Play “Got it!”Try to find a strategy so that you can always win! Can you explain your strategy to someone else?
Jan 232013
Jan 212013
1. Write down your date of birth using 6 figures. So 25th December 1974 would be 25.12.74
2. Write down the last two digits of the year. (eg 74)
3. Divide by 4 and ignore the decimal part or remainder. (eg 74 ÷ 4 = 18)
4. Add together the answers to 1 and 2 (eg 74 + 18 =92)
5. Add the number of the day of your date of birth. (eg 92 + 25 =117)
6. Add a number according to your month of birth as follows.
JAN 1 (0 for Leap Year) How do you tell if a year is a leap year?
FEB 4 (3 for Leap Year) How do you tell if a year is a leap year?
MARCH 4
APRIL 0
MAY 2
JUNE 5
JULY 0
AUGUST 3
SEPT 6
OCT 1
NOV 4
DEC 6
(eg 117 + 6 for Dec = 123)
For years beginning 18.. add 2
For years beginning 19.. add 0
For years beginning 20.. add 6
(eg 123 +0 = 123)
Divide your answer by 7 and work out the remainder.
(eg 123÷ 7 = 17 remainder 4)
The remainder gives the day of the week you were born on.
1 = Sunday
2= Monday
3= Tuesday
4= Wednesday
5= Thursday
6 = Friday
7 = Saturday
(s0 25.12.74 was a Wednesday)
Links
Jan 212013
Leap years have an extra day in February, so there are 29 days in February and 366 days in a leap year. Lots of people believe that if a year is divisible by 4 it is a leap year. However there are some exceptions to this.
To work it out follow these instructions.
If the year divides exactly by 4 it is a leap year, UNLESS
it is a new century. (ends in 00)
If this is the case if it divides exactly by 400 it is a leap year, if not it is not.
Examples
Was 2012 a leap year?
2012÷4 = 503. YES!
Will 2018 be a leap year?
2018÷4 = 504 r2 NO!
Was 2000 a leap year?
2000÷400 = 5 YES!
Will 2100 be a leap year?
2100÷400 = 5 r100 NO!
Jan 212013
Ask your teacher (or somebody else) to
1. Write down your house number.
2. Double it.
3. Add the number of days in a week.
4. Multiply by 50.
5. Add your age.
6. Subtract the number of days in a year. (not a leap year)
7. Add 15
The answer is your teachers house number and their age!
Can you explain why this works?
Jan 202013
Here is a letter from the Coop Bank offering Mrs Givusabob a loan. Can you help her understand it?
Here is a worksheet version.
(MathswithGraham likes the Coop Bank because of their ethical principles, but borrowing from any bank can be very expensive.)
Jan 202013
Do you understand those letters that come through the door offering you a credit card? Have a go at this exercise to find out more.
Here is a worksheet version.
(I have used Sainsbury’s Bank as an example of a typical credit card provider- this exercise does not insinuate that Sainsbury’s Bank is any worse than other credit card providers.)
Jan 052013
Many people on a low income are not able to open a bank account.
If they need to borrow money they can be offered loans with massive rates of interest. This exercise looks at how to calculate interest rates and compares different ways of borrowing money.
The video mentions two businesses in particular. Wonga.com and Quick Quid both charge interest rates in excess of 2000%. Do you know of higher rates of interest? Please comment below to name and shame the loan sharks!
The same exercise is here in worksheet format.
Jan 042013
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation research into the minimum income standards for the UK. The Minimum Income Standard for the UK shows how much money people need, so that they can buy things that members of the public think that everyone in the UK should be able to afford.
- Figures are based on public views about a minimum standard that nobody should fall below.
- It does not show you what you require to meet all your individual needs, and is not suitable for use as a personal budgeting tool.
By entering a few details about your circumstances you can compare your income with the MIS, and see how this is made up. For instance my children are now all grown up and have left home, so I live with my wife. When I have entered details about my rent/mortgage. gas/electric/water bills etc it tells me the minimum income I require is £23,099. They break this down into how much I need for food, alcohol. council tax, clothing etc. It makes very interesting reading!
The picture shows the results for a single person.
