Im stuped. Any math wizards out there?

[josh9mille]

Originally Posted by Metallover

All she needs to know is that it's a proportion. Proportions are among the most under appreciated tools of math.

23    4   Cross Multiply
-- = --
x     9   23(9)=4x  207/4=x

As soon as my kid saw this a little light went off in her head and she figured it out. It is still above my head though. I guess i shouldnt have been so lazy in HS and not taken only bonehead math lol.

Originally Posted by lincpimp

I always got the importance of have a "basic knowledge" of math, so that a person could apply said knowledge to a wide range of problems. That being said, I always thought a lot more "real world" problems should have been thrown out for the benifit of the kids.

As for factions, well knowing how to divide and multiply will usually allow most to figure them out. Improprt fractions could just be taught as a theory.

couldnt agree more, I dont know how this would ever apply in the real world.

[lincpimp]

Being able to mentally go from /18 to 1/16 to 1/32 fractions comes in very handy for me, when doing carpentry of using a handful of various sized drills. However none of that will ever involve improper fractions. Nice to know what they are and how they are not really usable, but all of that could be taught without having to actually do any math.