Showing posts with label math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label math. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Math Fun with Summer Produce
Math Fun with Summer Produce
Summer brings abundance of math toys. Who needs cheerios or marbles when you have fragrant, smooth, sweet, colorful delights to count, compare, measure and then gobble up. How many peas are there inside each green pea pod? Do all the pods from the same plant host the same number of peas?
Check it out yourself and make a bar plot to describe the distribution of peas in your snap pea pods.
Heirloom tomatoes: yellow, green, purple, red. What color is the sweetest? What is the sourest? Heirlooms are expensive, but their rare availability makes me splurge on them once or twice a year. This year I decided that our kids are big enough to be able to enjoy the tomatoes’ exquisite taste. We did heirloom tomato sampling and ran a contest.
We cut baby heirlooms into four little pieces. Each of us tried a few pieces of each color and ranked the colors by their sweetness (5 was the sweetest, 2 the most sour). Surprisingly, our opinions varied vastly. We created a chart and added all the ranks. Purple tomatoes were voted the sweetest, yellow – grimacingly sour. This chart is still hanging on our refrigerator to reinforce the memories. Kids loved the game and a week later suggested that we do the same with the canollis that a guest brought.
Plums: seductively purple, innocently yellow, confidently bright magenta. Their variety and colors can compete with a lipstick selection. Can you tell a plum type by its taste? Cut them into pieces, close your eyes and see if you can do better than chance (guessing correctly over 50% of the time for two types tasted in equal amounts, 33% for three etc 100%/n types)? Can you distinguish between plums by shape, with your eyes still closed?
How many large plums are there in a pound? How many little plums? How many little plums can you trade for one large plum?
Do larger plums always have a larger seed?
You can eat your fruits and veggies and do math in the same time.
Carrots:
What can you do, what can you do, what can you do with the carrots?
You can measure your height with them. 10 carrots tall?
You can count your bites while eating them. 9 bites?
You can imagine you are a Musketeer and fence with them.
Wait, you can even scratch your back or head with them.
And, for the finale, be adventurous and swallow them!
(inspired by “What can you do with a shoe?” by Beatrice de Regniers and Maurice Sendak)
P.S. Scientific studies show that kids brains take a reverse evolutionary zip during summer month and by September they are two months behind in math and reading. Check out this Math Resources page for more pointers to math-infused books and games.
Here is a great fruit puzzle to brainstorm as a family: Mess at the Marrakesh Market.
Available link for download
Saturday, June 10, 2017
March Math
March Math
Let me know what you think of these activities. If you have any other ideas or ways for me to improve these, I would love to hear about them. Good luck as you continue to create magic in your classroom!
Available link for download
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
Math in Shell Scripts
Math in Shell Scripts
One thing that often confuses new users to the Unix / Linux shell, is
how to do (even very simple) maths. In most languages, x = x + 1 (or
even x++) does exactly what you would expect. The Unix/Linux shell is
different,however. It doesn’t have any built-in mathematical operators
for variables. It can do comparisons, but maths isn’t supported, not
even simple addition.
Shell script variables are by default treated as strings,not numbers,
which adds some complexity to doing math in shell script. To keep with
script programming paradigm and allow for better math support, langua-
ges such Perl or Python would be better suited when math is desired.
However, it is possible to do math with shell script.In fact, over the
years, multiple facilities have been added to Unix to support working
with numbers.
You can do maths using any one of the following methods.
1. Using expr command
2 Using $(()) construct.
3 Using let command
4 Using bc command.
5 Using $[] construct.
expr command:
expr command performs arithmetic operations on integers. It can
perform the four basic arithmetic operations, as well as the modulus
(remainder function).
$ expr 5 + 10
15
$ a=10 b=5
$ expr $a + $b
15
$ expr $a / $b
2
$ expr $a * $b
expr: syntax error
$ expr $a * $b
50
The operand, be it +,-,* etc., must be enclosed on either side by
whitespace. Observe that the multiplication operand (*) has to be
escaped to prevent the shell from interpreting it as the filename meta
character. Since expr can handle only integers, division yields only
the integral part.
expr is often used with command substitution to assign a variable.
For example, you can set a variable x to the sum of two numbers:
$ x=`expr $a + $b`
$ echo $x
15
Note: As you can see, for expr, you must put spaces around the
arguments: "expr 123+456" doesn’t work. "expr 123 + 456" works.
With double parentheses: $(()) and (())
In bash version 3.2 and later you can (and should) use $(()) and (())
for integer arithmetic expressions. You may have may not have spaces
around the operators, but you must not have spaces around the equal
sign, as with any bash variable assignment.
$ c=$(($a+9))
$ echo $c
19
$ c=$((a+9)) #Also correct, no need of $ sign.
