Halloween math is a great way to motivate kids to actually want to do math. Let’s face it, math isn’t always a favorite subject. But it will quickly become a favorite when you add a Halloween twist to math practice. There are many different skills that can be practiced by adding a Halloween twist to math practice. Below are my three favorite ways to get kids excited about math as Halloween approaches. 
1. Grab Some Pumpkins There are many different Halloween math activities that can be done with a few pumpkins. Get about 6 or 7 pumpkins and label each of them with a letter or to make it even more fun let the kids give each one a name. Now the kids can get involved in estimating and measuring. Have them order the pumpkins according to weight, from the smallest to the largest. Then they can estimate how much each pumpkin weights. They can also estimate the circumference of each pumpkin and then the height and width of each one. If this is a bit difficult for the kids, do the measuring for one of the pumpkins first so that the kids will have some idea of the mass and measurements on one pumpkin before they do their estimating for the others. 
After all of the estimating has been done it is time to start measuring. Get out the scales and some measuring tapes and record the weight, circumference, height and width of each. Children can then record their results and see how accurate their estimates were. 
2. Halloween BuzzBuzz is a counting game that has been played by kids for ages. It can quickly become a Halloween math game just by changing the word ‘buzz’ to a Halloween word. You might like to use ‘Dracula’, ‘Boo’ or ‘trick or treat’. Start with multiples of seven being the banned numbers that have to be replaced by the buzz word. 
To play the kids just go around the group counting in ones but when they get to the number seven, any multiple of seven or any number that contains a seven, they say the buzz word instead. If they don’t they are out. So the counting should sound like this – one, two, three, four, five, six, ‘boo’, eight, nine ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, ‘boo’ etc. Sounds easy but does require concentration and also a good knowledge of multiples. 
3. Build a SkeletonIn this Halloween math game, two teams or two players compete against each other. This game involves choosing a basic skeleton shape to be drawn as the game progresses. A math question or problem is given and the first player or team to answer correctly wins the right to draw a piece of the skeleton. The first team or player to complete the skeleton is the winner. To make it even more fun paper skeletons can be bought and pulled apart. The winner of each round can then take one piece of their skeleton. The game is over when one player or team has all of the pieces of the skeleton. 
Not all kids like math but when math becomes Halloween math this will change and the kids will be begging for more. Hope the kids enjoy these Halloween math activities. Happy Halloween!

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As an adult, student, or parent, it is common to experience a lack of confidence in dealing with numbers.  This common problem many times gets blown out of proportion and can sometimes be a roadblock to success in school, work, or helping your children become more confident in their abilities.  In this article, I outline five skill areas to improve in order to increase your own skill, speed of calculations, and self-confidence when thinking mathematically.

These skill areas are exactly that: things to practice repeatedly until you can do them quickly and with confidence.  In school, beware of things being taught but with inadequate time given to practice.  Think of these ideas as homework assignments for you or your children.  If given enough time, these building blocks can tremendously help a student get through mathematical situations in school or life with ease!

Math Skill Building Block #1: Basic Math Facts

This step is very common sense, but extremely important, and is sometimes not practiced enough in elementary school before students are allowed to move on.  Everybody MUST know addition and subtraction facts of at least two-digit numbers.  We have to combine or take away quantities like this every day, and we don’t need a calculator!  Push the calculator away; practice adding or subtracting two-digit numbers comfortably until you can do this quickly without your fingers.

Learning the multiplication facts up to at least 12 is also a must.  When you really know these, you should be able to list the multiples of 12 easily, or count backwards from 100 by 7′s, etc.  If you are working with your child, try these multiple lists or counting backwards subtract exercises.

TIP:   Break numbers apart in order to add or subtract.  Instead of 12 + 39, think of it as 10 plus 39 equals 49, but add two more to get 51.   OR     12 plus 40 is 52, take away one more is 51.  This is an excellent mental math exercise.

Math Skill Building Block #2: Working with Percents

Knowing how to take a percent of a number is really just taking a part of a whole amount.  We know how important this is when we work with money, finance, buying & selling, investment, and other parts of our lives. 

Students must be able to work with percent concepts.  To practice, find 10% of any number.  Of course, this is just moving the decimal point over one place to the left.  For example, 10% of 55 is 5.5, 10% of 39.6 is 3.96, and 10% of 442 is 44.2.

