Category Archives: Math Minute

#54: Multiplication

Math Minute
Multiplication. It is one of the four types of operations you learned in math (along with addition subtraction and division). There are many different ways to multiply numbers. However, sometimes, multiplying really big numbers can be a challenge. Luckily, there are many different techniques you can use to solve large multiplication problems.

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?

  1. Watch this video about multiplying using lines. Post a comment about something new you learned.  When leaving a comment, type your first name, grade level, and school (i.e. Trevor, 3, Sunset).  Do not type in your email address.
  2. Print out (or have your teacher print out) this worksheet. Use the method in the video to come up with answers to multiplication problems. You can check your answers on the second page of the worksheet. If you feel comfortable with those problems and want to try multiplying bigger numbers, then print out this worksheet.
  3. Want to learn another math trick? Watch this video for a way to check the answers to your multiplication problems you solved in the worksheets.
  4. Use the app Explain Everything to do the problems. Draw out the pictures and send them to your EY coordinator.

*Lesson inspired by multiplication lessons from East Asian schools

#53: Cribbage

Math Minute, Uncategorized

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My family enjoys playing pitch,  31, sevens and trash.  However, my absolute FAVORITE game is cribbage!  It involves strategy and math, which is why I like it so much!

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?
  1. Do you know how to play cribbage?  If so, leave a comment below with a “thing to remember” when playing cribbage.  When leaving a comment, type your first name, grade level, and school (i.e. Trevor, 3, Sunset).  Do not type in your email address.
  2. In cribbage, the Jokers are removed from the deck.
    • The Ace is worth 1
    • The face cards (Jack, Queen, and King) are each worth 10
    • The other cards (2 through 9) are each worth their number value
  3. Here are some of the ways you can earn points playing cribbage:

One of the ways to earn points in cribbage is to have cards that add up to fifteen.  In the picture below, the King and one of the 5’s make 15 so that is 2 points.  The King and the other 5 also make 15, which is another 2 points.  You might notice that there is a 5 that is face up on the deck.  This can also be paired with the King for 15 for another 2 points.  Finally, the three 5’s (2 in the hand and one on the deck) add up to 15.  This is an additional 2 points.IMG_8825When you have a pair of the same card, you earn 2 points.  The pair could be in your hand, or one of your cards could be paired with the card that is face up on the deck.  If you have 3-of-a-kind, that is worth 6 points.  In the picture above, there are two 5’s in the hand and one 5 face up on the deck.  Not only does that make 15, but it is also 3-of-a-kind which earns you 6 points.

A “flush” is when you have 4 or more of the same suit (clubs, spades, hearts, or diamonds).  If you had 4 hearts in your hand, you would earn 4 points.  If the card that is face up on the deck is also a heart, you would get 5 points.  The hand below shows 5 clubs so you would get 5 points.

Hand7

A “run of 3” is when you have 3 cards in numerical order.  You could also have a run of 4 or 5 cards.  Let’s say you had a 3, 4, 5, and 6 in your hand.  You would have a “run of 4” which is 4 points.  If the card on the deck was a 2 or 7, you would have a run of 5.  The hand below shows a run of 5.

RunOf5

The pictures below show several cribbage hands.  See if you can add up the points correctly!  Leave a comment with the “hand #” and an explanation of the total points.  You can also post a question if you’re not sure.  Check back often to see if all the hands are correctly totaled.

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What is another way you can earn points in a cribbage game?  Do a little research and post a comment.  Would you be interested in having a cribbage tournament?

#52: Super Egg

Math Minute

Numberphile is a YouTube channel that posts many videos about many different math concepts. The channel has numerous videos on many real life examples. It is a great channel to learn about concepts not necessarily taught in school. One video that the channel contains is about a super egg, or a superellipse.

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?

  • Watch the video linked below and then post a comment sharing something new you learned about math, geometry and/or engineering.  When posting a comment, use your first name, grade, and school (i.e. Tyler, 5, Sunset).  Do not publish your email.
  • After watching the videos, click on this link and answer the questions.
  • Share this video with your parents, friends, and/or adults and ask them about real life uses of math

Numberphile Video: http://youtu.be/GznQgTdEdI4

*Lesson inspired by Numberphile video about superellipses

#50: Fibonacci Numbers

Math Minute

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144

What do these numbers have in common? What pattern do you see? These numbers are a part of what is known as the fibonacci numbers. Fibonacci numbers are found by adding the two previous numbers. So the number after 144 would be 233.

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?

  • Read about the fibonacci numbers here. Read the about first three sections at least, you can read further on if you want.
  • Get graph paper and make a spiral using a fibonacci sequence, read through the previous link for reference.
  • These numbers can be found in nature. Can you think of other real life examples of fibonacci numbers?
  • Post a comment sharing something new you learned.  When posting a comment, use your first name, grade, and school (i.e. Tyler, 5, Sunset).  Do not publish your email.

*Inspired by a video by Vi Hart

#49: Cool Jobs that Involve Math

Math Minute, Uncategorized
Yep! That job requires math!

Tony DeRose is a 3D animator at Pixar and in his TED-Ed video,  he talks about how math plays an important role in his job.  Nafees Bin Zafar is also in the movie making business.  He is a visual effect expert who has helped create some of the most memorable smashes, crashes, and dashes on the movie screen.