Go to http://www.minimumincome.org.uk/ and enter your details to see what it suggests for your household.
Try this exercise to find out about a single persons minimum income. It will also help you to calculate percentages.
Jan 042013
Everybody is feeling the pinch at the moment. Try this interactive Money Saving Transport Quiz to see if you can save some cash! Here is the same exercise in worksheet format.
Jan 032013
Many people living in poverty are being ripped off with massive interest rates. People who can’t get bank accounts and are trying to survive on benefits sometimes see no alternative but to use door step lenders or shops that offer instant credit but then charge extortionate interest rates.
Try this quiz to learn more about shopping on credit.
Jan 022013
How do you work out how much electricity something uses?
This exercise will help you understand “units” of electricity and help you work out how much electricity different things use.
There is a worksheet version of the activity or an interactive version.
Dec 032012
Here is a Roulette Simulator. It’s just as much fun as being in a casino, but it is completely free so you are not throwing away your money! Have a few goes and see how quickly you lose your money!
http://roulette-simulator.info/simulator/index.php?mode=simple&lang=en&sess=1354491584KU4ALN9E
Why does the bank always win? Probability shows us that the odds are stacked against the gambler.
Let me explain. Say we place a bet of £1 on Number 24. Assuming the roulette wheel is fair, there is one chance in 37 of this happening, because there are 37 different numbers on the roulette wheel. If you win, the bank pays you 35 times your bet. So if we do this 37 times we would expect to win once. We would lose £37 in bets and win back £36, so overall we lose £1!
A similar thing happens if you bet on pair (even) or impair (odd). Zero does not count as odd or even. So the probability of getting an even number is 18/37. The probability of an odd number is also 18/37. If you win the bank pays you the same amount as your bet. So if we play 37 times, each time betting £1, we would only expect to win 18 times. We would bet £37 and win £18 x 2 =£36, losing £1 overall.
Casinos make massive profits as they are always bound to win in the long run. True, very occasionally someone strikes lucky and has a big win, but the casino knows the odds are stacked in their favour.
Dec 022012
Oct 192012
Here are my hands. Calculate the ratio of the length of the rectangle to the height by dividing 12 by 7.5.
Now work with a friend. One of you make the same shape with your hands, the other measures the length and width. Again calculate the ratio. Swop roles and do this again. You now have three ratios. What do you notice?
Here is the beginning of the Fibonacci Sequence. It is made by adding the two previous numbers together.
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21.
Work out the next 10 terms of the sequence and write them down.
Now calculate the ratio of each number compared to the number before it, like this. Round your answers to 4 decimal places.
1÷ 1 = 1
2÷ 1= 2
3÷ 2= 1.5
5÷ 3 = 1.6
8÷ 5 =1.6
13÷ 8 = 1.625
You continue for the next 10 terms. (Use a calculator!)
What do you notice?
You have discovered a very special number, called phi. Find out more about phi and the Golden Ratio here.
Oct 172012
Here is a fascinating site to find out about the Golden Ratio and the human face.
http://www.intmath.com/numbers/math-of-beauty.php
Don’t miss the flash application where you can fit a mask to some famous faces to see if their facial proportions match the golden ratio.
You will find the Golden Ratio appears not just in the human body, but in architechture, design nature, cosmology, photo composition, art and much more.
Oct 172012
Oct 152012
Here is an interesting info-graphic that shows which languages are spoken most throughout the world.
Can you design a bar chart or a pie chart to show this information?
How about carrying out a survey to find out which languages are spoken in your class/course or college? You will need to plan it carefully first, working out how to collect the data. Then analyse your data, putting it into tables. Finally present your data using graphs and charts in a format that will make people want to read it.
Oct 152012
This video shows how to divide by a decimal.
When you’ve watched the video try this quiz to see if you’ve got it.
Oct 122012
Download, print and cut out the triangles. Work with a friend to try and match all the questions with the correct answers and make a shape
If you are stuck you can download the solution here
Oct 122012
Download, print and cut out the triangles. Work with a friend to try and match all the questions with the correct answers and make a shape
Area and Perimeter Level 2 Jigsaw