Likewise, people need to find 1% of a number (move the decimal 2 places to the left), 5% (half of the 10% amount), 20% (one-fifth of something), 50% (half of something), 75% (half of the number, then add half of that).  The understanding of percents and their fractional equivalents is HUGE!  And, it takes a lot of practice and repetition.

TIP:  A magical way of finding the percent of a number is to take advantage of the fact that, mathematically, 15% of 50 is the same thing as 50% of 15 (7.5).  Just switch the percent number with the other number to find an easier calculation.  Try it!

Math Skill Building Block #3:  Using Estimation and Rounding

The ability to estimate how much something will cost, how much paint needs to be purchased, how much space is required, etc., is a critical skill for students to master.  With repetitive practice, all of us need to be able to improve our speed of rounding numbers before a calculation, or rounding the result of our calculations.  Most of the time, we don’t need the exact answer.  Knowing how much to round and estimate our numbers is tested all of the time in our math and science classes at school.

Look for opportunities to find estimates: cost of a home improvement project, money earned over time, time it takes to accomplish a task, or increase and decrease of temperature over time.  After estimating, challenge yourself or your children to use a calculator or paper to test out how close you are to the actual answer.  If students can quickly estimate an answer, even for a complicated calculation or problem solving exercise, their confidence will skyrocket!

TIP:  Practice estimation skills when grocery shopping.  You or your children can call out the price of an object before putting it in the cart, and keep track of the estimated total.  Whoever is closest to the actual total is the winner!  If the grocery list is huge, just round each amount to the nearest or , or whatever might be appropriate.

Math Skill Building Block #4: Creating Your Own Word Problems

This skill is the reverse of the dreaded task of reading a word problem from your math textbook and solving it.  In this case, parents or students should think of a situation in terms of how it could be written in a math textbook.  I encourage my students to put a problem in their own words (aloud), then write it out on paper (they can be really creative at this point), then do the next critical step: look for mathematical operations clues.  These “clue words” force the solver to think about how the quantities are related or how they interact in the problem.  If students can’t put the situation into mathematical language, then they don’t really understand what is being asked.

TIP: Mathematical “clue word” to look for, after you write out the problem on paper —

                Addition:   sum, total, together, combined, given to, put in the pile, money earned

                Subtraction:  take away, withdrawn, money paid, amounts lost, less

                Multiplication:  multiple groups, piles with the same amount, repeated addition, “of”

                Division:  split into groups, how many in each group, part of, “part”

Math Skill Building Block #5: Understanding Basic Geometric Concepts

The geometric concepts of area, perimeter, and volume are ideas that can be directly relevant to students as they study them in school.  A simple connection could be the task of building a house or constructing anything.  Other ideas to include are properties of squares, rectangles, and the sides of special right triangles.  Building block #3 (Estimating) ties in to this idea, also.

Have yourself (or your children/students) estimate the volume of water that a certain container will hold.  Use simple block shapes at first to reinforce the volume formula of three-dimensional objects (area of base X height,     OR    length X width X height).  Then pour water into the container that has measurements on the side to check the estimate.

Another idea is to measure the two legs of an object that is in a right triangle shape.  Then estimate the hypotenuse (diagonal distance).  An example would be to find out how high a set of stairs is, how far out horizontally they reach, then measure the distance along the top of each stair down to the lower level.  For older students studying the Pythagorean Theorem (for right triangles) this is a great application of the idea.  For younger students, ask them how far it looks from one corner to the other of a rectangle or square on a piece of paper.  Then measure to see who is closest.

TIP: Geometric ideas relate directly to objects found in our everyday lives.  Take advantage of this and practice applying what you know about squares, rectangles, and diagonals to estimate square roots without the calculator.  Then check your calculations.  You will feel or see increased confidence after several successful tries.

These building blocks are taught in the early days of everyone’s education, but sometimes are not practiced enough to be effective tools in your mental toolbox.  Whether you are a student, parent, or someone who feels a lack of math confidence, keep these tips in mind.  It doesn’t have to be dull; just increase your speed with basic math facts and estimation, then learn to work with percent concepts.  Look for “clue words” in problem solving situations, and check things out later with a calculator.  With these tips, anyone can again rediscover their “math brain”!

For all those who find learning math an insurmountable problem despite all attempts to understand it, help is at hand. Solving Math Problem is a web portal dedicated to the cause of making math easy to understand and learn. It is ideal not only for students and teachers but also for parents who find it difficult to explain to their children the process by which a math problem is solved.

The website provides step-by-step instructions to solve the problems given on the site. They claim to teach a universal process which can be used over and over again. By using the techniques given on the website, you can revise the math that you have learnt. All the necessary information is provided how to do it is provided on the website.