$ c=$((a + 9)) #Also correct, no restriction on spaces.
$ c= $((a + b)) #Incorrect, space after assignment operator.
You may also use operations within double parentheses without
assignment.
$ ((a++))
$ echo $a
11
$ ((a+=1)) ; echo $a
12
$ ((d=a+b+9)) ; echo $d
26
$ ((a+=$b)) #Correct
$ (($a+=1)) #Incorrect
let command:
The let command carries out arithmetic operations on variables. In
many cases, it functions as a less complex version of expr command.
As you can see, it is also a little picky about spaces, but it wants
the opposite of what expr wanted. let also relaxes the normal rule of
needing a $ in front of variables to be read.
$ let a=10 # Same as a=11
$ let a=a+5 # Equivalent to let "a = a + 5"
# Quotes permit the use of spaces in variable assignment. (Double
# quotes and spaces make it more readable.)
$ let a=$a + 5 # Without quotes spaces not allowed.
bash: let: +: syntax error: operand expected (error token is "+")
You need to use quotes if you want to use spaces between tokens of
the expression, for example
$ let "a = a + 5";echo $a
20
The only construct that is more convenient to use with let is incre-
ment such as
$ let a++ ; echo $a # as well as to ((i++))
16
bc: THE CALCULATOR
Bash doesnt support floating point arithmetic. The obvious candidate
for adding floating point capabilities to bash is bc. bc is not only a
command, it also a pseudo-programming language featuring arrays,funct-
ions,conditional(if) and loops(for and while). It also comes with a
library for performing scientific calculations. It can handle very,
very large numbers. If a computation results in a 900 digit number, bc
will show each and every digit. But you have to treat the variables as
strings.
Here is what happens when we try to do floating point math with the
shell:
$ let a=12.5
bash: let: a=12.5: syntax error: invalid arithmetic operator (error
token is ".5")
$ ((b=1*0.5))
bash: ((: b=1*0.5: syntax error: invalid arithmetic operator (error
token is ".5")
I cant explain everything about bc here, it needs another post.
But I will give some examples here.
Most of the bellow examples follow a simple formula:
$ echo 57+43 | bc
100
$ echo 57*43 | bc
2451
$ echo 6^6 | bc # Power
46656
$ echo 1.5*5|bc # Allows floating point math.
7.5
$[] construct:
$ x=85
$ y=15
$ echo $[x+y]
100
$ echo $[x/y]
5
$ c=$[x*y]
$ echo $c
1275
Working of above methods shell dependent. Bash shell supports all 5
methods. Following shell script demonstrates above methods.
#!/bin/bash
# SCRIPT: basicmath.sh
# USAGE: basicmath.sh
# PURPOSE: Addition, Subtraction, Division and Multiplication of
# two numbers.
# \ ////
# - - //
# @ @
# ---oOOo-( )-oOOo---
#
#####################################################################
# Variable Declaration #
#####################################################################
clear #Clears Screen
Bold="33[1m" #Storing escape sequences in a variable.
Normal="33[0m"
echo -e "$Bold Basic mathematics using bash script $Normal "
items="1. ADDITTION
2. SUBTRACTION
3. MULTIPLICATION
4. DIVISION
5. EXIT"
choice=
#####################################################################
# Define Functions Here #
#####################################################################
# If didnt understand these functions, simply remove functions and
# its entries from main script.
exit_function()
{
clear
exit
}
#Function enter is used to go back to menu and clears screen
enter()
{
unset num1 num2
ans=
echo ""
echo -e "Do you want to continue(y/n):c"
