Math Trivia
This famous English mathematician is often credited as the inventor of calculus also had a deep interest in alchemy, spending many years of his life conducting secret experiments in the hope of discovering the fabled Philosopher’s Stone.
Sir Issac Newton
What is 3/5 + 2/7?
31/35
Isabella got 16 out of 40 questions wrong on her quiz. What percent did she get correct?
16/40 = 40%
This means she got 60% correct.
Determine the constant of proportionality given y = -72 and x = 9
k = -8
What are the steps to convert a decimal into a percentage?
Multiply by 100
Example: 0.54 x 100 = 54%
What is the smallest prime number?
2
-4 + 10
6
Fully simplify 38/72
Divide both the numerator and denominator by 2...
19/36
Given the equation y = 5x, determine the constant of proportionality
5
What does the term IQR represent? What percentage of data is within the IQR?
IQR represents the Inter Quartile Range, which is the difference between Quartile 3 and Quartile 1.
The IQR represents 50% of the overall data.
List your multiples of 12 through 144 in under 10 seconds
12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84, 96, 108, 120, 132, 144
Solve for x.
x + 1 = 0
x = -1
Determine the product of 2/9 and 3/4. Simplify your answer.
6/36 = 1/6
Write an equation that represents a proportional relationship that intersects the point (3,12)
k = y/x = 12/3 = 4
y = 4x
Determine the mean, median, mode, and range of the following data set:
5, 12, 13, 16, 12, 14, 12, 5, 10
Mean: 11 (add all the numbers and divide - 99 / 9 = 11)
Median: 12 (in numerical order, 12 is in the middle)
Mode: 12 (there are the most 12's in the data set)
Range: 16 - 5 = 1
During the math competition scene in the movie “Mean Girls,” the answer to the calculus problem “what is the limit as x approaches zero of [ln(1-x)-sinx]/(1-cos²x)” is this.
"The limit does not exist"
Allison went to ask her teacher for help. Allison has red hair, blue eyes, and a pink dress on. She is 5ft 2 inches tall. She is 9 years old and in 4th grade. She lives in the state of Arizona. She asks her teacher "If I have one apple and my friend has two apples, how many apples do we have together?"
3 apples
A recipe calls for 3/4 cup of sugar for one batch of cookies. Mia wants to make 2 1/2 batches of cookies.
How many cups of sugar will she need in all?
3/4 x 5/2 = 15/8
15/8 = 1 7/8
A cheetah can reach speeds of up to 440 feet in just 4 seconds. Determine the unit rate per second.
440 / 4 = 110
110 feet per second
What was the first toy advertised on television?
Mr. Potato Head
In which 1993 movie did Jeff Goldblum play Dr. Ian Malcom, a mathematician who specialized in chaos theory.
Jurassic Park
A school is collecting canned food for a community drive. On Monday, students collected 128 3/4 cans of food. On Tuesday, they collected 96 5/8 cans.
How many cans of food did the students collect altogether?
128 3/4 + 96 5/8 = (126 + 96) + (3/4 + 5/8)
126 + 96 = 224
3/4 + 5/8 = 6/8 + 5/8 = 11/8 = 1 3/8
224 + 1 3/8 = 225 3/8
A hiking trail is 5 1/4 miles long. Jake has already walked 2 2/3 miles.
How many miles does Jake still need to walk to finish the trail? Write your answer in simplest form.
5 1/4 - 2 2/3 = 21/4 - 8/3
21/4 - 8/3 = 63/12 - 32/12
63/12 - 32/12 = 31/12
31/12 = 2 7/12
What letter represents constant of proportionality?
k
In Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, what were the two feuding families?
Montagues and Capulets