funschooler5 Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 I admit it, I've always been terrible at math. We use Teaching Textbooks as our main program, and it has been a lifesaver for me. This year, we added Life of Fred, because I read on the boards that it is a good supplement to TT. I love the idea of LoF, and the stories that go with it (my kids love the stories too). But when it comes to some of the problems, we get stuck. I'm talking about the ones that come out of left field, that have nothing to do with what has been mentioned in the text. (Yes, I know that everything probably works together somehow, but on a mathphobic person like me, it gets lost.) I'm not sure how to go about preparing myself for these lessons. I've read through the book, and yes, I can do most of the problems, but there is always some problem in there that I have no idea how to solve. For instance DD (13) is doing LoF Decimals, and there was a problem to day that asked her to find five concecutive numbers that add up to 135 (or some number like that). I have no idea how to go about doing that problem, other than just trying random numbers. How does one figure out how to do that type of problem? I shudder when I think about going through high school math, if I'm having trouble with middle school! P.S. LOVE this new Logic Stage board!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 If ds gets stuck and I get stuck we will sometimes look at the answer and then reverse engineer the problem. I figure he is supposed to learn how to work the problem and if it takes a couple times of going through the steps while having the answer it will be okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 If ds gets stuck and I get stuck we will sometimes look at the answer and then reverse engineer the problem. I figure he is supposed to learn how to work the problem and if it takes a couple times of going through the steps while having the answer it will be okay. We do this too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted November 18, 2010 Author Share Posted November 18, 2010 That's good to hear, because I've been doing that too, but I was feeling like we were "cheating" or something. I guess if you actually work out the problem, it still counts. Thanks! :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 The author encourages the student to e-mail whenever they are stuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 For instance DD (13) is doing LoF Decimals, and there was a problem to day that asked her to find five concecutive numbers that add up to 135 (or some number like that). I have no idea how to go about doing that problem, other than just trying random numbers. How does one figure out how to do that type of problem? You could figure that 135/5 = 27. If you have two numbers that are one less and two less than 27 together with two numbers that are one more and two more than 27 it all averages out. 25,26,27,28,29. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 I think it's good for kids to see the problem solving process and that even adults can get stuck. As for the five consecutive numbers adding up to 135, think of the first number as x, so the next number will be x+1, and then next one x+2 and so on up to x+4. So: x + (x+1) + (x+2) + (x+3) + (x+4) = 135 5x + 10 = 135 5x=125 x=25 x+1=26 x+2=27 x+3=28 x+4=29 You can also do it with a bar diagram. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 You could figure that 135/5 = 27. If you have two numbers that are one less and two less than 27 together with two numbers that are one more and two more than 27 it all averages out. 25,26,27,28,29. Bill How clever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in WI Posted November 18, 2010 Share Posted November 18, 2010 I think it's good for kids to see the problem solving process and that even adults can get stuck. As for the five consecutive numbers adding up to 135, think of the first number as x, so the next number will be x+1, and then next one x+2 and so on up to x+4. So: x + (x+1) + (x+2) + (x+3) + (x+4) = 135 5x + 10 = 135 5x=125 x=25 x+1=26 x+2=27 x+3=28 x+4=29 You can also do it with a bar diagram. Thanks for this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted November 19, 2010 Share Posted November 19, 2010 You could figure that 135/5 = 27. If you have two numbers that are one less and two less than 27 together with two numbers that are one more and two more than 27 it all averages out. 25,26,27,28,29. This is similar to the first step towards solving magic squares: add up all the number and divide by the number of rows/columns. This gives you the number to which each row/column must sum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funschooler5 Posted November 19, 2010 Author Share Posted November 19, 2010 You could figure that 135/5 = 27. If you have two numbers that are one less and two less than 27 together with two numbers that are one more and two more than 27 it all averages out. 25,26,27,28,29. Bill I think it's good for kids to see the problem solving process and that even adults can get stuck. As for the five consecutive numbers adding up to 135, think of the first number as x, so the next number will be x+1, and then next one x+2 and so on up to x+4. So: x + (x+1) + (x+2) + (x+3) + (x+4) = 135 5x + 10 = 135 5x=125 x=25 x+1=26 x+2=27 x+3=28 x+4=29 You can also do it with a bar diagram. This is similar to the first step towards solving magic squares: add up all the number and divide by the number of rows/columns. This gives you the number to which each row/column must sum. Thanks everyone!! This really helps me. There are just some math problems that make me freeze up for some reason. I think writing it out like this will help me better understand how to work these out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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