stty -icanon min 0 time 0
# When -icanon is set then one character has been received.
# min 0 means that read should read 0 characters.
# time 0 ensures that read is terminated the moment one character
# is hit.
while [ -z "$ans" ]
do
read ans
done
#The while loop ensures that so long as at least one character is
# not received read continue to get executed
if [ "$ans" = "y" -o "$ans" = "Y" ]
then
stty sane # Restoring terminal settings
clear
else
stty sane
exit_function
fi
}
#####################################################################
# Main Starts #
#####################################################################
while true
do
echo -e "$Bold PROGRAM MENU $Normal "
echo -e " $items "
echo -n "Enter your choice : "
read choice
case $choice in
1) clear
echo "Enter two numbers for Addition : "
echo -n "Number1: "
read num1
echo -n "Number2: "
read num2
echo "$num1 + $num2 = `expr $num1 + $num2`"
enter ;;
2) clear
echo "Enter two numbers for Subtraction : "
echo -n "Number1: "
read num1
echo -n "Number2: "
read num2
echo "$num1 - $num2 = $((num1-num2))"
enter ;;
3) clear
echo "Enter two numbers for Multiplication : "
echo -n "Number1: "
read num1
echo -n "Number2: "
read num2
echo "$num1 * $num2 = `echo "$num1*$num2"|bc`"
enter ;;
4) clear
echo "Enter two numbers for Division : "
echo -n "Number1: "
read num1
echo -n "Number2: "
read num2
let div=num1/num2
echo "$num1 / $num2 = $div"
enter ;;
5) exit_function ;;
*) echo "You entered wrong option, Please enter 1,2,3,4 or 5"
echo "Press enter to continue"
read
clear
esac
done
OUTPUT:
[venu@localhost ~]$ sh basicmath.sh
Basic mathematics using bash script
PROGRAM MENU
1. ADDITTION
2. SUBTRACTION
3. MULTIPLICATION
4. DIVISION
5. EXIT
Enter your choice : 1
Enter two numbers for Addition :
Number1: 123
Number2: 456
123 + 456 = 579
Do you want to continue(y/n):y
PROGRAM MENU
1. ADDITTION
2. SUBTRACTION
3. MULTIPLICATION
4. DIVISION
5. EXIT
Enter your choice : 3
Enter two numbers for Multiplication :
Number1: 12.5
Number2: 2
12.5 * 2 = 25.0
Do you want to continue(y/n):n
Available link for download
Friday, May 26, 2017
Love Life and Math My Life Story
Love Life and Math My Life Story
It has been my drug, my meditation, my weapon and my best friend. It fed and dressed me, led to travel, men, lavish parties and even Cuban cigars. It has placed my name on a movie screen, put my work in museums, and allowed me to manipulate cells deep inside the human brain. It is called Math.
In Russia, where I was a child in the 80’s, math was respected and celebrated as a tool of progress and technological advance. It was presented to school children as a toy with tricky wrapping that one had to outwit to open. We were challenged and encouraged to tackle it. Indeed, math has become the toy of my life, my key to the world, leading me across continents, opening doors to exciting projects and people, and even assisting in the realm of romance.
I was in high school, when I applied math to my love life for the first time. I fell in love, and barricaded in the heavy, still vacuum of my room, was desperately counting clock ticks, waiting for “the call” from the only person whose existence mattered. My brain was justifying the silence by devising elaborate excuses for why he hadn’t called “yet.”
It suddenly occurred to me that insecure, self-pitying anticipation could be turned into a confidence-boosting calculation of the probability of his call. What are the chances of his call, given the rumors of another girlfriend he may have had? I played with the concept of conditional probability in my mind. How does the likelihood of him being interested diminish with each passing day without a call? The results did not look promising. My attention, however, was diverted from the lost "love of my life" to a world of quiet concentration where I was queen, which significantly shrank his importance. Mathematically directing myself away from loveless depression, I tuned in to the world again and realized there would be many more love adventures to enjoy.
Immigrating to Israel, I discovered that math, more so than my religion, connected me to the young people in my new country. We spoke and read different languages, we lived through different histories, had very different worries, but we all studied math with Hindu-Arabic numerals and learned the same rules of logic. I met my future husband in a graduate math class. At that time we did not speak a common dialect but shared the language of math. Life was easy.
A rainbow of hip vocations presented themselves after I attained my math degree. The first came with delicious benefits. I was creating a product database at a chocolate factory. They had an “all you can eat at work” policy...
The coolest job of all was in movie special effects. The setting was like a dream: on the ocean side of Los Angeles, in a quiet nightclub atmosphere, in an abandoned military hangar, lit by a web of Christmas lights and lava lamps, surrounded by a life-size Princess Leah statue and old Star Wars spaceships, accompanied by a pet parrot. We, computer graphic programmers and animators, were making Hollywood history and immortalizing characters on the big screen.
With math I have helped move Godzilla through the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge, and created a Monet-style animation of rap singer Puff Daddy, while experimenting with painting-by-numbers. Inspired by a brilliant talk at a SIGGRAPH conference, I tried to digitally erase the cats whiskers for the movie “Stuart Little.” An affair with another novel technology led me to use a reflective ball to capture the direction of the sun in a vast South Carolina field when shooting the movie “Patriot.” Some experiments worked and some did not, but the math behind them was thrilling, adventurous and playful.
I earned my Green Card by meticulously planning a hi-jack attempt on Air Force One. It was returning from a summit in Moscow and carrying Harrison Ford as President of the United States. Our team of animators and engineers helped all the explosions look realistic, simulated Air Force One refueling in the air, and made everyone believe that the President had escaped from the plane in a computer-generated pod we created for him, which was dropped through computer-generated doors at the bottom of the plane. I even had a chance to meet the President, I mean Harrison Ford, at the Sony stage, along with other actors who were practicing jumping from a plane in front of a giant air blower. We celebrated the movie opening with an extravagant Hollywood party that included Cuban cigars.
