Maths in a Birthday Party

Ask any mom and she will tell you about her experience.

Number of kids and the food and drink according to that. One juice carton for 4 kids and one large pizza for every 5 kids , about 6 kids can share a bag of chips & so on. (unless of course one is spending on individual packs!? )

And the number work is not only for the F&B, its for planning the entertainment , the venue capacity, the transport logistics. And not to forget the budget for it all & the party favours !!!!

Try this, ask your child how does Math get used in planning a party and see how long a list you can come up with....

Math in Super Market

Most kids learn to apply their Math skills in Supermarkets, trying to spend their allowance on treats.

Well we use addition a lot, especially at the cashier.

But we use a lot of multiplication & division as well when we compare prices to see real price per 100g or decide to pick up deals. As well as to calculate discounts.

Maths is applied for calculating the bonus / loyalty points & their benefits too.

Think about it !!!

Maths is black & white

In Math its either right or not...whether little scope of partly there (with the exception where working out method carries its weight and omission and other errors are cause the wrong answer)

In IGCSE , Math is one subject where there is no internal assessment

Also there is a variance in the depth & breadth of teaching when it comes to humanities and languages across schools, and this variance is least for Maths I believe.

Maths on the Dining table

Apart from the patterns and symmetries (hope you have noticed those)  in a well laid out table between the plates, side plates and cutlery, there is more.

• Sharing in equal portions or sharing as per age or some other factor is often witnessed.
• In sharing a slice of cake : one cuts & the other pick is the fairest approach.
• Cutting a pizza or pie or lasagne in equal parts can be challenging for some
• Have you noticed that moms serve an adequately sized first serving and the seconds are usually smaller!!! and thirds even smaller
• In line with the nutrition pyramid ( food triangle) mothers try and serve the salads & greens and then the carbs & proteins...and if all eaten then the sweet treats! ( can you see the undertones of triangle and ratios here?!)
• Have you ever shared a table with someone using a calorie counter! Its an experience ...

There is as Math and its application every where around us, its just being aware that helps see it.

Facts about 9

• Indians pray for peace of 9 planets "Navgraha shanti puja"
• Errors of 9 are taught in Maths & Accounting as these are common errors
• On cloud nine means happy, euphoric or `high'. The phrase came into use in the 1950s from a term used by the US Weather Bureau. For the meteorologists Cloud Nine is cumulo-nimbus cloud at a height of 10 km, which is high even by the standard of clouds.
• Only about one ninth of the mass of an iceberg is visible above the water. Nearly all its bulk remains hidden beneath the surface.
• Redivider with nine letters is the longest palindromic word in the English language. A palindromic word has the same sequence of letters backwards or forwards.
• If you multiply nine by any whole number (except zero), and repeatedly add the digits of the answer until it's just one digit, you will end up with nine:

          2 × 9 = 18 (1 + 8 = 9)
          3 × 9 = 27 (2 + 7 = 9)
          9 × 9 = 81 (8 + 1 = 9)
          121 × 9 = 1089 (1 + 0 + 8 + 9 = 18; 1 + 8 = 9)
          234 × 9 = 2106 (2 + 1 + 0 + 6 = 9)
          578329 × 9 = 5204961 (5 + 2 + 0+ 4 + 9 + 6 + 1 = 27 (2 + 7 = 9))
          482729235601 × 9 = 4344563120409 (4 + 3 + 4 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 3 + 1 + 2 + 0 + 4 + 0 + 9 =45 (4       + 5 = 9))
          (Exception) 0 x 9 = 0 (0 is not equal to 9)

