Tutor MathsGuru: Ask me for your burning Maths questions!

[KSP]

Muffins:

Ya, I know. The number is 420.

If you animate your icon, it will look like an upsize version of Chief's Penguin. :lol:

[Muffins]

KSP:

Muffins:

Ya, I know. The number is 420.

If you animate your icon, it will look like an upsize version of Chief's Penguin. :lol:

Really?

[mathsguru]

kitty2:

Diagram 1 2 3 4 5


1)Number of shaded squares 1 5 9 13 17
Number of unshaded squares 0 4 16 36 64
Total number of squares 1 9 25 49 81

a) Write down the total number of squares in Digram 30

b) Find the total number of unsquares in Digram 50

c)Write down the number of digram that has 29 shaded squares.


2)For 1 step stairway,1 brick is used.For a 2 step stairway,4 bricks are used and so on

a)Write down the number of bricks used for a 5 step stairway
b)write down the number of bricks used for a 40 step stairway
c)Find the number of steps if a total of 144 bricks are used
d)Find the number of steps if a total of 576 bricks are used

Hi Kitty2,

Here are my solutions:

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TskJR9A

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=TskJOFr

Cheers,
MathsGuru

[mathsguru]

Daddy:

Hi,


I have Math question need help.

A 3-digit number when divided by 5 gives an even number. When it is divided by 3, it also gives an even numbers.
(a) What is the digit in the ones place?
(b) What can be the number be?

Thanks :?

Hi Daddy,

Here's my solution:

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1FAutS

Cheers,
MathsGuru

[kitty2]

Thank you mathsguru

[pokemon]

mathsguru,


u may laugh at me cos my question is only a P1 problem sum but im not sure if my son’s method is correct. Questn:

There are 4 more toy soldiers than toy cars. If 9 more toy soldiers and 6 more toys cars are added. Will there by more toy soldiers or toy cars. How many more will it be?

my son has not learn model drawing, so i juz let him used his own way. He come out with 4+9=13 for toy soldiers,therefore toy cars = 9 initially, then toy soldiers become 13+9=22 and toy cars = 9+6=15. His answer is toy soldiers is more and its more by 7.

I used model drawing method,though the figures in the process are different but i also end up the same answer. U think the way my son’s method is correct?

[Muffins]

Hi pokemon, can't believe your son is only Primary 1, it took a Sec 1 student a while to understand his method! WOW! You have a very smart son there! http://i499.photobucket.com/albums/rr359/shg_graphics/compliment/SHG_YourePrettySmart_Einstein.gif\">

[rubydoll]

hi

could you please help me on the maths question below:

Miss Mary bought some rings at $39 each and some pens at $15 each. She bought 6 more pens than rings. She paid a total of $468 for all the items. How many pens did she purchase?

[mathsguru]

pokemon:

mathsguru,


u may laugh at me cos my question is only a P1 problem sum but im not sure if my son's method is correct. Questn:

There are 4 more toy soldiers than toy cars. If 9 more toy soldiers and 6 more toys cars are added. Will there by more toy soldiers or toy cars. How many more will it be?

my son has not learn model drawing, so i juz let him used his own way. He come out with 4+9=13 for toy soldiers,therefore toy cars = 9 initially, then toy soldiers become 13+9=22 and toy cars = 9+6=15. His answer is toy soldiers is more and its more by 7.

I used model drawing method,though the figures in the process are different but i also end up the same answer. U think the way my son's method is correct?

Hi Pokemon,

Please don't say that...we're all here to learn and help one another out, so I definitely won't laugh at you. :snuggles:

Going by what you mentioned in your posting, your son's method is not very correct even though he ended up with the correct answer. And it is very important to clear his misconception esp. since he's only in P1 now.

The reason why I say his method is not right is because his reasoning for obtaining 9 toy cars is not logical (\"He come out with 4+9=13 for toy soldiers,therefore toy cars = 9 initially\"). There's no information in the question which can lead us to find out how many toy cars or soldiers there are initially. The information is all about the difference in numbers.

Actually there're 3 methods to approach this question:

1. Using assumption.
This method is rather similar to what your boy did, just that we should \"assume\" rather than to \"deduce\". (Hope you can understand what I'm trying to say here )
The assumption is more of trying to help students visualise the problem, rather than to conclude that there's a certain number of toy cars or soldiers. Hence, you can use any number for the assumption and you will still get the right answer, because the number will be eliminated when you subtract eventually. That also explains why your boy can get the correct answer.
Let's assume there are 10 toy soldiers and 6 toy cars initially. Then, after adding 9 more toy soldiers and 6 more toys cars, there will be 19 toy soldiers and 12 toy cars. Difference is 19 - 12 = 7.
So, you can see that the assumption is actually meaningless and is more of a tool to help us better understand the question.

2. Drawing model.
Here's my solution using model.
http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxapD80

3. Use logical reasoning.
Some students can actually \"visualise\" the problem without the help of diagram, because they use logical reasoning.
Since there're already 4 more toy soldiers than toy cars, by adding 9 more toy soldiers, there will be 9 + 4 = 13 more toy soldiers and toy cars. However, 6 more toy cars are also added, so the difference is reduced by 6. Answer is therefore 13 - 6 = 7. And toy soldiers are still greater in number than toy cars.

Hope the above helps.

Cheers,
MathsGuru

[mathsguru]

rubydoll:

hi

could you please help me on the maths question below:

Miss Mary bought some rings at $39 each and some pens at $15 each. She bought 6 more pens than rings. She paid a total of $468 for all the items. How many pens did she purchase?

Hi Rubydoll,

Here's my solution.

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1NOwj0

Cheers,
MathsGuru