After 9/11 I thought I could help defend my third homeland, the U.S., from terrorism by teaching computers to recognize suspicious behaviors. I abandoned the idea when I realized that my system would have detected me as one of the false-positives, when after a 15 hour trans-atlantic flight with two little kids, sleep-deprived and afraid of admitting to smuggling an apple in my bag, I would be nervously avoiding a gaze of security men.
Instead, I joined forces against an even broader insidious enemy – cancer. In radio surgery, we use nifty math algorithms to target the cancer tumor with the precision of a single hair, radiating and killing the cancer cells while minimizing the damage to surrounding tissue. Math also offered a horrifying thrill when I assisted with brain surgery procedures on a death row inmate known to have killed his cell-mate back in 2005.
Now, ensconced in the mature days of parenthood, I am titillated by entertaining mathematics in our daily family routines. When figuring out the meaning of a double-negation note from school: “Please mark yes or no below if your child will not attend school on Friday.” When convincing myself to buy $250 winter boots because their cost-per-wear appears reasonably small: $250 / (100 cold days x 3 years ) = less than $1 per wear. When advising my son when to jump from the swing in order to enjoy the longest flight into the sand. Or, when finding an optimal home location that will minimize our familys combined commute time.
I am trying to pass on my math infatuation in the same manner that one passes traditions and language through generations. My 5-year old daughter runs around playing super girl and sings, “I can be anything I want to be.” I believe that the love of math may be the real super power that I can share with her, that will bring magic to her life journey.
Available link for download
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Math in Special Effects Motion Tracking
Math in Special Effects Motion Tracking
While reading an article on architecture this week, I stumbled upon a statement saying that in the future 80% of jobs will require math and physics skills. I mentioned this to my kids to motivate their occasionally fading math homework spirits and it seemed to energize them a bit. But the best trick that really lights up their minds is an illustration of how math is relevant to the occupations of their dreams. In our home this may mean a story about the collapse of a roof in the new Paris airport terminal for my son, who (currently) wants to be an architect, or discussion of NFL players statistical models, or a girl movie mentioning the math of ice skating (Ice Princess).
But while math is omnipresent in most professions, some of the best playgrounds for math skills have always been: special effects, national defense and medicine. Math majors always felt like kids in a candy shop in these fields, liberating hours of manual labor and allowing for projects to be done cheaper, faster, safer and more realistically. As a special effects veteran, I am happy to share with you a math trick that I have used in the past in the movies "Air Force One," "Multiplicity," "Desperate Measures" and "Starship Troopers." It is called Motion Tracking.
Take a look at this breathtaking commercial and dont forget to invite your kids. Note the boy who is holding a giant gorillas hand in the beginning of the movie, the man who is bouncing the soccer balls and the race car drivers.
And now, check out the clip of how this was made. No time? Play at least till you see the boy walking around with a box.
Why is he holding this box and why it is marked with a tape?
The box is obviously being replaced with the giant gorillas hand (computer generated). The tape on the box allows to reconstruct the exact motion of the box relative to the camera and then make the gorilla move its hand with exactly the same motion.
Why are there four tape marks on the box? Wouldnt one be enough?
No!
Imagine the box right in front of you, moving in your direction. One piece of tape attached right in the middle of the box. The tape may not be moving at all as the box approaches you. When you have two tapes, you will notice that the distance between them is increasing as the box is moving closer.
The math behind this requires you to use at least three tape marks to solve a system of equations and find the exact motion of the box with respect to the camera. Use of more than three marks allows to do it more precisely, minimizing any possible errors.
In order to render the gorilla as holding the boys hand, we need to know how far away the gorilla should stand from the camera and how it should be rotated. This is defined through two parameters: R that is the 3x3 rotation matrix and T that is 3x1 translation vector. Gorilla and its computer generated hand are represented as a collection of 3D points. Each such point P has (X, Y, Z) values in the computer graphics library. To place gorilla next to the boy animators tell their rendering programs to use rotation R, translation T and some camera parameters. How do they know what R and T are? From the box!
Special effects artists are tracking the tape on the box to recover its R and T. Imagine this box in your hands. Every point P on this box (including the tape point) has 3 coordinates (X, Y, Z). Next to the boy, these coordinates are P1:
P1 = R x P + T
We dont know P1 but we know its projection on the image in each frame of the commercial. Lets call this projected point p.
P1/Z = p/f where f is known cameras focal distance
from this:
p = (f/Z ) P1 = R x P + T
We know f, p and P and want to find R and T. P is a coordinate of a point on the box where tape is attached, when this point is in your hands. p is coordinate of the same point in the image of the commercial. As p has two coordinates on the image (x, y) you get two equations for every point you use.
