Here is a complete lesson with 18 activities and some exam questions at the end to see if you have understood.
This exercise involves reading and analysing data from charts, calculating averages and percentages and estimating length. It will also help you with the Driving Theory Test and hopefully help you to stay safe when you are driving.
There is an interactive version here and a worksheet version here.
Here’s a quiz which involves rounding, addition and subtraction for Motor Vehicle students. Each time you do it you will get a different selection of questions. Many thanks to Auto Trader for the adverts.
In this exercise you will need to read the information from an Amey press release about the massive Streets Ahead contract. You will then use your skills to answer the questions. You can download a worksheet or use the interactive version here.
Can you correctly answer the questions about this graph?
Try the interactive quiz or the worksheet.
There are two extra questions on the worksheet which are also below.
This table shows the number of fatal injuries by industry in 2014/15.
- Draw a suitable chart to display this data.
- Write two interesting facts that the graph shows.
In May 2015 the United Kingdom went to the polls. A Conservative Government was elected. The UK uses the “first past the post” electoral system. The country is divided into 650 constituencies. The candidate with the most votes from each constituency is elected.
Most other countries in Europe use various forms of proportional representation. This means that the number of MP’s for each party would be proportional to the number of votes that were cast for them. (There are many different forms of PR, but in this exercise, to keep it simple we are going to work out the number of MPs by dividing the vote for each party by the total vote and then multiplying by 650, which is the total number of MP’s in the House of Commons. )
First fill in the missing numbers in this table. You will need a calculator. Remember that to round to two decimal places you need to look at the 3rd decimal place. If this is 5 or more round the 2nd decimal place up. If it is less than 5 then ignore it. eg 34.349239=34.35 to 2dp. 2.983432909=2.98 to 2 dp.
If you got the first exercise correct I want you to illustrate your results with two pie charts. Use this table to work out the degrees for each party. You can draw them in excel or with a protractor and pencil.
If you would rather do this exercise using a worksheet download here.
This is one in a large series of short videos from NCETM showing how people use maths at work. See the others here.
When you have watched the video see if you can convert time into decimals and work out how much employees should be paid.
Obesity is still increasing in South Yorkshire. Do the maths, then go and get some exercise!
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.
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 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 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.)
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.)
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.
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.