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#1 2007-09-18 02:47:58

Daniel123
Member
Registered: 2007-05-23
Posts: 663

Tutoring

Hello.

Today my maths teacher aksed me if I could use my free periods to go and tutor a 13 year old boy. I have been told to start "from the beginning". Any ideas of what to do and in what order?

Also, could someone please tell me how to multiply decimals, as I don't know how to do it the "normal" way, which would be a tad embarassing...

Thanks.

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#2 2007-09-18 02:54:38

luca-deltodesco
Member
Registered: 2006-05-05
Posts: 1,470

Re: Tutoring

to multiply decimals, the standard method is to treat it as though there was no decimal point, and then at the end, you put the decimal point so that the number of numbers after the point is the sum of how many there were in the numbers multiplied, at first it seems illogical but take for example:

1.23 * 4.781 -> 123*10^-2 * 4781*10^-3 = (123*4781)*10^-5 = 588063*10^-5 = 5.88063


The Beginning Of All Things To End.
The End Of All Things To Come.

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#3 2007-09-18 04:32:02

Ricky
Moderator
Registered: 2005-12-04
Posts: 3,791

Re: Tutoring

Great argument for why it works, but you don't want to explain it that way.  All you say is pretend the decimals aren't there, multiply the numbers.  Now add up the number of digits right of the decimal point in both number, and make this the number of digits right of the decimal point in the result.


"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

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#4 2007-09-18 04:52:50

luca-deltodesco
Member
Registered: 2006-05-05
Posts: 1,470

Re: Tutoring

well that is what i said, im just showing why it works aswell.


The Beginning Of All Things To End.
The End Of All Things To Come.

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#5 2007-09-18 06:04:37

bossk171
Member
Registered: 2007-07-16
Posts: 305

Re: Tutoring

Any time I've had to tutor someone "from the beggining" I usually ask them where to start.

I ask them what grade they got confused in, then I just kinda do examples until I get a feel for what they know. I don't think there is any exact science to it.

Last edited by bossk171 (2007-09-18 09:48:06)


There are 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary, those who don't, and those who can use induction.

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#6 2007-09-18 06:37:48

Daniel123
Member
Registered: 2007-05-23
Posts: 663

Re: Tutoring

Yes, and I have some little tricks up my sleeve... such as:

"Half the sum of the parallel sides, times the distance between them. That's the way we ca-alculate, the area of a trapee-zium". In the tune of pop goes the weasel. smile.

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#7 2007-09-18 09:22:58

MathsIsFun
Administrator
Registered: 2005-01-21
Posts: 7,711

Re: Tutoring


"The physicists defer only to mathematicians, and the mathematicians defer only to God ..."  - Leon M. Lederman

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