• On cloud nine means happy, euphoric or `high'. The phrase came into use in the 1950s from a term used by the US Weather Bureau. For the meteorologists Cloud Nine is cumulo-nimbus cloud at a height of 10 km, which is high even by the standard of clouds.
• The sum of the digits of the number added to 9 is always equal to the sum of the digits of the result. Take any four digit number and try the trick. Ex: 9 + 17 = 26. 1 + 7 = 8 & 2 + 6 = 8
• In French the word neuf means both nine and new. In German, the words for nine and new are neun and neu, and in Spanish, nueve and nuevo. As you count and reach nine, you know you are about to make a new start.
• Nine judges sit on the United States Supreme Court.
• Nine Eleven is the day of the attacks on the World Trade Center,New York, USA.
• Nine months is the average number of months per school year that most primary and secondary students are required to attend.
• A human pregnancy ordinarily lasts for nine months.
• There are nine members of the Fellowship of the Ring in The Lord of the Rings saga, to balanceand combat the nine Nazgûl, or Ringwraiths.
• Important Buddhist rituals usually involve nine monks.
• A batting lineup in baseball consists of nine players. In addition, 9 represents the number of innings in a game.
• A standard work day of 9 to 5 begins at 9 a.m.
• It is easy to work out whether a number is exactly divisible by 9. This is the same as asking whether a number is in the "9 times table". All you have to do is add up its digits. If the answer is more than one digit long, you addup the digits again, and go on doing this, until you are left with asingle digit. If this single digit is 9 then the original number was divisible by 9.

          For example, is 781236 divisible by 9? Adding up its digits 7 + 8 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 6 = 2 and adding                          again 2 + 7 = 9. And because the answer is 9, the original number must be divisible by 9.

Geometry in Yoga

Have you heard during a Yoga class phrases like  "in a straight line" or "at 45 / 90 degrees to ..." or parallel to the ground"

Knowing your Geometry is a lesson for life.

Fun with numbers - Ten

When you celebrate 10th birthday...its double digit.

Its the first 2 digit number

Decagon : 10 sided shape.

Decade : 10 years

10 cm make a Decimetre......

10 on 10 is what many aspire for

Fun with numbers - Nine

Here it goes for nine

9 Planets

Nine Eleven is the day of the attacks on the World Trade Center,New York, USA.

Nine months is the average number of months per school year that most primary and secondary students are required to attend.

A human pregnancy ordinarily lasts for nine months.

On cloud nine means happy, euphoric or `high'. The phrase came into use in the 1950s from a term used by the US Weather Bureau. For the meteorologists Cloud Nine is cumulo-nimbus cloud at a height of 10 km, which is high even by the standard of clouds.

Fun with numbers - Eight

This one is interesting

Octagon : Shape with 8 sides.

Octave : set of 8 musical notes

Spiders have 8 legs

The octopus have 8 arms, commonly referred to as tentacles.

A byte is 8 bits.

There are 8 fluid ounces in a cup, 8 pints in a gallon and 8 tablespoonfuls in a gill.

In Chinese culture, the number 8 is regarded as a lucky number because it sounds very similar to the word meaning to generate wealth.

A figure 8 knot is frequently used by climbers.

8 is the atomic number (also known as the proton number) of oxygen.

Pizzas are usually cut into 8 slices.

There are 8 teeth in each quadrant in human adult dentition, and the 8th tooth is called wisdom tooth.

Fun with numbers - Seven

This ones amazing

7 colours in the rainbow - VIBGYOR

The musical notes are 7 - C,D,E,F,G,A & B

7 days in a week

A seven sided shape is a Septagon

The 7 Star constellation : The Big Dipper, also known as the Plough or the Saptarishi

Snow White & Seven Dwarfs

We have 7 chakras / energy centres & and 7 levels of existence - breath, body, intellect, mind, memory, ego & self

Fun with numbers - Six

For Six :

Hexagon has 6 sides

The phrase  I have a 6th sense...

6th grade is the usual divide to middle school

Fun with Numbers - Five

Number 5 has a special significance in our lives....read on

Pentagon - 5 sides

The 5 elements - Air, Water,Fire, Earth, Ether

Enid Blyton's "Famous Five"

The 5 Pandavas in Mahabharat

The 5 fingers on our hand ! (Closed and makes a fist!?) 