If you use some special rotation matrix (small angle rotational matrix), you will get a system of linear equations with 6 unknowns: 3 rotational components and 3 translational components. To solve a linear system with 6 unknowns you need at least 6 equations.
Remember we have 2 equations per point? Three points minimum but better more to account for possible imprecision in point tracking: some points being blurred on the image or box is tilted so that some points become invisible.
If you got it right then the gorillas hand will be tightly attached to the boys hand. If your math is wrong, then the gorilla and its hand will be unrealistically plastered next to the boys as in some cheap old commercials. By the way, in the second video you can see similar tape marks on the wall that the soccer balls are bouncing off, and on the race car drivers helmets. In both cases, the position of these objects with respect to the video camera is being tracked in order to add more computer generated objects into the scene, map textures or render reflections.
Interestingly, exactly the same motion tracking strategies are used to reconstruct battle scenes from video for analysis and training purposes in the field of national defense, or to track patients motion during a surgery in medicine. Now you have something to tell anyone who mentions that linear equations and matrices are boring.
There are many tricks that allow special effects artists seamlessly combine real and computer generated characters in one sequence. Matching character motion is one of them. Others include realistic texture and fur rendering and light matching as described in the following stories: The Silly, Wacky, Revealing and Useful Shadows
and The trouble with facial hair.
Available link for download
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Sunday, May 7, 2017
Math Olympics
Math Olympics
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);
Available link for download
Monday, May 1, 2017
Math phobic Glossary of Math Terms
Math phobic Glossary of Math Terms
I decided to start 2013 with something playful. Over the years I have heard from many of my girlfriends that they feel quite uneasy with math. Below is my attempt to define math as something relevant, fun and hip. Please share it with the women in your life. And, let me know what you think about it.
Random : an arbitrary piece of clothing you are picking from your closet without even looking at the mess in it. Beware - if you cheat and feel the material type, buttons, zippers or, god forbid, take a peak - it will be a preudo-random item.
Average : Something you first want but then try to avoid to be.
Positive numbers: height extensions that high heels provide to you.
Negative numbers: The depths your pumps sink into the ground when you find yourself at the back yard party.
Infinity : the amount of sweets that your kids consume while you are away.
Parallel: your Sunday plans to your husbands Sunday plans during the football season. Absolutely nothing in common.
Perpendicular: your plans for the same Sunday to your teenagers plans. He needs you as a driver but for the rest please stay as far as possible.
Arithmetic series: your clothes size, sampled every decade.
Geometric series: dramatically increasing amounts of gray hair you observe monthly on your head.
Integral: the amount of cork in your platform shoes.
Derivative: the steepness of the arch of you heel.
Signal-to-noise ratio: proportion of the neatly folded items to the messy stuff in your closet.
Median: you, dividing your kids quarrels.
Acute angle: a narrow corner where you frequently want to hide.
Obtuse angle: a corner where you really are - observed and exposed.
Square Root: size of the present inside the holiday gift box, as compared with the size of the box.
Pythagorean Theorem:something to consider if your bed is too short for you. Perhaps you can fit on diagonal - it is just a square root of the sum of squares of the sides.
Fraction: you get what you get and you dont get upset.
Sine function: pessimists happiness curve (indifferent and cautious at first, regularly surprised to the good but always finds a reason to push the mood back down).
Cosine function:optimists happiness curve (happy to start with, regularly disappointed, but always brings his spirits back up).
Exponential growth - the speed rumors travel.
Parabola: the complimenting soft shape of your shirts neckline exposing a bit but not too much.
Logarithm: how much does it take to make two (or more) kids to do what you planned.
Factorial: all your exes, numbered and multiplied.
Correlation: the coefficient of your marriage describing how strongly two strangers can connect and continuously affect each other.
Equation: your life with its ups and downs, some stable constants and a few unknowns.
Common denominator: greatly compromised choice for a family movie night.
Top image by she was, distributed under CCL.
Available link for download
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Math Assessments
Math Assessments
The students finished up our unit 5 math assessment Monday on decimals and we are moving into geometry (yes, geometry)! I have had 2 students gone so they will be finishing their unit 5 assessment so I will hold the others and send them home towards the end of the week.
Today some students are bringing home Unit 5 Review Packets. Even though we are moving on, it is a good idea for many to review and keep practicing place value into the millions as well as decimals. If your child brings a review packet home, please work with them to complete the packet by next Monday. Return it to school completed.
I will also send home a Student Reference Book for students to use as needed. There is a place value chart inside. Please return that along with the packet next Monday.
It is great for parents to work with the student through the review - checking that they are understanding and applying the concepts that we have worked on.
Thank you!
Available link for download
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Math Work Station Freebie
Math Work Station Freebie
FIRST, don’t forget to enter for your chance to win in my HUGE giveaway (think Vistaprint, and prizes from your favorite bloggers!). Click the image below to go to that post.
