One Million

Have you ever wondered what the number 1,000,000 looked like? Here's your chance! This is an aerial photo of approximately 1,000,000 people gathered on a field in Germany for a festival called World Youth Day. This picture is a great example of math- it gives you a real sense of the immensity of the number 1,000,000.

GE: 7.6 Numeracy and Place Value; 7.9 Visual Representations

Red Sox vs. Yankees

This cool graph is a tool that is used in the real world for keeping track of how many home runs the Red Sox got compared to the Yankees. It is also based on how "critical" of a situation each team was in at the time.

Graphs like this are often a form of math used in the real world to help people have a better understanding of sports.

GE: 7.9 Visual representations - Analyze graphs and write reports about findings (5)

Gumball Machine

This Gumball Machine is a fun way to explore probability. If there were a total of 100 gumballs in the machine, and out of the 100 there were 36 yellow gumballs, what would be the chance that you would get a yellow one after putting a coin in?

GE: 7.9 Chance and making predictions - Explore probability (4)

A Phone

When we use a phone like this one, we use unique combinations of numbers in order to call someone. Sometimes, if you need extra help with counting, you can use a phone to get better.

GE: 7.6 Counting - Count, compare, recognize, and write numbers.

A Mathematical Garden

Check out these two pictures! From ground level, you can't really tell that this garden is made up of some pretty cool geometric shapes.


But, if you look at the aerial photo (taken while the garden was being constructed)...


... you can clearly see that the garden is made out of two specific geometric shapes, a circle within a square.

GE: 7.7 Making Shapes - Recognize, identify, name, and draw shapes (K); Investigate, combinging, subdividing and changing shapes (2)

Berries on a Tree

These berries don't look delicious, but there are sure a lot of them! I would estimate that in this picture, there are about 1,000 berries. How many would you guess?

GE: 7.7 Estimating and computing measurements - Estimate and use non-standard units to measure objects (K)

Music Notes

This is a picture of a musical scale written on a chalkboard. Music has many examples of math in it, including keeping time, fractions, and counting. In this example, can you count how many notes are in the scale? Also, by how many spaces do the notes increase each time?

GE: 7.9 Logical thinking skills - Develop logical thinking skills (K); 7.8 Recognizing patterns, order and sequence - Recognize, describe, create and extend patterns (2)

The Piano Keyboard

Some might not know it at first, but the piano keyboard is a great example of a pattern. Can you identify the pattern?

The picture doesn't have the whole keyboard in it- would you be able to continue the pattern?

GE: 7.8 Recognizing patterns, order and sequence. (K)

A Tree

During autumn, trees undergo beautiful transformations. They let all of their leaves go for the winter, and grow new ones in the spring. When I was walking outside, I saw this great example of math in nature.

I would estimate that a little more than half of the leaves on this tree have fallen off. What would you estimate?

GE: 7.6 Numeracy and Place Value - Develop and discuss strategies for estimating quantities.

Some Hedges

How many hedges are in this row? The answer is 16- you have to count carefully. Counting objects is a very important math-skill to master when you are in Kindergarten.

GE: 7.6 Counting - Count, compare, recognize and write numbers. (K)

A Bench

Can you read the date on the side of this bench? Abbreviations are an important concept to understand when learning about time and date in math class.

GE: 7.7 Time - Determine time accrued (date) (1)

Coffee Sizes

This sign shows the different coffee cup sizes you can purchase at an on-campus coffee shop. As you can see, there are three different sized cups that are labled with different ounces. Which cup size would be able to hold the most coffee?

GE: 7.7 Measurement attributes - Compare and order objects by length, width, height and weight (K)

Poster

This poster has some dates and time on it. If the event is from 5:00pm to 9:00pm, how many hours long is it?

GE: 7.7 Time - Determine time accrued (1)

Map Scale

This scale is used when reading a map. It helps people read maps easier by providing them with a scale to tell how many kilometers are in a few inches.

GE: 7.7 Estimating and computing measurements (5-6)

Credit Card

This credit card is used to help make large purchases. The numbers on the card identify the account number of the person who owns the card. Sometimes, when people buy items that cost a lot of money, it is easier to pay with a credit card instead of with a lot of bills and change.

GE: 7.6 Money

A Schedule

This schedule is in the form of a chart, and helps students organize their time for volunteering on Tuesday of next week.

GE: 7.7 Time (K)

A Menu

This is a menu from an on-campus snack bar. Which item is the most expensive? Which item is the least expensive? Now, for a real challenge: If I gave you a $5 bill, and asked you to pick up a regular Meatball sandwich for me, how much change should I get back?

GE: 7.6 Money - 1. Develop familiarity with coins (K)
2. Uses money in practical situations up to the value of $10 (3)

The Wall

This may seem sort of uninteresting, but did you every notice the pattern in a brick wall? Heres a hint: the pattern is more vertical than horizontal.

GE: 7.8 Recognizing patterns, order and sequence. (K-2)

The Clock

This fancy item is a popular type of clock called a Grandfather Clock. Can you read the time on this clock?

GE: 7.7 Time - Determine time accrued. (1)

Another Ceiling

What about this ceiling design? Can you recognize the shape that it is in?

GE: 7.7 Properties of shapes - Recognize shapes in different orientations.

The Ceiling

This ceiling is made up of squares, a very popular shape. Notice how all the sides are an equal length, and all of the corners are right angles.

GE: 7.7 Properties of Shapes - Recognize shapes in different orientations.

My License Plate

This is the license plate that is on my car. Can you read the numbers that are on it? Is one number greater than the other?

GE: Standard 7.6: Understanding number relationships such as more than and less than. (1)

My Car

This is the front of my car. Notice the two pairs of lights. One pair are white, and the other pair are orange.

GE: 7.6: Numeracy and Place Value (K)

Washing Machine

This is a washing machine from my dorm. Can you read how much it costs to do a load of laundry?

GE: 7.6 Money - Develop familiarity with coins. (K)

Drumset

This drumset is made up of some pretty neat geometric shapes... mostly circles.

GE: 7.7 Properties of Shapes: Explore properties of 2 and 3 dimensional figures. (2)