The Olympic Rings

For young kids, 5 is half way to a double digit!

Think 5 senses - Gyan Indrian -Sense organs - eyes, ears, nose, skin & tongue

5 karam Indrian - Action Organs - hands, feet, mouth, reproductory & excretory organs

Think about it and add your inputs as comments 

Fun with numbers - Four

And now see how we have 4 in our lives

Most rooms are rectangles

4 directions North, South, East & West

"Be4" is a word we hear often!

4got is a usual excuse

Please 4give me,  we say

Give it a thought.....

Fun with numbers - Three

Here are some fun facts about THREE in our lives....

Triangle is the shape with least sides 3

To win a game of Knots and Crosses you need 3 in a row!

We have Past, Present & Future ( also as tenses in language)

We have 3 Gunas - Tamo Gun, Rajo Gun & Sato Gun

Gandhiji had 3 monkeys that signified - see no evil, hear no evil & speak no evil

There are 3 primary colours

We have the Trinity - Brahma, Vishnu & Mahesh!!!!

We all have heard of 3D in shapes & movies

The famous phrase : I , Me and Myself

Life exists on Land, Water & Air - so for all life forms (The 3 worlds - Patal, Bhoomi & Aakash)

3 armed forces : Army, Air Force & Navy

The 3 Little Pigs...

Goldilocks & 3 bears....

And we hear of 3 shifts a day & 3 meals a day

Also you, we & us!!!!

Three musketeers remember!!!!

Think about it...and add with your comments 

Fun with numbers - Two

Here are some fun facts about Two in our lives....

Pairs of opposites 

Pairs of complementaries and supplementary and alternate angles....

Eyes, Ears, Nostrils, hands...get the point....

Teacher & Student : one makes the other

Man & Woman , Mother & Child....

Two sides of a coin or an argument

Two is the first even number, a factor to all even numbers

You need 2 points to make a line segment 

And 2 line segments to make an angle

This was my 2 cents on the topic.....Think about it...and add with your comments 

Fun with numbers - One

Here are some fun facts about ONE in our lives....

One head, mouth, heart, liver, brain....a lot of important parts/organs of the body are solo.

Solo performances of musicians and singers are well known.

One Sun, Earth has one Moon...

We all have one Mom & Dad

One - soul / atma / paramatma / holy ghost and so on

One Krishna and so many Gopi's

One teacher in a class full of kids

One life and so much to do


Think about it...and add with your comments

Formulae

Why do we have to learn up all the formulae someone once asked.

Well if you can understand the concept behind, you will not really need to learn them, just apply them.

Some people just mug, memorise, learn the times tables...some understand & accept the multiplication  and still memorise some numbers to help them with speed. But the latter are comfortable with this memorising.

Similarly for area of Triangle or Pythagorus, its worth while going thru how these formulae were established. There is loads on this on the internet.

However same may not be simple for the ones involving Pie. For those my suggestion is , how we accept a certain shape to be a number or alphabet , accepting a formula created by Mathematicians should not be so difficult.

Geometry/Math in the living room

When someone says where do you really see, use or apply Maths in life...well just look around...

Tables in shapes : round, square or rectangle
Room itself a cuboid
Windows : Rectangle
Fan forming Isoceles or Equilateral Triangles with its blades.
Each corner has 3 angles there
Some bits around may be cylinders : tumblers, table legs.....
The area of the Floor & Ceiling can be calculated quite simply if you have tiles

The wall surface area is calculated by the folks giving a quote to paint the room
The volume needs to be calculated to decide the air conditioning unit
The length of the fan blades (radius) is choses based on size of room!


Maths, Science & Art surround us ...ALWAYS !

Core subjects

In formal education English, Maths & Science are considered core subjects.