Today was my first time implementing a Debbie Diller Math Work Station in the classroom. And…it was GREAT! The kids loved it, they were engaged and using “math talk”, which makes me a happy teacher. Summer school is nice because I’m actually teaching the same thing 3 times each morning. Our kiddos are rotating between myself and the other two teachers, which means I’m going to get a lot of practice implementing these work stations.
Today we kept it simple. I’m working with incoming first and incoming second. I’m used to second graders, so the incoming first graders are a semi-unknown quantity…but I’m learning.
I created a Number Sense Work Station based off of Chapter 4 of Debbie Diller’s book. This was called, “How Many to 5?”. It’s pretty simple and fun!
Students work in partners and they need (I kept it all in a bin):
- a die
- 15 counters
- 3 five-frames
- 2 markers
- Graph
Students sit facing each other. Place the three 5-frames in between them. Set out I-can task card and Math Talk sheets. Roll dice to see who goes first.
Student rolls the die, places number of counters on five-frame. IF student rolls a 6, can’t do anything. After turn, says, “I have____. I need ____ to get to 5.”
Students can only put the counters on the frame if they roll a number that fits on the frame. For example if the student has 3 counters on the frame, and rolls a 3,4,5,6 then he cannot place any counters on the frame and essentially loses his turn until he rolls a 1 or 2.
After the student completes his own frame he can begin working on the wild frame. BUT, it doesn’t matter who places the most counters on the wild frame. The student who places the final fifth counter on the frame “wins” that frame.
Once students have filled the wild frame they extend the activity from number sense to data by graphing the results. They write the first letter of their first name under their column and graph how many frames they filled - NOT how many squares.
Then start over.
We loved it! Tomorrow, I think we’ll be ready for “How Many to 10?”, and might try to do a place value station too - we’ll see.
Ive made a freebie so you can try this station in your classroom too! It’s in English and Spanish and includes all the printables. If you use it let me know what you think, I’m hoping to create a bunch more math work station in English and Spanish, and feedback is so appreciated! Click the image below to download from my TpT store.
Dont forget to enter my giveaway! Also here are some other giveaways you should check out!
Sandra at Sweet Times in First is having a great math giveaway - perfect for this post. Click her button below to go to it:
Cheers!
Mrs. Castro
Available link for download
Friday, February 24, 2017
Math Essentials
Math Essentials
So Im thinking you wont be surprised that I have once again teamed up with the TOS Homeschool Crew to review homeschool related products. Im not going to lie. I really like receiving packages in the mail. Its a huge event at our house as we all gather around the box to see whats inside. Its a lot like Christmas morning ... all year long.
The first package we received this year as part of the Crew review team was from Math Essentials. This program was developed by Rick Fisher, a 5th and 6th grade math instructor. Interesting fact about Rick Fisher from the Math Essentials website:
Each year approximately one-half of his students bypass the seventh grade math program and move directly to a high-powered eighth grade algebra program.
Impressive!
We received two products from Math Essentials. The first was Mastering Math Essentials: Book One for Grades 4-5. This program boasts...
*Easy to follow math program requiring only 20 minutes a day.
*Short, concise, and self-contained lessons.
*Daily exercises help students master, maintain, and reinforce math skills through consistent review.
*Easy-to-use correction key and teachers manual.
I used this math program with two of my students.
What we liked:
~Mastering Math Essential Math Skills also includes a DVD to be used each day as part of your math program. Each DVD session is just a few minutes long and is meant to be the teaching portion of the days lesson.
~Each lesson is designed to take only 20 minutes a day and the workbook definitely reflects this. As a matter of fact, each lesson fits on only one workbook page!
Each page has 4 review problems, 2 speed drills, a small "Helpful Hints" section, 2 Sample problems to be done with the teacher, 10 problems, and 1 word problem.
Check out sample pages here.
~Math Essentials have based their program on the idea that distractions should be eliminated from the texts and math programs must be streamlined "focusing on a well-determined set of the most critical math topics".
~The price. The Mastering Math Essential Math Skills Book 1 (with included dvd) is only $33.95. That is a seriously reasonable price. The website even offers this guarantee:
The Math Essentials no risk guarantee. At the end of 30 days, if you do not see a dramatic improvement in math skills among your students, simply return the materials and for a full refund. There is absolutely NO obligation.
But, seriously? $33.95 isnt that much of a risk when we are talking math programs!
What we didnt like (my least favorite part of writing a review, by the way):
~On the back of the Mastering Essential Math Skills text, it clearly states that the program includes an easy-to-use correction key and teachers manual. The website actually says, Lessons are easy to correct and the Parent/Teachers Guide provides illustrated step-by-step solutions for each exercise and problem.
