Math 7A, Lesson 12, 5/19/2013

Weidong Posted in Homework, Spring 2013, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 12, 5/19/2013

We cover the topics in Statistics II, averages.

While we commonly use the term “average” to mean the “arithmetic mean” in statistical sense, there are other kinds of averages in statistics.

We call the data scores, and the frequency is a term used to indicate the number of times a particular score occurs. We can use a frequency table to represent data, and use a histogram to represent the table.

Apart from the arithmetic mean or just mean, which is the sum of all scores divided by number of scores, we also have:

* Mode. which is the score that occurs most often in a distribution;

* Median, which is the middle score in the list (if the list has even number of scores, the median is the average of the middle two scores).

Homework:

Page 137: #1 – #12

 

Math 7A, Lesson 10, 5/12/2013

Weidong Posted in Homework, Spring 2013, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 10, 5/12/2013

Math contest results are out. We have several students who won:

Richard Chang: 1st place, 5th grade

Yuheng Dong: 2nd place, 6th grade

Aaron Zhang, 3rd place, 7th grade

Congratulations!

We cover reading and drawing of pie chart, line graphs, and pictograms. This is part of Statistics I.

Again, these are topics students feel intuitive and straight forward.

With the extra time, we go over some more of the math contest results.

Homework:

Page 130: #1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 13, 14

 

Math 7A, Lesson 9, 5/5/2013

Weidong Posted in Homework, Spring 2012, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 9, 5/5/2013

Math contest results are almost out. We are waiting for one more class’ result to finalize the final winners. We know at least two of students in our class are winners.

We start the 2nd half of the spring semester with focus on statistics, the science about collection and representing data and how to read and draw different graphs.

We first introduce different ways to represent data: bar graph, pie chart, line graph, and pictogram graph. We talk about the pros and cons of each approach.

We then talk about how to read and draw bar charts.

With the extra time left, we talked about a few questions from math contest.

Homework:

P130. #3, 4, 10, 11, 12

 

 

Math 7A, Lesson 8, 4/7/2013

Weidong Posted in Homework, Spring 2013, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 8, 4/7/2013

Plan change.

School has decided to have a school wide math contest on 4/28/2013 and all Math class students will take part in this contest. As such, we have decided to use the contest in place of the midterm exam.

So, we didn’t have the exam today. Instead we finish the chapter on transformations.

Up to now the three kinds of transformations we have talked about, Reflection, Rotation, and Translation, all do not change the figure’s shape and size. They are called rigid transformation. Today we talk about enlargement where the shape remains but the size changes. And an enlargement transformation can increase (when the scale fact is bigger than 1) and reduce (when the scale factor is less than 1) the size. And there must be a center of enlargement.

Lastly, we talked about the combination of multiple transformations and how to identify each transformation involved and fully describe it.

Homework:

Page 122: #14, #15, #17, #18, #19, #20.

 

Math 7A, Lesson 7, 3/24/2013

Weidong Posted in Homework, Spring 2013, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 7, 3/24/2013

This is our midterm review day, as we will have the midterm exam next Sunday (4/7/2013).

Please go over your homework for this semester to prepare for the exam.

Homework:

Page 102, Test paper 4; page 126, test paper 5

 

Math 7A, Lesson 3, 2/17/2013

Weidong Posted in Homework, Spring 2013, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 3, 2/17/2013

We start with measurement for spheres. Two important formulae to remember:

Volume of a sphere with radius r is: 4/3 pi r^3

Surface area of a sphere with radius of r is: 4 pi r^2

We then talk about areas of similar figures and volumes of similar solids.

In general, if the ratio of the corresponding lengths of two similar figures is a / b, then the ratio of their areas is ( a / b )^2.

And if the ratio of the corresponding lengths of two similar solids is a / b, then:

  • the ratio of their volumes is ( a / b )^3;
  • the ratio of their total surface areas is ( a / b )^2.

Knowing the above formulae, as well as the ones we learned last time, allows us to make various calculations in terms of finding the area or volume of some real world objects.

Homework:

Page 97: 42, 43, 44, 46, 49, 52, 53, 56, 59, 61

 

Math 7A, Lesson 1, 1/27/2013

Weidong Posted in Homework, Spring 2013, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 1, 1/27/2013

Today starts the Spring semester. Welcome back, old and new students.

We will be on the subject of geometry for a while. Today we covered congruent triangles. Three rules for deciding if two triangles are congruent:

1. SAS: two sides and the included angles. It is important that the angle has to be one between the two sides;

2. AAS: two angles and a corresponding side. With two angles the same, the third ones have to be identical as well. So it is important to see if the sides are indeed the corresponding ones.

3. SSS: side-side-side.

4. RHS: right angle hyptenuse and side. This one is for right-angled triangle.

We did some proof problems using the above rules.

Homework: Page 81-84, #1 – #6

 

Math 7A, Lesson 14, 1/6/2013

Weidong Posted in Fall 2012, Homework, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 14, 1/6/2013

Welcome back! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year!

We talk about inequalities today, how to represent an inequality on the number line, how to solve an inequality by using the Addition and Multiplication Properties of Order.

The most important thing to remember is, when you multiply or divide a negative number on both sides, you need to remember to change the inequality sign, from ‘<‘ to ‘>’, or from ‘>’ to ‘<‘, or from “<=” to “>=”, or from “>=” to “<=”.

Here is this week’s homework from Page 64, 65 and 66:

3a, 3c 3e, 4 (a – g), 5a, 5c, 5e, 5g, 5i, 6 (a – j), 7 (a – d)

 

Math 7A, Lesson 13, 12/16/2012

Weidong Posted in Fall 2012, Homework, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 13, 12/16/2012

We continue to study system of linear equations, with the focus on the word problems involving systems of linear equations.

Such work problem usually can be modeled with two variables x and y, and the given conditions should allow you to come up with two equations using x and y. Then you solve the equations to come up with the solution. Be careful to check if the solution makes sense for the real life.

We look at several challenge problems where by transformation, we can solve them by systems of linear equations.

Homework:

Page 55: #34 – #48

Math 7A, Lesson 12, 12/09/2012

Weidong Posted in Fall 2012, Homework, Teaching info
Comments Off on Math 7A, Lesson 12, 12/09/2012

We study system of linear equations. Here we talk about linear equations with two unknown. So a system of linear equations is with two linear equations. The solution of x and y that satisfies both equation is called the solution to the system.

To solve it in algebraic way, there are basically two methods:

With “Elimination Method”, we try to multiply some numbers to one or both equations, so that by adding or subtracting the two equations, one unknown is gone. Once we solve the first unknown, we put in back into one of the original equation to solve the other.

In the simple elimination case, you can just add or subtract the two given equations. Often you need to pick an unknown first, look at the coefficients of that unknown in both equations and come up with the LCM. Then multiply to each equation some number so that the new equations have that unknown with the same coefficient. Now you can do add or subtract.

With “Substitution Method”, you start with one given equation, rewrite the equation using one unknown to represent the other. Now substitute this unknown in the second equation with what you have, so now you have an equation with only one unknown.

We look at the special case where there is no solution to a system of linear equations, which shows two parallel lines in you graph them, and the special case where there can be infinite number of solutions, basically the two equations are identical. In the graph, you have the same line.

Here is this week’s homework:

Page 53, #1 – #12; Page 54, #21 – #25, #31