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?
  • Read Cool Jobs: Math as entertainment from Science News for Students.   You can also download a .pdf version of the article by clicking here.  Pick out one of the jobs mentioned in the article and leave a comment about how math is used in their job.  When posting a comment, use your first name, grade, and school (i.e. Tyler, 5, Sunset).  Do not publish your email.
  • Magician Arthur Benjamin mentions that his favorite number is 2,520 because it is the smallest, yes I said smallest, number divisible by all the numbers 1 through 10.  Prove this on a piece of paper by doing all the division problems and then take a picture of it.  Send the picture to the EY coordinator at your building or send it to your teacher and have him/her forward it to the EY coordinator.  BTW…Arthur Benjamin has a super cool TED Talk.  Watch it if you have time!
  • Describe the difference between a 2-D and 3-D printer.  What are some advantages of 3-D printing?  If you had your own 3-D printer, what are some things you would like to make?  If you’re really interested in 3D printing, here’s a link to another Science News for Students article on that topic.  Feel free to leave a comment about something new and interesting you learned!
Math is so much more than a bunch of problems on a worksheet or even a series of problems on a website or app.  Begin to imagine the creative ways in which mathematics plays a role in a variety of careers!

#51: Good Will Hunting Problem

Math Minute

Today’s age is filled with a wide variety of forms of entertainment. Television shows and movies are some of the most common forms today. Usually we don’t associate math with these however there have been some movies and episodes with a focus on a math topic. One such movie is Good Will Hunting. The movie has a particular math problem in which an MIT professor claims it took him years to solve. The problem basically to draw all shapes that fit the description. There are ten shapes in total. MIT is one of the best universities in the world. Are you able to solve the problem that supposedly took an MIT professor a long time to solve in a day or less? Find out!

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?

  • Watch the video linked below.  The video introduces the problem and explains how to solve it.  Pause around 2:30 so you don’t see the answers until after you attempt the problem.
  • After pausing the video, try drawing all 10 trees. You can check your answers near the end of the video in which he shares the answers
  • Post a comment sharing something new you learned.  When posting a comment, use your first name, grade, and school (i.e. Tyler, 5, Sunset).  Do not publish your email.
  • Share this video with your parents, friends, and/or adults and ask them if they can solve the problem as well

Good Will Hunting Math Problem

*Inspired by the movie Good Will Hunting

#48: Music and Math

Math Minute

Music_notes

Music is a powerful communication tool–it causes us to laugh, cry, think and question.  Music is also connected to math!  In this You Tube video,  drummer Clayton Cameron breaks down different genres of music and shows how different styles of music rely on math.

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?
  •  Watch Clayton Cameron’s video and post a comment about something new you learned.
  • Read this article to find out how the Fibonacci Sequence shows up in music.  This article has even more connections to music and math.  After reading the articles, post a comment about something new you learned.  When posting a comment, use your first name, grade, and school (i.e. Tyler, 5, Sunset).  Do not publish your email.
  • If you’re a musician, you already know quite a bit about how math and music are related.  We’d love to showcase your work by posting something you created on our Student Showcase Wiki.  Write (or play) a piece of music and email a picture (or audio file) to the EY coordinator at your building.

image taken from pdclipart.org

#47: iPad Maths

Math Minute
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Go ahead…play some games on your iPad!

For this week’s Math Minute, we want you to play some games.  That’s right, games!  This site has several math games intended for the iPad.  Play as many games as you like, but most importantly, leave a comment!  Include the following in your comment:

  1. The name of the game you played
  2. The grade level you think the game is appropriate for
  3. Did you like the game?  Why or why not?
  4. What would you say to a teacher who is leery about letting students play games on the iPad?

That’s it!  Have fun!

#46: Coding Polygons

Math Minute

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Several of you have caught the “Hopscotch Bug” and are creating AMAZING things in Hopscotch!  For this week’s Math Minute, you’ll be using Hopscotch to draw some polygons. Please email the EY coordinator in your building about creating a Hopscotch account.

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?
  • Start by watching this video
  • Copy the chart from the video onto a piece of paper, or create the chart on your iPad.  NOTE:  You can go past a 12-sided figure if you want.
  • As the video suggests, fill in the chart with the remaining information (polygon names and angles).
  • Send a picture of your completed chart and a screenshot of the polygons you created in Hopscotch.

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  • Explore this website by increasing and decreasing the number of sides on a polygon.  Watch the angles change as you do this.  While on the website, explore and find the answers to the following questions:
    • What are regular polygons?
    • What are convex and concave polygons?
    • What are supplementary angles?  What does that have to do with this activity?
    • How did you figure out which number to enter for the degrees in the Turn Command in Hopscotch?
  • Leave a comment with the answer to one of the questions above and/or post any new information you learned/observations you made.   Remember when leaving a comment to include your first name, grade, and school (i.e. Trevor, 3, Sunset).
Happy Coding!

#45: High Tech Cars

Math Minute

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Check out this video of Sam Schmidt’s High-Tech modified corvette!  The 3 minute video is chock-full of speeds, measurements, and high-tech components!  Imagine being able to drive a car without the use of your hands and legs!

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?
  • Watch the video: https://youtu.be/zP_ciOqxEMw
  • Post a comment about any of the numbers mentioned in the video (speeds, measurements, etc.).  Be sure to read the other comments before posting to make sure you’re not repeating someone else’s post.  When leaving a comment, use your first name, grade, and school (i.e. Trevor, 3, Sunset).
  • Read this article to find out more about Sam Schmidt and the semi-autonomous motorcar he drove.  Post a comment about something new you learned or a new question you have after reading the article.


Flag image taken from http://pdclipart.org