The way I explained to someone was that any language, Maths & Science is the basis of knowledge development. One can probably prepare for a History / Geography exam by studying in the last 2 weeks prior to exam . But can any one do that for Math? or English. These subjects are to be imbibed & practiced. The knowledge of these is built block by block from Kindergarten days.

There is a bit of Science in Geography when they learn about types of rain. And their is Math in History when they speak of army formations. There is Chemistry & Physics in understanding erosion of coastlines. There is loads of mathematical applications in Astronomy. There is a lot of Geometry in Art and the world without languages, we cannot imagine. There is load of scientific principles in learning to swim.

If you want you will see angles & symmetry ( Read Geometry ) in Yoga postures.

You will see statistical patters in warming up, running & cooling down

In PE great emphasis is laid on developing the core muscles, which are used in every kind of workout. (May be that is why they are called CORE)

There is Chemistry in cooking as well as in bathing with a soap.

We are surrounded by Math & Science. We are also surrounded by Art & Music, but they don't provide answers and solutions the way Math & SCiences do 

A language provides a means of communication. Science and Math provide answers to everything else.

Learning or teaching Math or Science would not be possible with a language!

Hierarchy of principles / Golden Rules

In Maths the children are taught the BODMAS / PEMDAS ...Brackets Of divisions, Multiplication, Additions & Subtraction or Parenthesis Multiplication, Division, Additions & Subtraction. These are simple rules to apply to complex long maths sums. ( notice the simple rule is that the multiply / divide has to be done before adding or subtracting!)

Like in English we have some rules like 

"I becomes before E, except after C" or "P is silent when before an S" and few more

Similarly in Chemistry while handling chemicals there are rules.

Rules have been made after years of study, research & evaluation as the simplest, smartest, safest & sure shot method of doing something.

Finding X with humour

In Algebra, we apply maths principles to find out "x" the variable.

It understanding the relation of what is known to the unknown and then finding the unknown.
The fist step of the solution is in the question in Algebra.

And on the lighter side.....

In the above example they are asking us to find x, but they have told us its a right angled triangle and the pythagorus needs to be apllies. Rest is multiplication & addition!  :-)

MATHS : In Acronyms

Just for fun.....

Mad
About
THeorems

Mean
And
Torturous
Hour

Mental
Alertness
To attain
Heights

More
Actions
Towards
Holistic
Santitity

Math Fundamentals

When we teach math we start with simple fundamentals of addition, subtraction , and so on. Initially with very small numbers and then with larger numbers.

So we teach children 2+2=4 and then larger sums. And similarly with other fundamentals of mathematics are added as we grow.

As kids grow further they are given word problems which need application of the fundamentals. As they grow older the word problems get complex and they need to apply more than one fundamental.

But the addition and subtraction and multiplication are used forever even at University or while doing a Research.

 Just like in Language you learn the script, then genders & tenses & then grammar. And then one learns to use it all together.

  

(A+B) square

Please view at youtube...I think its very well explained visually

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49_TJymgXgM

When we study together its (A+B) square = A sq + B sq + 2 AB. So both grow and there is more!!!!

And here is the funny side to it!

How simple is it!

Well I read once that any book is nothing but an arrangement and combination of the 26 letters in the alphabet. (Of course this is referring to English!)

Well I can co-relate this to Jolly Phonics a methodology which teaches reading & writing English. As per that there are 26 alphabets and 42 sounds. So each alphabet has a sound of its own and then there are some blends like 'sh' and 'ch' etc

If I expand on this further into art, there are 3 primary colours and rest all hues we see are a combination!

And in Music its the 7 notes & rest is all a combination of patterns.

Also Wheat, Maize, Millet etc are a handful of grains and the combinations ( Flour, Semolina, Oats, multigrain mixes etc ....)  and the many ways they can be prepared : Pasta, Breads of various forms, Roti, Pancakes, noodles and so on. The list is endless.

So it is normal in all spheres of life to have some fundamentals and then combinations can make it exciting (or create complexity) and this golden rule applies to Math as well.

Think about It :-)