Everything that you need to know about various math functions is provided on the site in detail. The free math help page gives you a step-by-step solution to any math problem that you have difficulty in understanding. You can share your personal experience about any math-related experience in your life or leave a personal message about any observation that could be of help to other math students.

The web site has a math symbol page which tells you in great detail about all symbols that are used in modern day mathematics. You can get all the information that you need about operating symbols, relation symbols, grouping symbols, symbols for set notations and other miscellaneous symbols that are used in common mathematical equations such as square root, ellipsis, infinity, percentage and factorials.

Another unique thing about the Solving Math Problem portal is that you can access many on-line calculators and download them for free. Apart from the basic calculator you can also have easy access to Smart Calculator, Algebra Calculator, Graphing Calculator, Exponent Calculator, Square Root Calculator and Specialized Calculator among many others.

The Math and Number page gives you valuable and ready-to-use information about integers, decimals, fractions and about different units of measurements. They also teach you in detail about margin of errors and rounding of errors which are applicable to all advanced mathematical applications. The page on math properties helps you understand everything about real numbers in a simple and lucid manner. You can learn everything about Associative, Communicative and Distributive properties of mathematics. Information about Density property, Closure property and Inverse property is also provided in great detail.

The web portal Solving Math Problem is a unique and highly useful site for students, teachers, parents and for all those who are learn math the easy way. Students from all fields of math can find the solution to their math problems here.

Many Parents are Worried
Parents often complain that the methods used to teach math in schools are not helping students progress. What are parents supposed to do? Don’t wait to get your child help, the problem will not go away, and they will fall further and further behind everyday.

Is There a Connection Between Math and Reading Problems?
Yes, there can be. Some students who have difficulty with math also have difficulty with reading and spelling. Parents know their child is intelligent but something is just not right because the child struggles with addition and with sight words. The first step to take towards getting help for these problems is to get an expert examination by a behavioral optometrist immediately.

It is Best for Students to Proceed at Their Own Pace
Having to follow a classroom plan in math is extremely difficult for children who are weak in math.

It does not make sense to move ahead until the child truly understands and grasps the concept they are weak in before they move on. Once they demonstrate confidence in their ability to understand one concept then they can move forward. Working on their own interactive math program at home can boost their confidence and get them up to level and it can be entertaining rather than a struggle.

The Other Side of the Coin
The flip side are students who struggle with reading but are great at math! These children will benefit from lots of practice lessons and drills to anchor their math skills. Using an interactive math program at home can allow a good student to go as far as they desire.

Math in Many Situations
Making math fun is the best way for children to learn and everyday opportunities abound for presenting math concepts to children.

Have your child help you when shopping, teach them how to distinguish which product is a better buy. Learning math is often easier and faster when using manipulative’s, real coins, counters or even M&M’s. Playing board games help little ones learn how to count. Teach them how to start a saving account and keep the balance current.

Not All Programs Are Created Equal
A good way to memorize math facts is by singing. Another is to use a good on line math program which is proven to be effective Choosing the best one for the job is important. Note: A good math program is not a video game. We now know video games break down the visual system, memory and visual motor (eye hand) coordination.

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So many people around the globe are looking for and. Is it that homework assignments have become tough or is it that students are unable to answers math problems? Yes, I agree that standard of education has increased in the recent days, but the expert assistance which students receive is still the same. Math answers have become something which the student is still struggling to derive. Math is a very complicated subject for which initially extra effort and expert assistance is required. In spite of having many online tutoring, private tuitions and home tuitions students are not able to understand the concepts well and because of this they start to develop an aversion towards the subject which in turn reflects on their grades. Due to this factor the number the college dropouts have increased in the recent days. www.ehomeworkonline.com has adopted a methodology to provide math answers and also act as a math problem solverto studentswho are unable to derivemath answers

At eHomeworkOnline, we provide help with math through our math problem solver service which serves as a guide to the student when they are trying to solve math assignments. At eHomeworkOnline, we are equipped with a group of 120 math problem solvers and math answers expert who would be able to provide and also solve any problem. This service of ours has helped thousands of students to understand the basic methodology involved and also to secure good grades. Every problem is solved by experienced a math problem solveronline. All the assignments provided is checked and verified by a group of certified and experienced math problem solver again and only then delivered to the student.   This homework help service will not only make the student secure marks but also will make him understand and realize the beauty of the subject.

