Archive for the ‘Arithmetic’ Category

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Dangerous Math: Death by Snake, Spider, Quad bike, Kangaroo, Raccoon and Vomit

November 17, 2022

It’s almost summer in Australia. In Melbourne we’ve had floods, mosquito – mozzie- numbers surge and, last Wednesday, I nearly stood on a Tiger Snake that was escaping the floods near the Yarra River! 

This post, however, is really a PR exercise for sharks. We fear them. We’re horrified by the thought of being eaten alive!!!. We only have to hear the soundtrack from JAWS to feel the fear. Then we see news footage like the attack below and think it happens all the time. Look at that fin. It’s enormous! But sharks are not THAT dangerous. We really need to look at the statistics to understand the level of threat. See below.

Why do we fear sharks? Look at the numbers. REALLY. Show your students. What about stairs??? Quad bikes? Chairs? Bees? That’s when you should feel the fear!!! We are irrational beings. This is why we need maths. We can make rational decisions using maths. There is also a safety message here. The maths speaks for itself. We won’t hammer it.

THE MATHS:

There is lots of maths you can do with these tables.

  • Bar Graphs
  • Pie Charts
  • Ratios (What’s the ratio of death by Snake to Quad Bike?)
  • Fractions (Show death by jet ski to falling down stairs as a fraction)
  • Percentages
  • Powers to the base 10. How many deaths occur in each country per 100,000 or 1 x 10head of population for, say, Quad bikes or ATVs? We can use these numbers to compare death rates and find out how dangerous riding a Quad bike is in each country.

……..Population Data 2022

……..Aust…26 million = 26 x 106

……..USA…332 million = 332 x 106

……..Canada…38 million = 38 x 106

……..UK…67 million = 67 x 106

But we’re doing this for the SHARKS!!! Death Australia Mathspig

  1. Cyclists. 2. emergency lanes 3. fell off a chair 4.QUAD BIKES. 5. Horse, donkey. 6. buses 7. Cow, bull. 8. ice skates, skis or skateboards. 9. Venemous snake 10. kangaroo 11. bee 12. emu 13. Jet ski 14. Shark 15. Crocodile

Death USA Mathspig 21. Quad Bike or ATV: In 2007, 107 children younger than 16 were killed on ATVs. 2. Cyclists 3. choke on vomit  4. Cats, cows, horses, pigs, raccoons. 5. Bees, wasps  6.PWC or Jet Ski 7. Lightning 8. Xmas tree fires 9. Snowboard 10. Venomous Spider  11. Scorpions 12. Venomous Snakes , lizards. 13.Crocs & gators  14. Shark Death Canada Mathspig

  1. ATV Quad Bike 2. Canoe  3. Kayak 4. PWC or Jet Ski  5. Unpowered inflatable 6. Avalanches or landslides. 7. Lightning 8. Toboggan 9. Moose –Car collision 10. Bears (All Nth America) 11. Rattle Snake 12. Wolves 13. Shark

Death UK Mathspig

  1. falling down stairs.  2. Cyclists.  3. Choke on vomit   4. Falling off Chairs 5.  QUAD BIKE or ATV 6. Buses 7. Struck by cow, horse, other mammal 8. hornets, wasps, bees. 9. PWC or jet ski .10. Parachutists. 11. Skateboards, ice skates, skis 12. Canoe. 13. Shark 
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Outdoor Math Adventures: Grade 3 – 5

September 16, 2022

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.
Outdoor Maths 1 Mathspig 2

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.

Outdoor Maths 2 Mathspig

Outdoor Maths 3 mathspig

Outdoor Maths 4 Mathspig

Outdoor Maths 5 Mathspig

Outdoor Maths 6 Mathspig

Outdoor Maths 7 Mathspig

Outdoor Maths 8 Mathspig

Check out Mathpig’s protractor joke here.

Outdoor Maths 9 Mathspig

Outdoor Maths 10 Mathspig

Another fab idea from Juliet Robertson.

