea pig? GOOGLE IT!
10. How many times does England fit into Australia? GOOGLE IT!
11. How much did the most expensive dessert ever cost? GOOGLE AGAIN.
12. Why is 70 a weird number? HERE
13. Why Google Googol? HERE
14. How many burgers does McDonalds sell a second worldwide? HERE
15. If the population of the world spread across the USA , what area would we get each?
GOOGLE THE NUMBERS!
16. How many times was the most frequently married person in the world, married?
GOOGLE HIM.
17. Why is Zero Zero Zero like 123? HERE
18. What is the world record for the greatest number of snorts in 10 seconds? HERE
19. How long would it take to grow your hair to your feet? HERE
20. 20. What number causes the greatest loss of money in the world? HERE
So often MATH makes clear what politicians fail to see. This is a cartoon in the Boston Globe by Dan Wasserman.
Follow Dan on Twitter @WassermanToons
The minimum wage in Australia is currently $19.84 per hour for 21yo+. This is USA $15.08.
* Vetmedicine: Cooking chocolate contains 8-10 times the Theobromine in Milk Chocolate.
USA units post here.
The ball leaves Djokovic’s racket and hits the ground 0.31 secs later.
Go here to see why this simplified calculation works!
Mathspig tested her reaction time here. TRY IT!
Mathspig’s best, best, best reaction time = O.33 sec
METRIC post here.
The ball leaves Djokovic’s racket and hits the ground 0.30 secs later.
Go here to see why this simplified calculation works!
Mathspig tested her reaction time here. TRY IT!
Mathspig’s best, best, best reaction time = O.33 sec
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A raucous romp through the absurdities of American Gun Culture
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10 reasons to hate maths: BUSTED
10 reasons to hate maths: BUSTED
10 Reasons to Hate Maths: BUSTED
10 Reasons to Hate Maths: BUSTED
Comic & cutting comment plus random raves.
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