Thousands students have benefited from our service. The feedbacks from out students have always been positive, encouraging and inspiring. We would like to extend out thanks to all our math problem solvers and students who have contributed to this successful math problem solver service and we also request you to continue the support. We strongly believe that many more students would avail our service this year.

For more information visit www.ehomeworkonline.com/math/

Very funny math stuff

Year 7 Homework Sheet  A – Mixed Topics

1. Work out (don’t use your calculator):

a) 46 ×7

b) 3192 ÷ 7

c) 4129 – 1387

d) 1.47 + 12.8

2. David has some goldfish in a fish bowl (use the letter g to stand for the amount of goldfish in the bowl). Write down a mathematical expression for the amount of goldfish in the bowl if:

a) 5 more goldfish are added

b) 5 are taken out

c) the amount of goldfish are multiplied by 6

d) the amount of goldfish is divided by 2.

3. If x = 7 and y = 5 work out:

a) x + y

b) 3x

c) 4y

d) 2x + 3y

4. Calculate:

a) 15% of £280.

b) 25% of £16

5. In a survey on favourite school subjects:

 14 people voted Maths

12 people voted Science

4 people voted English

Draw a pie chart. If you don’t have a protractor just calculate the angles needed for each subject.

Answers:

Score 1 mark for each correct answer:

1.

a)322

b) 456

c) 2742

d) 14.27

2.

a) g + 5

b) g – 5

c) 6g

d) g/2

3.

a) 7 + 5 = 12

b) 3 × 7 = 21

c) 4 × 5 = 20

d) 2 × 7 + 3 × 5 = 14 + 15 = 29

4.

a) 10% = 28 and 5% = 14, so 28 + 14 = 42

b) 10% = £1.60 and 5% = £0.80. So £1.60 + £1.60 + £0.80 = £4.00

5.

The angles required are:

a) 14 × 12 = 168

b) 12 × 12 = 144

c) 4 × 12 = 48

Total marks 17.

If you scored 15 – 17 marks Grade A

If you scored 12 – 14 marks Grade B

If you scored 9 – 11 marks Grade C

If you scored 5 – 8 marks Grade D

Less than 5, Grade E

Useful links:

Grid multiplication

Expressions

Percentages

Pie-charts

Lecture 1: The Geometry of Linear Equations. View the complete course at: ocw.mit.edu License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA More information at ocw.mit.edu More courses at ocw.mit.edu
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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Most students shy away each time the subject is Math, while others can’t get enough of numbers. The teacher often experience frustrations when his or her students does not register the math principles in their minds. The teacher needs to exert every effort just to make them understand Math. But he or she need not be dismayed as an individual, orientation may have come from way back in grade school. Perhaps, they may have been wandering or daydreaming those times. But those days are over, math games are the solution to your dilemma.

In the realm, where the mathematically endowed students are applauded and the mediocre students are smirked at, as a teacher you have an enormous responsibility to do something about it. Math games are not a substitute for a teacher and will never be one. Nevertheless, math games will have a considerable impact and will be of huge assistance in imparting math into the class. It can be used as a motivation or to inspire for a job well done and also, can reinforce and increase the lesson being discussed.

In a situation where you find that some of your students does not know elementary math like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. How could they possibly understand a more complex math like integers and square root? This means you need to refresh them with basic math, otherwise they could never comprehend your present lesson. On the other hand, you have other students also who are relying to learn new things in school and you cannot deprive them of their rights too. So, to give time for students who are behind and badly needs to catch up, then it is wise to set aside time for them to play math games. It is a fun and innovative way for them to practice those behind topics without distracting the other students. This is a modest way to instruct without embarrassment. The students are confronted with the computer math games and not with their classmates whom they might feel embarrassed and belittled.

Math games are designed according to the level of expertise, so students can challenged themselves to the next level if they feel that they are good enough in a certain level. They can help encourage their math skills through math games. Math games are classified into varied areas, so as students can focus on areas there they scored poorly. Math is just a matter of correct practice and drills.

Once you browsed for computer math games, you will be flabbergasted as to the diversity of products available in the market. You will find that aside from the time-honored basic math games via the arcade-like programs, math programs now use the favorite cartoons, superheroes, or much-loved movie characters. The software stimulates and forces the students to use their critical thinking, problem solving techniques and comprehension skills. They may not be aware that this is math because of the enjoyment and excitement.

Make sure that everybody’s got the chance to play with math games since it is a cool and modern way of imparting math concepts. Through math games, math turns out to be cool and hip.

