You need to find the lowest common multiple when finding common denominators to add fractions. Highest common factors are also used in fraction or ratio calculations when you cancel down. This interactive worksheet will show you how to work them out.
Find as many different calculators as you can. Your phone,
your computer, the one in the back of the overflowing drawer in the hall. Then try this sum on all of them.
Do all the calculators give the same answer? What is the correct answer?
If you have a cheap four function calculator you will have got the answer 33, because it always calculates in the order you enter the sum. Unfortunately this is not mathematically correct!
If you used a scientific calculator you will have got the answer 25 which is correct. Scientific calculators understand the correct order to do calculations. Multiplication is more important than addition, so this comes first.
So how do we know what order to do calculations in? We use a rule called BIDMAS.
Always do brackets first. Then do any indices (like 2 squared or square root of 16). Some people refer to BODMAS where the O stands for “of”.) Division and multiplication come next (these have equal priority). Last is additions and subtractions (also equal priority)
Have a go at this worksheet to find all the Prime Numbers less than 100.
Now try this much bigger Sieve to find all the Prime Numbers less than 400! Start by clicking on 2 and all the multiples of 2 will be removed. Then click on 3 to remove the multiples of 3 and continue clicking on the prime numbers until you are only left with red prime numbers.
Also take a look at this video
This activity is about a wind turbine in Norfolk. Watch the video first, then try to answer the questions. You will need a calculator.
You can either do the activity on-line, or download and print the worksheet.
This exercise will give you practice in writing big numbers in words. Many thanks to Sheffield Renewables for the use of their Top Trump cards to make this exercise.
Before you start here is an example. The St Wilfreds Centre has solar panels that produce 3250 kwh of electricity. In words this is three thousand two hundred and fifty kwh. Kwh stands for kilo watt hours.
Dr Eugenia Cheng from Sheffield University hit the news today as she published her findings about the maths behind the perfect cream tea. An internet search will find articles on BBC and ITV news and many national newspapers. Have a go at this activity to see if you can use the formulae for a perfect cream tea..
In these days of austerity, benefits are being cut and prices continue to rise. It has never been more important to be careful with your money, as getting into debt can spiral out of control and have dire consequences. A first step in taking control of your finances is to understand what you spend your money on. This sheet will help you work this out. To do it accurately you will need to record your spending carefully for several weeks but you may be able to estimate figures until you have got more accurate information.
Fill the figures in for an average month. So for example if you pay an MOT fee of £54.85 each year this would be recorded as 54.85/12 = £4.57 a month. If you spend £10 at the pub once a week that would be recorded as 4 x £10 = £40.
There is also an on-line version which does the sums for you here.
In May 2013 global levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere passed the milestone of 400 parts per million. This exercise will challenge your maths and help you understand why this is so important.
Watch the video on Income Inequality then see if you can answer the questions.
Here is a great starter from Transum
http://www.transum.org/Software/SW/Starter_of_the_day/starter_April14.asp
Nelson Thornes have published a very attractive Functional Skills Maths Childcare workbook. It covers levels from Entry 3 to Level 2 and all the maths is set in the context of childcare. Topics include Body Mass Index, Child Protection Legislation, Childcare provision, Children in Need, National Child Measurement Programme, Staffing Ratios and lots more. This book will not only be useful to Childcare students but will be an invaluable resource for teachers and lecturers with mixed groups of students looking for ways to make maths relevant and “functional”.
I particularly like the section on measuring babies which looks at length and head circumference and uses a centile chart for boys weight during their first year. I like the way each section includes questions at three different levels, making differentiation a doddle!
I originally posted “The only down side with the book is that there are no answers. How do students working on their own know that they have got the calculations right? Busy teachers still have to work out all the answers!” but I stand corrected. The answers are all freely available by registering on the website at
Be systematic! What sort of numbers are important to help you solve this problem?
Here are two clear examples showing how to find the prime factors of a number.
How many triangles are in this shape? (A Transum starter)
Download a pdf worksheet here.
When you are absolutely sure you have counted them all, click here and press the yellow button to see if you are right.
This cube has 6 faces, 8 vertices (corners) and 12 edges.
This square based pyramid has 5 faces, 5 vertices and 8 edges.
See how quickly you can do this quiz from Purpose Games. Click start, then the computer will give you a number for either F (faces), V (Vertices) or E (Edges). You just have to click on the letter next to the right shape.
Do you know your prisms from your pyramids? See how quickly you can do this quiz from Purpose Games. Click start, then click on the shape whose name appears at the top.
Here is a great site to discover all about three dimensional shapes. Find some scissors and glue, print off some of these nets and see what you can make! http://www.korthalsaltes.com/cuadros.php?type=p