 

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Razzle-Dazzle them with Middle School Math that is, like, WOW!

September 4, 2022

 

10 Quick & Quirky Ways to Make the Math Classroom Rock!

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1. Tell a Story: Life, Death, and Geometry

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. 

Background Story

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.

What you have to know

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.

What happened to the Smoke Jumpers?

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.

 

Requirements: SmartBoard to Project this link.

Try it first. You might be surprised.

 

3. Urban Myth Busted

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.

 

4. Beat this! Drum Rates in BPM.

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.

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5...MatHoudini

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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.

 

6.  Can you make a Square Bubble?

Requirements: pipe cleaners or stick cube and detergent and a bucket with water.

All ages love this exercise.

How? Read the link here.

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7. Photo Scavenger Hunt

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.

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8. Barcode Maths

Requirements: A product with a barcode.

Read this link and check the barcode.

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9. Secret Code

Requirements: Box of matches, an accomplice.

Read this link and amaze the class.

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10. Rolling coin Paradox & the Radius 

Requirements: 2 large coins. 20c in Australia, Half-$ USA or 25p UK.

Read this link first. It’s so counterintuitive.

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No Frills MATHs SKILLS for Parents 3: Pre-Algebra

May 23, 2022

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DAY 500 COVID-19 … some curious stats

June 7, 2021

Mathspig has tracked the Covid 19 Stats through the Worldometer tracker and calculated the AVERAGE NO. DEATHS per day at the 50607080, 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.

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20 Gobsmacklingly AMAZING numbers … Revisited

May 25, 2021

… these nos. are  amaaaazing but no one could find the answers in the earlier post.

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Click on the POP-UP answers under each question.

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?

12. Why is 70 a weird number?

13. Why Google Googol?

14. How many burgers does McDonalds sell a second worldwide?

15. If the population of the world was spread evenly across the USA, what area would we get each in basketball court sections?

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?

LINKS:

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

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20 AMAZING numbers

April 26, 2021

… so amaaaazing you’ll have to check them for yourself!

POP UP ANSWERS … click on Q.

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?

12. Why is 70 a weird number?

13. Why Google Googol?

14. How many burgers does McDonalds sell a second worldwide?

15. If the population of the world was spread evenly across the USA, what area would we get each in basketball court sections?

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?

LINKS:

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

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Simple Math with a KO Punch

March 24, 2021

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.

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Death by Chocolate: Yes! Chocolate can kill. But how much would kill you?

February 24, 2021

 Choco Yum Yum! Mathspig lervs chocolate. But did you know chocolate can kill you?

Chocolate contains a chemical called Theobromine. This alkaloid ( other alkaloids include cocaine, nicotine, caffeine, and strychnine) can kill humans. More info Wired Magazine.

How much chocolate is too much?

Firstly, the darker the chocolate the more Theobromine it contains.

According to About Chemistry based on the highest possible toxicity:

* VetmedicineCooking chocolate contains 8-10 times the Theobromine in Milk Chocolate.

According to Wired large doses of theobromine may cause “nausea and anorexia ….. sweating, trembling and severe headache.”

The Royal Society of Chemistry notes that chocolate does not contain caffeine, but theobromine induces similar symptoms.

LD50 for the lethal dose for 50% of the population for Theobromine is:

1000 mg/kg 0r 1gm/kg of body weight in humans

Death by Chocolate Calculations:

1. FORMULA

Mathspig Death by Chocolate Formula

2. GRAPH

Mathspig Death by Choc Graph

3. Percentage

Mathspig Death by Chocolate  % Method

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Terrifying Tennis Maths: The Speed of Novak Djokovic’s serve. METRIC

February 7, 2021

USA units post here.

Novak Djokovic is the No. 1 Seed in the Australian Open 2021.

His fastest serve = 219 kph

Could you return his serve? Do the maths!!!!!!

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

The fastest serve EVER was delivered by Australian Sam Groth @ 263 kph.

That serve takes 0.25 sec to land on the other side of the court.