Your December 2013
ShillerLearning Tidbit
Pi, e, and USA math scores
What do pi (3.14159...), e (2.71828...) and USA math scores have in common?
They're all constants.
That's a good thing for pi and e. Not so much for our educational system.
The OECD administered PISA to 15 year-olds in 65 countries and the USA remained stagnant, in 30th place.
The scariest stat is that 9% of USA 15-year-olds scored in the top two levels of math proficiency, while in Singapore it was 40% and in Shanghai it was 55%.
I like to leave my readers with good news. This time I'm stuck. But at least I've got a great new year's resolution.
Math groaners
Q: What do plants grow in math class? A: Square roots
Q: Why did the football coach bang on the soda machine? A: To get his quarterback
Q: What's a math teacher's favorite vacation spot? A: Times Square
December 2013 Puzzler [Grades 1-3]
If you draw both diagonals of a rectangle, how many triangles do you make and what can you say about them?
Provide the correct answer by December 25, 2013 to be this month's puzzler winner.
Answer to previous Puzzler [Grades 5-8]
Steph realized that she'd be half her dad's age in 17 years. If Steph is 10, how old is her dad?
Solution: In 17 years, Steph will be 27. So her dad will be 54. But that's 17 years from now, so her dad must be 54 - 17 = 37. Using symbols, let D=Steph's dad's age today and S=Steph's age today. Then S+17=(D+17)/2 and S=10. So 27=(D+17)/2; 54=D+17; D=37. Congrats to our November puzzler contest winner Jennifer Bond, who wins a Kit I audio CD with 25 catchy math songs.
I hope you enjoyed this short math break.
Sincerely,
Larry Shiller
Publisher
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