Category Archives: Math Minute

#44: Infinity

Math Minute

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!

This famous line from the beloved Disney Toy Story Movies became a common phrase for children in the mid 1990’s.  But what are we really saying when we declare our desire to take off on this infinite voyage?  Check out this TED Ed video on infinity, then click on the link below and challenge yourself to the “Think” and “Dig Deeper” tabs to the right of the video.  Leave a comment here on what you learned or still wonder about “Infinity and Beyond!”

Click here to go to the TED-Ed site for “Think” and “Dig Deeper” challenges                                  *Write your answers to the “Think” quiz on paper and check them here:  Solutions

Knowledge can be infinite!  Check out this link if you just can’t get enough knowledge on this topic!   More on Infinity

#43: Exploring Binary Numbers

Math Minute, Uncategorized

01001101 01100001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01001101 01101001 01101110 01110101 01110100 01100101 01110011 00100000 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110010 01100101 01100001 01101100 01101100 01111001 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101111 01101100 00100001

No, I didn’t just type a bunch of random 0’s and 1’s above.  I actually typed a sentence into a binary translator site and had it converted to binary.  Our number system (Base 10), uses 10 digits…0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.  In the binary number system (Base 2), there are only 2 digits…0s and 1s.  It’s a little confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, it can actually be quite fun!

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?

  • Research the Binary Number System and post a comment about something new you learned.  Your comment will not get approved and posted unless you cite the source of your information.  Remember when posting a comment, type your first name, grade, and school (i.e. Tyler, 5, Sunset).  Do not publish your email.
  • Use the Binary Translator site to figure out what all those 1s and 0s up top mean.  Then come up with your own sentence to translate to 1s and 0s and post it as a comment.
  • Watch this video where Instagram’s Kevin Systrom explains how binary numbers play into pixels and images.  There’s a LOT of information in this video and it goes fast.  Feel free pause it, re-watch it, etc.  Post a comment about something new you learned from the video.  On a related note, this learning opportunity has you exploring Pixel Art in Hopscotch.  Give it a try!
  • This Khan Academy video gives an explanation of how to convert a Base 10 number to Binary (Base 2).  Watch it and then create your own video using Explain Everything.  Send your completed video to the EY Coordinator at your building.

There are 10 types of people in this world…

those who understand binary and those who don’t. 

Hopefully after completing this Math Minute, you’ll “get” the joke!  🙂

#42: Math Vocabulary & Operations

Math Minute

mult_fractions

This is a clip from my absolute favorite Home Improvement episode.  Most of you are probably too young to remember the show, but you can catch re-runs sometimes or find them on You Tube.  This particular episode is related to math and talks about some of the “crazy” rules and words mathematicians use.

How Can You Spend Your Math Minutes This Week?

  • Watch the video clip and then post a comment about some of the math vocabulary words used.
  • Figure out the answer to Jill’s “cheese milk” recipe:  1 1/2 lbs of cheese x 1 1/2 gallons of milk.
  • The steps to multiplying fractions can be confusing.  Post a comment about another math topic or rule you find confusing.
  • Post a math vocabulary word you find interesting.  My favorite math word is radical!  I like it so much I had a shirt made!

Screen Shot 2015-05-21 at 10.23.49 AM

  • Ask a parent or another adult if they can remember the steps to multiplying mixed numbers (they called them compound fractions in the video).  See if they can give you an example of when they use this skill.  Post a comment!

#41: Future Spacecraft

Math Minute

Screen Shot 2015-05-31 at 10.56.26 PM

Will future spacecraft fit in our pockets?  

How can you spend your Math Minutes this week?

  • After watching this video, think about the following:  NASA provides opportunities for students, researchers and industry to launch their small satellite payloads on NASA’s own launches.  What type of small satellite would you build and what type of data or experiment would you carry out if you could send a small satellite to space?  Leave a comment with your idea.
  • Read about Specific Impulse on this site.  It’s some higher level math, but try to read through it and pick out at least one new thing you can learn more about.
  • Learn some space shuttle facts on this site.  Create an infographic or another way to display the information.
  • The European Space Agency has a great website with tons of information and exploration activities.  Check it out and post something new you learned.

Wait…is this a Math Minute or a Science Minute?  Math and science are so intertwined that it’s hard to tell sometimes whether you’re doing one or the other.  Many times it’s both!

