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Nov 082015
 

This exercise involves reading and analysing data from charts, calculating averages and percentages and estimating length. It will also help you with the Driving Theory Test and hopefully help you to stay safe when you are driving.
There is an interactive version here and a worksheet version here.
stoppingdistanceswithoutcarlengthsscaled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can download the answers here

Aug 032015
 

Here are the highlights of the 2015 Mens Final.

Can you use your skills to answer the questions? They range from easy Entry Level to GCSE questions involving data handling,  time, distance, speed and Pythagoras. There is a Scale Drawing task that is very good practice for Level 1 students.

The interactive version is here and the worksheet version is here.

wimbledon2015final

Jul 032015
 

Can you correctly answer the questions about this graph?

healthandsafetystatisticsTry the interactive quiz or the worksheet.

There are two extra questions on the worksheet which are also below.

This table shows the number of fatal injuries by industry in 2014/15.
fatalitiesbyindustry

  • Draw a suitable chart to display this data.
  • Write two interesting facts that the graph shows.

 

May 192015
 

In May 2015 the United Kingdom went to the polls. A Conservative Government was elected. The UK uses the “first past the post” electoral system. The country is divided into 650 constituencies. The candidate with the most votes from each constituency is elected.

housesofparliamentMost other countries in Europe use various forms of proportional representation. This means that the number of MP’s for each party would be proportional to the number of votes that were cast for them. (There are many different forms of PR, but in this exercise, to keep it simple we are going to work out the number of MPs by dividing the vote for each party by the total vote and then multiplying by 650, which is the total number of MP’s in the House of Commons. )

First fill in the missing numbers in this table. You will need a calculator. Remember that to round to two decimal places you need to look at the 3rd decimal place. If this is 5 or more round the 2nd decimal place up. If it is less than 5 then ignore it. eg 34.349239=34.35 to 2dp. 2.983432909=2.98 to 2 dp.

If you got the first exercise correct I want you to illustrate your results with two pie charts. Use this table to work out the degrees for each party. You can draw them in excel or with a protractor and pencil.

If you would rather do this exercise using a worksheet download here.

May 152013
 

In these days of austerity, benefits are being cut and prices continue to rise. It has never been more important to be careful with your money, as getting into debt can spiral out of control and have dire consequences. A first step in taking control of your finances is to understand what you spend your money on. This sheet will help you work this out. To do it accurately you will need to record your spending carefully for several weeks but you may be able to estimate figures until you have got more accurate information.

Fill the figures in for an average month. So for example if you pay an MOT fee of £54.85 each year this would be recorded as 54.85/12 = £4.57 a month. If you spend £10 at the pub once a week that would be recorded as 4 x £10 = £40.

There is also an on-line version which does the sums for you here.

Oct 152012
 

Here is an interesting info-graphic that shows which languages are spoken most throughout the world.

Can you design a bar chart or a pie chart to show this information?

How about carrying out a survey to find out which languages are spoken in your class/course or college? You will need to plan it carefully first, working out how to collect the data. Then analyse your data, putting it into tables. Finally present your data using graphs and charts in a format that will make people want to read it.

Jul 272012
 

Interesting news today that the NHS want to introduce standardised health charts to monitor patients pulse, temperature, blood pressure, breathing rate, level of consciousness, and oxygen saturation. Apparently each hospital currently has its own chart, leading to confusion when staff move between hospitals.

Here is some of the coverage.

BBC

Guardian

Telegraph

Mail

If ever there was a good example of “Functional Maths”, this is it!  Everyone should have a basic understanding of these charts.

Maths with Graham would like to be able to access the video on the learning portal which explains how to use this chart, but searches haven’t yet managed to find it. Please let me know if you have the link.

Jul 252012
 

Here is an excellent video that shows how statistics have shaped our world. How they have been used to show smoking causes causes lung cancer, to translate languages and even to understand our feelings.

The Joy of Stats

According to Vimeo

“Documentary which takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride through the wonderful world of statistics to explore the remarkable power they have to change our understanding of the world, presented by superstar boffin Professor Hans Rosling, whose eye-opening, mind-expanding and funny online lectures have made him an international internet legend.”

May 072012
 

Can you work out the missing numbers in this Football League table? You will need to use logic, arithmetic and negative numbers.
Premier League table 2011-12
League Division 1 table 2011-12

Mar 262012
 

 

This is the first in a series of Functional Skills resources about climate change and what the Government could do about it.

A million Climate Jobs