There is an answer key in the back of the book, but try as I might, I simply could not find illustrated step-by-step solutions for each exercise and problem. There is no teachers manual...at least not what I would call a teachers manual. There are 3 pages in the front of the workbook devoted to "Notes to the Teacher or Parent" and "How to Use this Book" that includes 8 steps with simple black and white drawings describing how a teacher in a classroom setting would move through a lesson. There is a "How to Use this Book" section on the dvd, covering the same topics as in the book.
~The dvd lessons are definitely short and concise. Only a few problems are reviewed, and the children are expected to work these problems in a separate notebook along with Mr. Fisher (the instructor). There are absolutely no frills to these dvd sessions. You dont even see Mr. Fisher. You see only a whitescreen and his problems as he writes them. Often, however, there is no problem at all on the board as he is lecturing in the background. For up to 30-45 seconds the students see only a white screen. I realize that the idea is to eliminate distraction, but I could see my kids eyes glazing over. They were getting distracted...because there was nothing engaging about the lesson.
~Our math sessions generally took at least 30-40 minutes. I think I was expecting to have less teaching involvement since this program has the dvd portion in each lesson. But that simply wasnt the case. Since there was no teachers manual, I needed to watch the dvd lesson with my students to even know what the lesson was about that day. Then I had to re-explain the lessons covered in the dvd and work through many of the worksheet problems with them. Even the speed drills are designed for the teacher (me) to choose one number for them to drill addition facts by and one number to drill multiplication facts by. Which meant when they were done, I had to take the time to figure them out myself since I had no teacher key for these answers.
Now you might be thinking I sound lazy at this point. And Ill go ahead and admit it. I am a little lazy. However, Im not teaching a class full of students who are all on the same grade level. I have eight children, six of whom are school age...all on different math levels. I have to teach a lot of math in one day. I want my math programs to be thorough, but I also want them to be super teacher-friendly and with little to no prep. A thorough teachers manual is key for that.
We also reviewed Mastering Essential Math Skills Geometry. This 80 page workbook is set up exactly like the Book 1 except is does not include the teaching dvd. There is an answer key and Glossary of math terms in the back of the book, but even less teacher instruction. My sixth grader worked through lessons in this book and while he loved how short they were, we were often frustrated by the lack of instruction. The only instruction came in the form of the "Helpful Hints" section in the middle of the page. But often even I had a hard time deciphering these "Helpful Hints" without the aid of a teachers manual.
Once again though, the price of this book is a big bonus. Its only $11.95 to order the Geometry workbook. Math Essentials offers others just like it for Fractions, Decimals and Percentages, Pre-Algebra Concepts and more. It really is not a big investment to find out if this program will be right for you. I also must admit, that many on the TOS Crew are finding much success with Math Essentials. You can read their posts here. Just because its not a great fit for us, doesnt mean it wont be just what you are looking for!
Also, Math Essentials will be offering a special promotion for the months of July, August, and September. The promotion applies to any order placed through the Math Essentials website. Any order that includes Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 1, OR, Mastering Essential Math Skills Book 2, OR, No-Nonsense Algebra, will include a free copy of Geometry (A $14.95 value) plus a free Homework Kit (A $4.99 value).
Available link for download
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Math Galaxy
Math Galaxy
As a 2nd year member of the TOS Homeschool Crew, I have been given the wonderful opportunity to review many homeschool products over the next several months. The only compensation that I receive for my review is the free product. I feel truly blessed to be participating in this review group and Im looking forward to trying out more products and giving you my honest opinion.
What can I say? Math and computers just go together, so Im here to tell you about yet another computer math program.
Math Galaxy is a math tutoring program guiding students through the world of math at their own pace. Choose from several different programs including
Whole Numbers Fun
Fractions Fun
Decimals, Proportions, % Fun
Word Problems Fun
and Pre-Algebra Fun
Each of these are separate downloadable programs with step-by-step problems and games. Each program can be purchased for $29.95. Math Galaxy also offers worksheet generators and ebooks for purchase.
We chose to try Math Galaxy Whole Numbers Fun. From the Math Galaxy website:
Math Galaxy Whole Numbers Fun is a comprehensive math tutorial that covers all of whole number operations plus Time, Money, and the sections of Length, Area, Volume, Pictographs, Bar Graphs and Probability appropriate for grades 1 to 4.
It also includes the whole number sections of the Word Jumbles, Riddles, and Bridge the Swamp games and the Labyrinth mazes.
Above you can see all the different categories to choose from.
This program is not a highly animated one...sort of a throwback to the the late 80s computer games I use to play as a kid. I always like to steer my kids towards computer games that will help them to review subjects that they are already learning so Math Galaxy is a good fit for that...in theory.
