TumbleMath Newsletter: September-October 2019

Greetings Teachers and Librarians!

We hope that the new school year has gotten off to a great start for everyone!

We have some exciting puzzles and challenges for you in this edition of the TumbleMath newsletter! Let us know what you think of them! Do you have any suggestions?

This month's logic puzzle was thoroughly vetted by a wickedly gifted 11 year old ... though we're biased since she's a niece of one of our staff! But the puzzle still gave quite the challenge to some of our grown-up Tumblers!

Fall is finally here, and Halloween is just around the corner and TumbleMath has you covered! Check out these favourites!

Some exciting news in the world of Mathematics! A study from Yale and the University of Bath theorizes that some people can see the beauty in complex math (just like Mozart Sonatas or revered paintings!) This study could have positive implications on how we teach children - check it out!

This is a brand new TumbleMath Newsletter! We're sending it to you now because you're signed up to receive emails from us as part of your subscription! If there's anyone else in your school or library who you think would enjoy receiving these emails, please forward this newsletter to them! They can sign up to receive a copy for themselves by emailing info@tumblebooks.com.

Featured Books!
Bigger, Better, Best! Flight 1-2-3 Flight 1-2-3

In their family's new house, Jenny and Jeff are driving their little sister, Jill, crazy. Who has the bigger window? Who has the bigger bedroom? Jenny and Jeff must use a simple geometry concept to calculate area in order to prove once and for all whose room is bigger.

 In this wacky look at weight, Brian P. Cleary and Brian Gable introduce essential measurement units--from grams to pounds to tons. The comical cats of the wildly popular Words Are CATegorical series show how to measure trucks, trains, ducks, cranes, and more. Peppy rhymes, goofy illustrations, and kid-friendly examples make light work of this heavy topic. What can you see when you go on an airplane journey? 1 airplane, 2 luggage carts, 3 check-in counters, and so much more! Using familiar airport signs, this striking book introduces little ones not only to numbers, but to the world around them.

 

Did You Know?
Did you know, you can almost accurately convert MILEs to KILOMETERs using the Fibonacci Sequence?

The Fibonacci Sequence is:
1 - 2 - 3 - 5 - 8 - 13 - 21 - 34 - 55 - 89 - and so on!
(every number is the sum of the two numbers that preceded it.)

Starting with 3...
3 miles = 4.83 km = Round up to 5 km
5 miles = 8.04 km = round down to 8 km
8 miles = 12.87 km = round up to 13 km

Check it out for yourself!!
How many kilometers are there in 55 miles?

 

Math Logic Challenge!!

Using the hints below, can you solve this Einstein's Puzzle?

In case you're new to this style of puzzle, click HERE for instructions on how to complete it!

BACKGROUND:

Five students, from five different grades, were helping the math teacher clean up his classroom at the end of a very busy day.

There were two boys (Adam and Derek), and three girls (Beth, Cindy, and Erin). Each student gathered and put away a different class-set of items (like the protractors). Each set belonged in a specific spot (like the filing cabinet).

From the clues below, can you determine which student was responsible for which items, what grade they were in, and where the items belonged?

CLUES:

1. Derek is in grade (32 ÷ 8).
2. Erin did not put away the textbooks or open the cupboard.
3. The student who put away the calculators was in grade (45 ÷ 9).
4. Cindy and Erin are the oldest and the youngest of the students.
5. Boys put away the rulers and the textbooks, but neither of these were stored in the closet or the Teacher's desk.
6. The thing that Erin put away on the shelf can be used to add and subtract numbers.
7. The student in grade (9-2x3) put the rulers away in the filing cabinet.
8. The tools used for measuring angles were put back in the closet by the student in grade 23.

*Click HERE for a printable version!

 

Time Yourself!

How fast can you answer these tricky division problems?
Careful! They get harder as they go on!
21 ÷ 3 = _____ 45 ÷ 5 = _____ 18 ÷ 9 = _____ 9 ÷ 3 = _____ 15 ÷ 5 = _____
8 ÷ 8 = _____ 36 ÷ 6 = _____ 20 ÷ 2 = _____ 77 ÷ 7 = _____ 12 ÷ 3 = _____
12 ÷ 2 = _____ 32 ÷ 4 = _____ 10 ÷ 5 = _____ 81 ÷ 9 = _____ 22 ÷ 11 = _____
72 ÷ 8 = _____ 20 ÷ 4 = _____ 48 ÷ 8 = _____ 24 ÷ 4 = _____ 40 ÷ 8 = _____
64 ÷ 8 = _____ 27 ÷ 9 = _____ 35 ÷ 5 = _____ 18 ÷ 3 = _____ 14 ÷ 2 = _____
28 ÷ 4 = _____ 42 ÷ 6 = _____ 36 ÷ 9 = _____ 40 ÷ 4 = _____ 54 ÷ 6 = _____
56 ÷ 8 = _____ 16 ÷ 4 = _____ 60 ÷ 12 = _____ 77 ÷ 11 = _____ 55 ÷ 5 = _____
24 ÷ 12 = _____ 84 ÷ 7 = _____ 63 ÷ 9 = _____ 27 ÷ 3 = _____ 96 ÷ 12 = _____

**Click HERE for the answer Key!