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#1 2014-10-18 05:17:42

Agnishom
Real Member
From: Riemann Sphere
Registered: 2011-01-29
Posts: 24,974
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Grant Wiggins Challenge

1) “You can’t divide by zero.” Explain why not, (even though, of course, you can multiply by zero.)

2) “Solving problems typically requires finding equivalent statements that simplify the problem” Explain – and in so doing, define the meaning of the = sign.

3) You are told to “invert and multiply” to solve division problems with fractions. But why does it work? Prove it.

4) Place these numbers in order of largest to smallest: .00156, 1/60, .0015, .001, .002

5) “Multiplication is just repeated addition.” Explain why this statement is false, giving examples.

6) A catering company rents out tables for big parties. 8 people can sit around a table. A school is giving a party for parents, siblings, students and teachers. The guest list totals 243. How many tables should the school rent?

7) Most teachers assign final grades by using the mathematical mean (the “average”) to determine them. Give at least 2 reasons why the mean may not be the best measure of achievement by explaining what the mean hides.

8) Construct a mathematical equation that describes the mathematical relationship between feet and yards. HINT: all you need as parts of the equation are F, Y, =, and 3.

9) As you know, PEMDAS is shorthand for the order of operations for evaluating complex expressions (Parentheses, then Exponents, etc.). The order of operations is a convention. X(A + B) = XA + XB is the distributive property. It is a law. What is the difference between a convention and a law, then? Give another example of each.

10) Why were imaginary numbers invented? [EXTRA CREDIT for 12th graders: Why was the calculus invented?]

11) What’s the difference between an “accurate” answer and “an appropriately precise” answer? (HINT: when is the answer on your calculator inappropriate?)

12) True or false: .99999.... = 1

13) Explain why a negative times a negative is a positive.


'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.

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#2 2015-02-14 18:15:29

NakulG
Member
Registered: 2014-09-02
Posts: 186

Re: Grant Wiggins Challenge

4. 1/60, 0.002, 0.00156, 0.0015, 0.001

1. What would it mean if one is dividing by 0? what is the denominator in this operation? what does one expect to get as an answer if dividing by zero?

12. no, mathematical operations can enable one to derive it as a 'yes' but what does it mean?

7. mean hides the outliers and it assumes that the data that it represents is centered around the mean?

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#3 2015-02-14 18:27:14

NakulG
Member
Registered: 2014-09-02
Posts: 186

Re: Grant Wiggins Challenge

6. 31 tables?

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