Unfortunately, I couldnt get my kids interested in playing these games. It seems that the Math Galaxy Whole Numbers Fun was a little lacking in the "Fun" department. And I didnt feel a need to substitute their regular math curriculum as they are already doing just fine with their math studies.
Nevertheless, Ill be the first to admit that what doesnt work for one family is always going to be the perfect fit for another, so dont just take my word for it. Check out Math Galaxy for yourself and read other reviews of this product at the TOS Crew blog.
Available link for download
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Math Love v1 0 0 Apk Download
Math Love v1 0 0 Apk Download
In this game you will calculate math examples so quickly as you can. Try to answer the questions correctly and increase the scale of the bonus.There are three modes: 60 seconds, classic and mode without mistakes. Select the level of difficulty, earn points, reaches new levels and scores.Math Love – is the best way to develop logical thinking and improve your math skills, as well as increases the speed of thought and concentration.
Additional information
Updated
March 13, 2015
Size
700k
Current Version
1.0.0
Requires Android
4.0.3 and up
Content Rating
Everyone
Math Love v1.0.0 Apk Download
APK
GOOGLE PLAY
Available link for download
Friday, February 10, 2017
Math Helper v3 0 37 Apk Download from Ubuntu One Download from Google Drive
Math Helper v3 0 37 Apk Download from Ubuntu One Download from Google Drive
Math Helper is a universal assistant app for solving mathematical problems for Algebra I, Algebra II, Calculus, and Math for secondary and university students, which allows you not only to see the answer or result of a problem but also obtain a detailed solution.
WHAT IS IT
[?] Linear Algebra – Operations with matrices
[?] Linear algebra – Solving systems of linear equations
[?] Vector algebra – Vectors
[?] Vector algebra – Shapes
[?] Mathematical analysis – Derivatives
[?] The theory of probability
[?] The number and sequence
[?] Function plotter
Derivatives, limits, geometric shapes, the task of statistics, matrices, systems of equations and vectors – this and more in Math Helper!
FEATURES
? 8 topics and 41 sub-sections
? Localization for Russian, English, Italian, French, German, and Portuguese
? Intel ® Learning Series Alliance quality mark.
? About 10,000 customers worldwide have supported the further development of Math Helper by their purchase
? The application is equipped with a convenient multi-function calculator and extensive theoretical guide
What’s New
3.0.35:
- Fixed crashes
- Function plotting improvements
More info and Screenshots from Google Play
Download from Ubuntu One Back to Home Page QR CODE 
Download from Google Drive Back to Home Page QR CODE 
Source : apkgalaxy[dot]com
Available link for download
Friday, January 27, 2017
Math Kabbalah
Math Kabbalah
Kabbalah is a study of mystical aspects of Judaism, which deals with the inner, hidden meaning of the traditions and Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) stories. A meaning that will show the elegance and purpose of this universe, some larger goal of our existence. Looking at the mysterious and elegant patterns below, which I received via email from a friend, I wonder whether it is Math Kabbalah?
1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321
1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111
9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321
More of these fascinating patterns and surprising stories about numbers could be found in Book of Numbers, by Tim Glynne-Jones. Here are few interesting facts from this book:
0 : Ancient greeks did not recognize 0 as a number. There is no year 0 in our Gregorian calendar.
1: One is the most frequently used number, so if youre going to fiddle your tax return, add a few more 1s to slip undetected.
2: It is believed that Mark Twain borrowed his pen name “twain” from this number. In the beginning of 19th century “twain” used to be a synonym for “two.”
3: This one is storytellers favorite: three little pigs, three bears, three musketeers.
4: Over 500 films have been made with “four” in the title.
5: The number of oceans and circles on Olympic emblem (symbolizing five continents that accepted Olympic rules back in 1912: Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania)
6: People who concoct fraudulent data tend to start their made-up numbers with 6 most commonly.
7: Some believe in even years of bad luck when you break a mirror. Seven digits is the most the average person can remember.
8: A very popular number in the Imperial system of weights and measures.
9: Is the trickiest number. The digits of all multiples of 9 add up to 9 or a multiple of 9:
9x9=81, sum of digits is (8+1 = 9)
9 x 137 = 1,233 where sum of digits is (1+2+3+3=9)
I remember the pre-feature presentation at the Landmark Cinemas: “The language of cinema is universal,” echoed in many different languages. Perhaps the biggest power, mystery and magic of the language of math (like language of cinema or sport) is its ability to transcend cultures, generations, religions and political regimes. Whenever you are right now, chances are you are using the Hindu-Arabic numeral brought to Europe by Arabs of North Africa. Whatever you do, you are applying the laws of logic defined by famous Greeks, Persian, French, Germans, Russians, or English mathematicians. And you can communicate and contribute using this ancient language of math anywhere on this planet.
Available link for download
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