Ms. Sumner's Math Blog

A class at Mira Costa High will receive 24 pens, 16 rulers, 32 pencils, and 12 notebooks for a school project. Each student that receives supplies will get the same number of each item as every other student gets.

What is the greatest number of students that can receive supplies if every item is used? Use your knowledge of GCF to find the answer.

Remember that FACTORING is like dividing. If you want to distribute items equally, you are FACTORING or dividing items among a specific number. To find the greatest number possible to distribute equally, you have to find the greatest common factor of GCF. Look at the above example. You have 24 pens, 16 rulers, 32 pencils, and 12 notebooks to distribute equally. What is the greatest number of students you can have? Find the GCF of 24, 16, 32, and 12.

The GCF of 24, 16, 32, and 12 is 4. Therefore, you can distribute the items to 4 students equally. We will continue practicing this concept in class. For an additional 25 XP, create a real-world problem yourself using factors. You must include the answer with your problem.

• Leave a comment... (0)

We use math concepts all around us in different ways. One common location is in the kitchen. This week we will explore the use of fractions, equivalent fractions, ratios and proportions in the kitchen. While we study this next unit. Consider how these concepts may be used in other situations too, such as while grocery shopping, buying gas, or planning a party. Watch the introductory videos below.

• Leave a comment... (0)

A ratio is a way to compare two numbers. The ratio of 3 to 5 can be written:

                                                                    3 : 5      OR     3/5

It looks like a fraction. That is because the ratio is the quotient of two numbers. A rate is a very important kind of ratio. We use rates everyday. One  common example of a rate is miles per gallon or mpg. The word “per” is the hint. The word “per” can be written “/” in math. With the price of gas going up, its important to have a car that has a higher mpg.

Suppose you use 5 gallons of gas to drive 30 miles. You can write this as a ratio.

                                                     30 : 5         OR      30 miles/5 gallons

Now you can reduce, just like a fraction. Remember how to reduce. The GCF of 30 and 5 is 5. Divide both the numerator and the denominator by 5. So, 30/5 can be reduced to 6/1. Therefore:

                                            6 miles/1 gallon     OR     6 mpg

You may find another common example at the grocery store: price per pound. Suppose oranges are on sale for $3.00 per pound (lbs.). Remember “per” is “/” in math. It can be written $3/lbs. Suppose you want to buy 3 lbs. How much money would it cost? This about this and be prepared to discuss it in class.

• Leave a comment... (0)

Collaboration is working together with others to achieve the same goal. Collaboaration is an important skill for students to have after leaving high school. You must be prepared to work with others and participate in discussions to solve problems at work. You have to listen and evaluate the ideas of others. You also have to present your own ideas clearly. When you present your ideas, you have to have proof to support them.

California has recently adopted new Common Core standards. (Click here to see the standards.) 48 other states are using the same standards for teaching math! The standards encourage teachers to use collaboration, problem based learning and real world applications. This is what we will be learning about and practicing this week.

Make sure to look at your vocabulary. Click on the highlighted words to see a sign. Come to class prepared to discuss your vocabulary. And come to class prepared to collaborate!

• Leave a comment... (0)

Justin works part time at a grocery store. He earns $8.75 per hour. In one week he worked 25 hours. When Justin gets his paycheck, he checks to make sure the amount is correct. To make sure he was paid the correct amount, he has to multiply $8.75 times 25 hours worked ($8.75 X 25). Hopefully Justin knows how to multiply using decimals! Watch the video below to remember what Justin needs to do. Maybe you can help him figure it out.

• Leave a comment... (0)

The most obvious use of decimals is when using money. Learning to count, add, subtract, multiply and divide with decimals is an essential life skill. As consumers we spend money for goods and services. A smart shopper knows how much something costs, finds the better price, and calculates what the change will be. But money is not always expressed as whole numbers, or dollars. Why? Because our money system has parts of dollars called cents. You’ll save your pennies when you know how to apply mathematics to decimals such as money.

Watch the video below to learn more about reading decimals.

• Leave a comment... (0)

We just finished our unit on fractions. We learned to add and subtract fractions with a common denominator. We learned to multiply and divide fractions. But when will we ever use this stuff in real life? Well, I am going to tell you!

Suppose you are having Thanksgiving dinner. You want to invite your whole family. You will need to cook enough food for 12 people! You have a great recipe for green bean casserole, but it’s only enough for 4 people. What do you do? You already know that 4 X 3 = 12. You will need to cook the same recipe 3 times. That would take a long time! It would be easier if you just multiplied the recipe by 3. Well, we all know, recipe’s have fractions! It is important to know how to multiply fractions to be able to increase your recipe to serve a wonderful dinner. See the example below:

New Recipe (X 3)

3 cans soup

2 1/4 cup milk

3/8 tsp. black pepper

6 pkgs. green beans

4 cups french fried onions

Now, suppose you had a recipe that served 4 people, but you only want to make enough for 2 people. Instead of increasing your recipe, you want to decrease your recipe. Instead of multiplying, you would need to divide. You need to know how to divide fractions.

For some quick practice, visit Edmodo and do Challenge 2!

• Leave a comment... (0)

http://mathisfun.com

Fractions can be sticky and hard. We will take it step by step. The first part to understanding fractions is to understand what a fraction is. A fraction is a number that tells you how many parts of a whole something is divided into (denominator) and how many parts you have (numerator).

Next, it is important to understand there are several ways to divide a whole. This also means there are several ways to write a fraction. These are called “equivalent fractions“.

taken from http://mathisfun.com/simplifying-fractions.html

This week we will be working with fractions. As we continue to practice adding/subtracting fractions, you will be asked to reduce fractions by writing them in simplest form. For additional review, watch the video below.

• Leave a comment... (0)

Playing games is a great way to practice your math skills AND have fun! If you look at the menu to the left, you will see the title: “Math Games”. This is frequently updated to include games that practice the skills we are learning in class. You don’t earn any XP, but like I always say, “Practice, practice, practice!” So, get out there an have some fun!

• Leave a comment... (0)