Posts Tagged ‘Fun’
Crazy Math: How to survive a Wagon Wheel Rolling over your head
March 26, 2020There is some amazing Middle School Maths in The Cake Server on Joseph’s Machines.
eg. Calculate the length of the arc of a circle to fit your HEAD! Watch for it.
Besides, this is so much FUN!
Happy Valentine’s Day Graph
February 14, 2020The New York Times (The Perfect Valentine? A math formula 14 FEB 2019) has published an interactive widget from my favourite math website IMAGINARY for Valentine’s Day.
Here is the formula:
You’ll find IMAGINARY’S interactive LOVE widget HERE.
It is Xmas … Ah! The Joy of Algebra!
December 5, 2019
Great Math Xmas Ornament Ideas for Middle School here @ MathEqualsLove blog.
Mathematicians can make mountains out of mince pies, but in this case Dr Eugenia Cheng, who is Professor of Pure Mathematics at the University of Sheffield, UK, makes it look fun. The video clip includes some great Middle School Maths that you can eat.
Why do so many students HATE MATH? … um, you know, BOREDOM
September 28, 2019According to ‘Bored Out of Their Minds’, an article by ZACHARY JASON in The Harvard Ed Magazine (2017):
Boredom accounts for nearly a third of the variation in student achievement.
Half of high school dropouts cite boredom as their primary motivator for leaving.
Boredom begins for Math students at Grade 6 when students (Common Core Standards, USA) tackle more abstract concepts such as linear eqns, exponents, probability, geometry and so on.
Math curriculums in the USA, UK & Australia all demand students solve REAL LIFE problems. Too often these are of the type:
Q. Ronaldo has tethered his goat on a 12ft rein in the corner of a 20ft square field. What area can the goat graze?
THE ANS: Who cares?
Simple.
Ask students maths questions which have answers they want to know.
Students really don’t care about Ronaldo’s goat, but here are some questions which involve intriguing answers they might want to work out. And many of these questions involve funny or age-relevant activities, which also helps engagement.
1. Mean, Median STATS: Mean, Median and Coffee: Busting an Urban Myth
2. Parabolas: Can you beat the 12-14 yo World Record for a Watermelon Pip spit?
3. Geometry: Build a Freestanding Tower
Rates (Speed) & Units:
4a. The Terrifying Math of Running from a bear
5. Decimals, %, Volume: What Volume of alcohol is lethal for teens?
6. Decimals, Algebra, Weight Units
How much blood can a kid lose and survive?
Graph Hunger Game Math
7. GEOMETRY. Angles
Any Topic:
8. Middle School Math Photo Scavenger Hunt
Space Math Song here
EVEN TEACHERS GET BORED!!!
The average time it takes an audience at a conference to switch off is 11 minutes. Keep in mind this audience is, at least, being paid to be bored witless.
Outdoor Math Adventures___________ Middle School
September 9, 2019As the weather improves – Spring in Melbourne, my city & Autumn in USA & UK – it is an ideal time to take math outdoors. Here are some fab exercises for Middle School Math.
Lego Man soccer fields will vary in size depending on the height of each player picked by each student. This does your head in. It is really challenging maths!
McGill Uni link here.
Don’t forget to throw in Mathspig’s lame protractor jokes.
You’ll find full calculations at the Maths is Fun blog.
You’ll find more fab outdoor junior and middle school maths activities at the terrific Maths and Movement blog.
Some students will discover their co-ordinate point is not on the grid. Students should then work out that they will need a different scale for the y-axis. You can get more inspiration at the Stand Again blog.
And the tic tic toc of the HYPERBOLA CLOCK
May 19, 2019
Giant Easter Egg Math … USA units
April 5, 2019Good News for Chocoholics
To get the right texture Easter Eggs are made from sugar or sucrose and not from corn syrup. But chocolate contains lots and lots of sugar.
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Guylian Sea Shells:
Weight Sea Shell: 4.23 oz
Weight Sugar: 1.69 oz
% sugar = 1.69/4.23 x 100 = 40%
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This is a Guylian Luxury Easter Egg. It can also be used as a designer handbag, I guess.
Guylian Easter Eggs:
Weight Easter Egg: 3.53 oz
Weight Sugar: 1.83 oz
% sugar = 1.83/3.53 x 100 = 52%
You’ll find nutrition data here.
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Easter Challenge:
You will find the largest Chocolate Easter Egg ever here.
This egg is 34 ft 1.05 in high and weighs 15,873lbs, but it is ugly.
I like the GUYLIAN GIANT EGG (below) because it looks good and we know exactly how much sugar is in this egg. 
This Giant Egg was made in 2005 in Belgium by chocolate maker Guylian.
Statistics:
Height: 27 ft
Weight: 4300 lb Chocolate
No. Chocolatiers: 26
No. Chocolate bars: 50,000
Total time: 525 hrs
Easter Challenge for Chocoholics
The amount of sugar in the giant egg weighs as much as a Fiat Punto.
Giant Easter Egg Maths … METRIC
April 5, 2019Good News for Chocoholics
To get the right texture Easter Eggs are made from sugar or sucrose and not from corn syrup. But chocolate contains lots and lots of sugar.
………………………………………………..
Guylian Sea Shells:
Weight Sea Shell: 120 g
Weight Sugar: 48g
% sugar = 48/120 x 100 = 40%
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This is a Guylian Luxury Easter Egg. It can also be used as a designer handbag, I guess.
Guylian Easter Eggs:
Weight Easter Egg: 100g
Weight Sugar: 52g
% sugar = 52/100 x 100 = 52%
You’ll find nutrition data here.
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