Our first unit will cover factors and multiples. A special type of number is called a prime number. You'll remember that prime numbers only have two factors: itself and one.
It's easy to rattle off the first few prime numbers - 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13...
But how about when numbers become larger? 4,729 and 7,919 are both prime numbers.
179,424,691 is also a prime number.
So is 797,003,437!
How do you think these huge prime numbers are discovered?
Adam Spencer is an Australian radio host. He isn't a professional mathematician; rather, he is simply fascinated by math like many of you!
One of his mathematical interests is prime numbers. In his TED Talk, Adam describes how "monster" prime numbers are discovered by mathematicians all over the world.
Why do you think "hunting" for "monster" primes is so fascinating?
Would you be interested in helping hunt for monster primes?
Check out this great example from Kobe D. which he did for his Millionaire Project blog post. GREAT JOB, KOBE!!
HARDINGE, McCOMB, MUNDEN & CO
"Our company is full of math teachers, so we'll never miscalculate your investments!"
Music by Alumomusic
How do you calculate interest?
Well, let's say that a bank is having 5% interest per year. The more money you give to your bank, the more interest you get. For example, if you deposit $1,000 in the bank for a year, the next year you would have $1,050 in your bank account. It's important to know that the next year, the interest is 5% of 1,050 - not 1,00 anymore. Under this paragraph, it shows a rate table where I calculated 5% of 1,000.
Anotherreason you should invest in Hardinge, McComb, Munden & Co!
Normally, when people "save" money, they usually put it in piggy banks or hide money in a box under their bed. But not only Hardinge, McComb, Munden & Co are trustworthy, they also give out 10% interest - which means you gain more money every year your $1,000 is in our keepings. And, not only you can donate more money to our company, your interest can grow even BIGGER if the size of your money gets larger!
Isn't that much better than sticking cash under your bed, waiting for it to get dusty and perhaps even mold?
Umm, what else are the benefits of having only $100 or $50 per year?
You must be thinking that you only gain 5% of your original balance each year. Well, you're WRONG! If you do not withdraw your money, you get even MORE each year! Why is that, you say? Well, let's say you get $1,050 from that year you got interest. You don't get 5% of $1,000 again, you get 5% of $1,050! You get 5% of the money you gained last year! That means, if it goes on and on, in no time, you'll have a LOT more than $100 going into your bank every year!
Still doesn't make any sense? This line graph shows why you should invest with Hardinge, McComb, Munden & Co instead of leaving perfect money under your bed!
RED shows the money you get if you deposit $1,000 into our company with 5% interest, without withdrawal for 45 years.
GREEN shows how much progress you've made with the money under your bed without withdrawal for 45 years.
Check out this video from Ted Ed which gives you the riddle. Remember to pause when it tells you to since the second half of the riddle explains the solution.
Did you know that factoring is used everyday to keep your information online safe?
RSA encryption is the standard way that websites keep your information safe from hackers and thieves. For example, when your parents buy something online with a credit card, RSA encryption helps make sure that their credit card information is not stolen!
This is an awesome real-world application of factors.
Check out this cool Numberphile video to learn more:
If you are reading this letter then you must be a capable mathematician. Staying at the top of any field requires dedication, perseverance, and hard work, and that is exactly what we expect from you this year. The person who will determine how successful you will be this year is you. Keep on top of the work and always let us know if you are having any problems with any of the concepts so that we can work together to ensure that you fully understand them. This should be your most successful year ever – it’s all up to you.
You will receive a math textbook for each unit. Once you get your laptop you will also have access to a massive amount of material that you can use to reteach, revise and extend your mathematical understandings at home.
We ask that you review the work that we have done in class with your parents as frequently as possible; but at least once a week.
Yes - we will have homework as a way of reinforcing what we have studied in class. This will often be started in class, so if you are focused you may be able to complete much of it in school. Homework is a component of the behavioral standards that we will set in class. These standards include Organization, Responsibility, Collaboration, and Reflection.
Some of you may have heard about this Singaporean math problem. It has taken the world by storm and many people have been trying to solve it! Can you figure it out??
Your presentation should be on one A4 sheet of paper.You may include any information or graphs that you want that will persuade your clients; however the following questions should guide your thinking:
What is interest?
What is compound interest?
What are the benefits of investing in an account that earns interest rather than sticking it in a box under the bed?
Your presentation should be easy for your clients to understand
Use data from your investigations in Scenarios 1 & 2 as proof in your presentation.
(These guidelines are also included at the bottom of your Google Docs worksheet)
4. Present the project to your parents and write a blog post about it. Your blog post should include...
A picture of you presenting to your parents
A link to your Google Docs worksheet and your presentation
Thoughtful answers to the following questions (complete sentences, well-written with supporting details):
What did you already know?
What did you learn? (from the project? from your parents?)
How might this affect what you do in the future?
What was your favorite part about the project? Least favorite part?
Title: Personal Finance Project
Labels: math, gr6
5. Print out your Google Docs worksheet and your presentation and turn it in on MONDAY, 6 APRIL. Remember, not submitting your project will result in a 0/Fail grade because we spent over 200 minutes of class time on this project.
If you have questions, please make sure to email me.
If you want to look at the rubric, check it out here.
Congratulations to Isabella O and Sid W who completed the Super Bowl-themed Instagram #mathchallenge!
The correct answer was:
The next five SuperBowls in Roman Numerals are: L LI LII LIII LIV The next five SuperBowls in Arabic Numerals are: 50 51 52 52 54 (That is taken from Sid's excellent and very complete response!) Congratulations!