 

In attempting to come to terms with winning at blackjack, the fact remains that one who fails to plan thus plans to fail. To ensure one does not end up as another statistic on the gambler’s walk of shame, it pays to employ some worthwhile blackjack basic strategy into the game plan. Many who have dug up enough about the game are obviously familiar with the colorful strategy chart which makes a stab at advising the player’s course of action for the first two cards at hand based on the dealer’s exposed card. Since the player is required to make the opening move, the house obviously gains an edge as the next card dealt may send the player forward or home.

Since the game is about predicting outcomes based on calculated probabilities powered by basic math, the only way one can know what card is next to be dealt is when it is dealt and presented upward on the table. Being able to see the exposed cards, one thus relies on some golden rules for the next course of action to hit, stand, split or double down. Playing soft or hard hands is more related to the presence or absence of an ace card as compared to the texture of one’s palms. Winning at blackjack requires one to compose a game plan based on what is at hand, including pairs of card types and their matching values.

Armed with the best of blackjack basic strategy, one supposedly has a better chance of savoring victory as compared to a greenhorn unaware of the common pitfalls. If is however essential to realize that charts and advisors are merely tools in themselves. Although they may seemingly point out the optimal direction to take, one has to maintain a certain degree of flexibility to suit changing game conditions. Since the secret to success is often accorded to practice, practice and more practice, one willing to take time and effort to learn the game should reap better results in the long run.

As memory fails in the most crucial of times, create flash cards or similar mechanisms with hints on what to do when a situation presents itself. Since they do not fall into the same category as card counters, most casinos allow sneak peeks so long as they do not affect the game flow at their tables. Fellow players may even stop sniggering as they observe one’s game improve.

 

 

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Here are some mathematical facts all about the number 21 (twenty-one).

The number 21 is the number between 20 and 22.

The number 21 is an odd number, as the number ends in a 1.

The factor pairs of 21 are:

1 × 21

3 × 7

Therefore, there are 4 factors of 21 which are 1,3,7 and 21.

The number 21 also has 2 prime factors which are 3 and 7.

If you write 21 as a product of prime factors you get 3 × 7.

The first twelve multiples of 21 are 21,42,63,84,105,126,147,168,189,210,231 and 252.

If you double 21 you get 42

Half of 21 you get 10.5

21 squared is 441 (since 21 times 21 is 441)

Also, the cube of 21 is 9261 (since 21 times 21 times 21 is 9261)

The square root of 21 is 4.58 rounded to 3 significant figures.

The number 21 is also twin prime, as it can be written as the sum of 2 prime numbers (2+19).

21% as a decimal is 0.21 and 21/100 as a fraction.

21 miles is about the same length as 33.6 km (21 × 1.6).

21 gallons is about the same volume as 94.5 litres (21 × 4.5)

21 kilograms is about the same weight as 462 pounds (21 × 2.2)

A 2D shape made up 36 sides is called a icosikaihenagon.

Other facts about the number 21

In Chemistry, 21 is the atomic number of Scandium.

In Bingo, ball number 21 is called key of the door.

In most countries, the coming of age is 21.

The rock band The Eagles, wrote a song called Twenty-one.

In the game of Badminton, you need 21 points to win a game.

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When sitting by your desk trying to solve mathematical problems it can sometimes be hard to focus. We all know that. But what if you had a magic potion which made you focus only and stricly on math during the time you sat there? I sure would have bought it but unfortunately there is no such thing and therefore I decided I should write a couple of hints and tricks on how to easier focus on your studies without banging your head on the desk wanting to end your life.

Make sure you work by a schedule. In example you could have a 2 hour session per day studying math. In those 2 hours you allow yourself a 15 minute break where you get some fresh air, listen to some music or whatever you enjoy doing. By working under a schedule your mind does not have to think whether you should be doing math or not and instead clears your mind of distraction.

Work, work hard. The problem with math is that you cannot just read through it. You can’t study it like you study a textbook with fact, there is no such thing in math. Math is all about understanding and applying a theory on a problem. My trick here is to get a quick overview of the problem at hand and then to continuously work and work and work and work until I can solve the problem in my sleep and still be sleeping.

Ok, it can not all be about hard work and focus – thats to obvious – there needs to be a magic trick, a magic spell which will make me understand every single number. Nothing about that statement is more obvious than the answer to it: No! There is nothing else you actually need to do to beat math. Just work hard and stay sharp. Good luck!

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