Maths Questions

Congratulations to Vsevelod in 5EM for answering last weeks maths problem correctly. Please see this weeks questions- please email your answers to ryan.matchett@cg.catholic.edu.au.

K-2

There are 13 sheep in a field as shown here:

1. How many sheep can say that there is at least one other sheep here of the same colour?
2. The farmer takes one sheep from the field at random. What is the probability it is
   a) Yellow   b) Blue   c) Green   d) Not red ?

3-6

Sean and Alexa collect sea shells. Sean began a holiday with 753 shells and Alexa began with 31 shells. Each day of the holiday Sean found 34 shells and Alexa found 72 shells on the beach. By the end of the holidays they had the same number of shells in total.

How long was the holiday?

Times Tables

One of the most common questions I get from parents is how can I help my child improve their knowledge of times tables. Learning times tables is so important as it relates to so many areas of the mathematics curriculum. Here are some simple tips below:

1. Make a times table chart. It should be a large square divided into 10 vertical sections (columns) and 10 horizontal sections (rows) to make 100 smaller squares. Number each column from 1 to 10 from left to right. Number each row from 1 to 10 from top to bottom. Next, fill in each square with the number you get when you multiply the number of the row with the number of the column. For instance, the square in row 2 and column 3 should be 6, because 2 times 3 is 6. 

2.  Practise Skip-counting. Skip-counting is probably the best math skill for memorising multiplication tables without simply repeating the numbers.

1. Recite your tables out loud forwards and backwards. Try and do them out of order as well.
2. Ask a family member or friend to quiz you. Aim to do as many answers as you can in 1 minute.
3. Practise for 10 minutes per night. This will help commit them to memory.