41 Maths things to do before you’re 12

Summer Holidays are done. School is BACK in Australia. But how do middle school teachers get students excited about Maths? Here are some ideas.

“A growing body of research shows us that outdoor play leads to better physical and mental health, has positive effects on cognitive function and learning, and reduces the incidence of behavioural problems.” Maria Zotti, Nature Play, SA.

Peter Dunstan, Principal Kilkenny PS, SA, writes in SAPPA magazine, Primary Focus, that outdoor play fosters “wonderment, independence and freedom” as well as “social skills, imagination, creativity and problem solving”.

Inspired by SAPPA and NaturePlay,  Mathspig has produced her own outdoorsy maths list:

 

References:

7. Robin Hood Give us your best shot.

9. You can measure the volume of your lungs by blowing one breath into a balloon and pushing it into a full bucket of water. Measure the overflow.

15: Outdoor Maths: Times Tables

21. Light intensity links. Here and here.

25.  Sound Volume Measurement

36. Killer heels that really kill.

Outdoor Maths Adventures: Middle School

As the weather improves – Spring in Melbourne, my city & Fall in USA & Autumn in the 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.

FOR THE LONGEST KICK or THROW in Football you need this MATHS

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The following maths is suitable for Year 9+

but can be presented to lower grades just to show

maths is cool!

Death by Caffeine: The Math Part 1 USA UNITS

Death by Caffeine: The Maths  Part 1 METRIC here

The lethal dose for caffeine is about 68 milligrams per lb of body weight. Average consumption of caffeine is about 200 milligrams a day. The Mayo Clinic advises against exceeding 500 to 600 milligrams per day.

 This work titled Timing is Everything is by street artist ABOVE in London.

You may want this much energy but be warned, energy drinks can kill.

It would take a ridiculously huge number of ANGRY WOMBAT energy drinks to kill a 14 year old weighing, say, 110 lb. Nevertheless, some kids are more sensitive to caffeine than others and then much lower levels of consumption of energy drinks can be fatal. 

See Death by Caffeine: The Math Part 2 USA UNITS

Here is the work (see below) TIMING IS EVERYTHING by street artist ABOVE in London showing the timing.

 

Death by Caffeine: The Math Part 2 USA units

Death by Caffeine: The Math  Part 2 Metric Units HERE.

Caffeine content sources Caffeine Content Data Base

On April 12 2017 16-year-old Davis Cripe collapsed at school in South Carolina and died later in hospital.  In the span of two hours, Davis drank a cafe latte from McDonald’s and a large Mountain Dew, then “chugged” a 16-ounce energy drink when he got back to art class.

Here, assuming Davis drank large sized drinks, is the lethal caffeine consumption.

NOTE: Davis lived in the USA where standard drink volumes are slightly different to Australia & UK. The USA volumes are used here converted to litre and ml.

The official cause of death was “caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia,” the coroner concluded. Source: Washington Post

Caffeine can kill.

WARNING: “Mixing caffeine with alcohol is a dangerous practice because it may lead to higher levels of alcohol consumption as the person often believes and feels they are more alert,” said Dr Robert Glatter, ER doctor at Lenox Hill Hospital, NYC . “The risk of alcohol poisoning increases as people consume more alcohol because they feel the caffeine will keep them awake and alert.” Source: USA Today

Death by Caffeine: The Maths Part 2 METRIC

Death by Caffeine: The Math  Part 2 USA UNITS HERE.

Caffeine content sources Caffeine Content Data Base

On April 12 2017 16-year-old Davis Cripe collapsed at school in South Carolina and died later in hospital.  In the span of two hours, Davis drank a cafe latte from McDonald’s and a large Mountain Dew, then “chugged” a 16-ounce energy drink when he got back to art class.

Here, assuming Davis drank large sized drinks, is the lethal caffeine consumption.

NOTE: Davis lived in the USA where standard drink volumes are slightly different to Australia & UK. The USA volumes are used here converted to litre and ml.

The official cause of death was “caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia,” the coroner concluded. Source: Washington Post

Caffeine can kill.

WARNING: “Mixing caffeine with alcohol is a dangerous practice because it may lead to higher levels of alcohol consumption as the person often believes and feels they are more alert,” said Dr Robert Glatter, ER doctor at Lenox Hill Hospital, NYC . “The risk of alcohol poisoning increases as people consume more alcohol because they feel the caffeine will keep them awake and alert.” Source: USA Today

I Can’t Sleep: Caffeine Math Part 3 USA UNITS

I Can’t Sleep Math: Caffeine Maths METRIC HERE.

Sensitivity to caffeine varies for individuals, but in healthy adults the half life for caffeine is approx 6hrs meaning your body eliminates half the caffeine you have drunk in 6 hrs. Ref: Caffeine Pharmacology

Caffeine interferes with sleep. One study found that consuming caffeine 6 hours before bedtime reduced total sleep time by 1 hour.

Caffeine content sources Caffeine Content Data Base

Street art by JEKS, South Carolina

The Half life equation is an exponential function.

The Mayo Clinic advises up to 400mg Caffeine a day for adults, which would be;

10 black teas

7 instant coffees

4 cappuccinos

2 dark roast brewed

less than one cup of Black Insomnia Coffee.

Approx half this amount of caffeine for 14 yos.

I Can’t Sleep: Caffeine Maths Part 3 METRIC

I Can’t Sleep: Caffeine Math USA UNITS HERE.

Sensitivity to caffeine varies for individuals, but in healthy adults the half life for caffeine is approx 6hrs meaning your body eliminates half the caffeine you have drunk in 6 hrs. Ref: Caffeine Pharmacology

Caffeine interferes with sleep. One study found that consuming caffeine 6 hours before bedtime reduced total sleep time by 1 hour.

Caffeine content sources Caffeine Content Data Base

Street art by JEKS, South Carolina

The Half life equation is an exponential function.

The Mayo Clinic advises up to 400mg Caffeine a day for adults, which would be;

9 black teas

6 instant coffees

4 cappuccinos

2 dark roast brewed

less than one cup of Black Insomnia Coffee.

Approx half this amount of caffeine for 14 yos.

20 Gobsmacklingly AMAZING numbers … Revisited

… 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

April Fool Math TEST … USA units

2020 passed in a blur. Now we need to grab the student’s attention. This April Fool Maths Test should do it.

Tell your year 8 or 9 students this test is designed to test their ability to concentrate and use logic while doing a challenging test under pressure. 

Tell students to circle the ‘correct’ answer. Then wait to see how long it takes them to think you have totally lost the plot! You can make copies of the test using the PDF links below. You can put the answers up later on the smartboard or just read out the answers.

Mathspig April Fools Math Test 1 USA

Mathspig April Fools Math Test 2 USA

Mathspig April Fools Math Test ANSWER USA