90% interest IS huge!
0 .90%, um, not so much
In the bond market, a basis point (or bp or bipp) is 1/100 of 1%. 0.90% (or 90 bp) is less than 1% — it would take over 75 years to double your money at this rate — not so huge!
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How to Raise Test Scores: Read Carefully!
This 4th grade student did know how to get the answer but fell for the good wrong answer because she forgot about the first number in Jill’s pattern. This is a Fencepost mistake (for example, for a 100 foot fence with posts every 10 feet, you need 11 fence posts!).
We can improve Math scores and enjoyment of Math by helping people to notice details.
Inspired to go to School: Start with Why in Math Education
My son, a high school senior, shared that Simon Sinek, leadership expert and author of Start with Why, will be presenting a talk today at assembly. First thought, I wish I could go. Second thought, let my fingers do the walking so I go to www.startwithwhy.com and got hit with “Imagine a world where people wake up inspired to go to work”… would love this to say
“Imagine a world where students and teachers wake up inspired to go to school”.
This is why (haha!) I have a talk called “When Are We Ever Going to Use This Math?” to answer this question of “Why?” although upon deeper reflection, maybe I have been answering the wrong question. So what could the question be? Here are some ideas:
Why does every country have their students study Math?
Why study Math?
Why do people think people who study STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) are smart?
Why do people who study STEM usually make more money?
Please comment to add your own Why questions that will inspire and motivate students…thanks!
King Henry or Kings Have Diamonds
This is a new Common Core item from PARCC (grade level and link to be revealed at the bottom of this post).
How do your students remember metric conversions? My favorite was found in the South Bronx on a middle school teacher’s desk while I was observing a student teacher: Kings Have Diamonds Man Diamonds Cost Money. A more popular one is shown below. The metric system is so brilliant because it uses base 10 and why do we use Base 10 anyway? Click here for info on the history of bases.
King Kilo
Henry Hecto
Died Deka
By Base (meter gram liter)
Drinking deci
Chocolate centi
Milk milli
The table below shows the metric prefix and the matching mnemonic word.
| kilo — | Kangaroos |
| hecto — | Hop |
| deca — | Down |
| meter — | My |
| (Change meter to any unit) | |
| deci — | Driveway |
| centi — | Carrying |
| millimeter — | M&Ms |
Here is the link to this item: http://parcc.pearson.com/resources/Practice_Tests/Grade_5/Math/PC194817-001_5MTHTB_PT_PARCC_G4_HS_TB.pdf (5th grade)
B and C are the correct answers:
B) 7cm is like 7 cents which is .07
C) 1000m = 1km so 7000m = 7km
January 2015 Brain Teaser Solution
Q: I was 29 the day before yesterday and next year I will be 32. This is true only one day in a year. What day is my birthday?
A: December 31st is the birthday so on December 30: age = 29
Dec 31: turns 30
Jan 1 : the day it is ‘now’ in the question
will turn 31 at the end of the current year (it is far away as it is Jan 1 and the birthday is Dec 31)
therefore the person will be 32 at the end of the next calendar year
Math Confidence by Robin the Math Lady 