6th Lesson: 3 interesting things

31st August 2011

3 Interesting Things

1) 4 divided by 2/3

This is the toughest problem I've encountered throughout this course. My brain just doesn't get what does this equation means, and the only method I can use is to make 4/1 times 3/2 (what I was taught in primary school). However, upon using the coloured paper and seeing the fractions in pictorial form on the coloured papers, I can understand what this equation means. Sometimes, the simplest things are made complex by the human mind.

2) MRT Station

This was an exciting excursion for us. It showed us that maths is all around us!

My group's answer:
We measured one step to be 15cm.
There are 4 sets of stairs in total, and each set has 16 steps.
16 X 4 = 64
There are 64 steps.
64 X 15 = 960cm.

The total height is 960cm.

3) The most appropriate-sized container to fit 15 beans

From this activity, I realized we really underestimated the volume of a container and how much it can contain. Perhaps the number 15 was comprehended to be quite a big number, which explains why many of us made a container that size when in actual fact it is much to big. And I still thought that my group's container was really small and I was even wondering if it could fit 15!

Reflection:

Maths is not always what it seemed to be - boring and lifeless. Maths is all around us, for example the MRT station activity, even just shapes around us and it is a subject that is logical and simple in its complexity. I have learnt that maths can be made fun through the activities we teachers conduct in class, and it all comes down to how we teach a concept and not just drilling or formulas to be spoon-fed. This is my first experience of enjoying maths at all, in all my years of schooling. Thank you Dr Yeap, for planning a continuous array of activities that really enhanced our mathematics experiences! I like the way you immediately think of an interesting activity to do even though it was a spontaneous topic or thought someone brought up! You know your stuff really well and convey them interestingly! :)