#40: What day of the week is it? #2

Math Minute


Did you try math minute # 30?

If so, you might like this puzzle as well!

  1. Watch this video to learn the process.
  2. Take notes as you watch. It is also helpful to pause the video while you are watching to do the calculations.
  3. Pause the video and calculate the date 10.19.1902.  Unpause the video to see if you were correct.
  4. Please complete two date calculations of your choice from start to finish and share your date and your solution in the comments below.
This cheat sheet is very helpful.  You can print it off to help you.

#39: Hexaflexagons

Math Minute, Uncategorized

Learn how to make a really fun geometric toy—

a Hexaflexagon!

There are many types of flexagons. The names of flexagons tell the type of polygon and the number of faces.  Hexaflexagons are paper polygons you will create in this math minute. They were first discovered in 1939 by Arthur Stone, who set up a Flexagon Committee to investigate their properties.

Watch this Vi Hart video and print off this PDF instructions to help you.

Snap a picture of your finished project and send it to the EY coordinator in your building.

Info from: http://www.auntannie.com/Geometric/HexaHexaFlexagon/

#38: Duplicator Lab Riddles

Math Minute, Mini Challenges, Uncategorized
This Math Minute is brought to you by Steve Wyborney.  Steve is an award-winning teacher and instructional coach from Oregon.   Check out his blog at http://www.stevewyborney.com/

For this Math Minute, complete the following steps…

Step 1:  Click here to watch the Duplicator Lab Riddle

Step 2:  Answer 1, 2, and/or 3 riddles posed at the end of the video.

Step 3:  Give your answers to the EY Coordinator at your school.

Robot image taken from: https://pixabay.com/en/robot-machine-technology-science-312566/

#37: What’s so special about that number?

Math Minute
Why is 2 important?  It’s the only even prime number!
What’s so special about 1323?  It’s an Achilles number!
What about 1975?  Well it’s the year I was born! 😉

For this Math Minute post, explore this site and find out why different numbers are special.  If you’re like me, you’ll only understand a few of them.  For the ones you don’t understand, click on the link or do a Google search.  Many of the links on the site take you to Wolfram Alpha which is a great resource, but I sometimes like to watch videos to explain things.  For example, the link for the number 5 takes you to a page where you can read about the Platonic Solids, but when I searched it on Google, I found this video (https://youtu.be/gVzu1_12FUc) which explained things a little further.

What special number(s) did you discover?  Post a comment below.

#36: Minimum Wage

Math Minute

Screen Shot 2017-09-04 at 6.17.19 PM

image taken from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/US_minimum_wage_comparison_by_state.svg

My boys and I recently had a conversation about minimum wage and it got me thinking about my first job.  It was the late 1980’s and I was 13 years old.  I worked at Bishop’s Buffet rolling silverware in napkins and I made a whopping $2.15 an hour!

Here are some ways to spend some Math Minutes…
  1. Ask a parent, grandparent, or other adult what their first job was and how much they made per hour.  Post a comment using your first name only, grade, and school (i.e. Trevor, 6, Sunset)
  2. Look at this site and make a table of Nebraska’s minimum wage from 1968 to present.  BONUS:  Turn your data into a graph.
  3. Using the same site in #2, compare the minimum wage for 2-3 states.  Use this online graphing tool or another graphing tool of your choice.
  4. Read about Nebraska’s minimum wage at: https://www.minimum-wage.org/nebraska What kinds of jobs offer minimum wage?  Is $9.00 an hour sufficient?  Leave your comments below.

#35: The Math Behind the Solar Eclipse

Math Minute

eclipse

image taken from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20th_March_2015_total_solar_eclipse_cropped.jpg

Taken from NASA.gov:  One of the reasons that ancient peoples could not predict total solar eclipses was because they did not appreciate the mathematics involved in forecasting. Also, many of the parameters needed to accurately predict eclipses had not been astronomically measured until the first century CE. If you are taking a trip to visit Grandma in another town and want to predict at what time you will arrive, it really helps to know how, many road miles you will be traveling and how fast you will go!

Below you will find links to 3 math challenges that will take you through some of the basic mathematics related to the August 21, 2017 eclipse.  Complete the challenges and submit them to the EY Coordinator at your building.  You may also post a comment about something new you learned.

Challenge 1 – Working with Geographic Coordinates

Challenge 2 – X Marks the Spot

Challenge 8 – Exploring Angular Diameter