Acad Prof 1 - Math Notes
Acad Prof 1 - Math Notes
Acad Prof 1 - Math Notes
MATHEMATICS
The Mathematics component of the General Education portion of the Licensure
Examination for Teachers include Fundamentals of Math, Plane Geometry, Elementary
Algebra, Statistics and Probability
2. Plan what to do
3. Do it
4. Look back
In planning what to do, there are a number of strategies that can be selected
from.
While the above strategies have bearing on mathematics, they are not particular
to mathematics alone. One may not need to solve any mathemitcal problems in his
adult life, but he may apply the strategies and have generality and power.
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Experience in looking for patterns helps students develop their ability to make
generalizations on the basis of examples. Experience in drawing diagrams improves the
student’s ability to visualize ability to formulate hypotheses and conjectures. Many of the
strategies enable students to recognize and remedy errors. There are no set rules or
algorithms for solving problems that involve these processes, therefore experience in
problem solving develops the student’s capability to cope with situations about which
they have not been taught.
This collection of mathematical problems has been obtained from many sources,
has been classified for the benefit of the teacher, according to different strategies in the
list given previously. This collection should not give the impression that there is only one
way to solve a problem. A problem with sucj cataloging in mind will develop in the
teacher/supervisor some confidence in the use of each strategy and some appreciation
of its power.
Problem
A snail is at the bottom of a 10-meter well. Each day it crawls up 3 meters, but at
night it slips down 2 meters. How many days will it take the snail to get out of the well?
2. How deep is the well? How does the depth compare to the height in this room?
The drawing if the well is divided into 10 equal parts. Each part representing a
meter. The drawing shows that in 2 days the snail reaches a height of 4 meter.
Often when no direct procedure for a solution comes to our minds the guess-and-
check strategy keeps us from losing hope – the strategy is always applicable. This
strategy involves guessing, checking, guessing again, checking again repeating until a
reasonable answer is arrived. The first guess may be a random one, but successive
guesses should become better and better, based on results from the precious guesses.
It is in these successive “educated” guesses where careful thinking becomes a
necessary ingredient.
Problem
Ticket were sold for a school activity. Adult tickets cost P12 while student tickets
cost P8. Ana sold 14 tickets for P132. How many tickets for each type did she sell?
2. Could all the tickets Ana sold have been adult ticket? All student’s tickets?
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1. We make a second guess. Shall we try more than 10 adult tickets or less than 10?
3. If you still didmt get the right answer you third guess should be better. Continue
guessing, but don’t forget to check each time.
X adult ticket.
Problem
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The five disks shown are placed in a box and mixed. Three disks at a time are
then drawn out. The score is the sum of the numbers drawn. How many different scores
are possible?
3 6 2 5 1
2 6 1 2 6 5 1 5 3
We can make a list of draw as follows. First we list all draws that start with 3 and
6. Then we list all draws that start with 3 and 2.
The draw “ 3,2,6” was crossed out because it gives the same score as 3,6,2 So
also, “3,2,5” was crossed out since it gives the same score as , “3,6,1”
Draw | Score
____________________________________________________
3 6 2 | 11
3 6 5 | 14
3 6 1 | 10
3 2 6 | 11
3 2 5 |6
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Draw | Score
____________________________________________
3 5 …
We continue to list all the other draws beginning with 3. In the same manner we list all
the drawings beginning with 2. Complete the table.
Make a table
The making a ble strategy often helps to organize a data of a problem. It may be
useful in relation to other strategies such as guess-and-check or look for a patten
Problem
Lita read every 100g of sea water contains 3g of salt. Using this information, how
much sea water would be needed to obtain 10g of salt?
Salt |3 |6 | ? | ? | ?
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Look for patterns helps students develop their inductive reasoning ability –i.e
Making tentative generalizations on the basis of examples. As a start, the make a list or
make a table strategies may be used to bring up some examples; the list is not
exgaustive.
Problem
A rich neighbor gave jerry a choice of P600 for a 16 day painting job, or 1
centavo the first day, twice as much the second day, and so on, doubling the amount
each day to the 16th day. Which arrangement should jerry choose?
1. According to the double the pay plan, how much will jerry make on the second
day? The third day?
2. According to the double the pay plan, what will be jerrys total pay after two
days? After 3 days?
Planning solution
We need to find out how much jerry will make in 16 days according to the double
the pay plan. We canb make a table of the pay Jerry gets each day.
b. How do we find out how much jerry will make on the 16th day?
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DAY |1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ….
_______________________________________
Pay |1|2|3|4|5|6|
Day |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |
___________________________________________________
Pay |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |
___________________________________________________
Total Pay |1 |3 |7 | | |
If you can’t solve the problem posed, try to solve a simpler related problem.
Basically, the strategy consist of breaking up a problem.
The strategy could be used together with other strategies, e.g., draw-a-pic;
Problem
Bener and 8 friends decided to play chess. If each of them plays one and only
with each of others, how many chess games will be played?
Diagrams may help us. Here p1, p2, p3, Indicate the players and the loops indicate the
games.
P1 P2 P1 P2 P3 P1P2P3P4
2. Look at the diagrams. Counting the loops gives us the number of games. Let us
arrange our information in table.
Players | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
_________________________________
Games | 1 | 3 | 6 |? | | | | |
| | | |
2 3 ?
Another way to analuze the problem is to focus on the number of games added
each time one more person is added to the group-indicated in the diagram below by
hold loops.
P1 P2 P1 P2 P3 P1 P2 P3 P4 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5
By this thinking process, each diagram builds on the one immediately preceding,
therefore the eventually of forgetting a loop is lessened
Working backwards
Problem
A studemt obtain a grade of 75% in each of 3 tests. He needs to take one more
test, and he wants an average of 80% for the four tests.
2. Can the grade in the 4th test be lessem than 75% equal to 75%?
Working backwards
Logical Reasoning
Problems solved using logical reasoning are usually problems “to prove” or those
requiring little computations but uses mostly reasoning in their solutions. Many puzzles
can come under this strategy.
Problem
There are three boxes, one containing 2 black marbles, one containing 2 white
marbles and another one white and one black marble. The boxes were labeled for their
contents – BB, WW and BW – but someone has switched the labels so that every box
now is incorrectly labeled. If you draw one marble from particular box without looking
inside, how will you know the contents of all the boxes?
There are two ways in which the boxes could have veen mis-labeled.
BB box. Thus, upon picking a marble and nothing its color, one can tell the correct label
of the box. You can then easily correct the labels of the two remaining boxes.
Many of the usual “word problems” can be solved using this strategy. After
determining what is the “unknown”, we represent it by some letters ( or variable) ang
then set up the equation which can be obtained from the conditions given in the
problem. The final solution then depends on whether the resulting equations (s) can be
solved or not.
Problem
Today, Allan spent 10 more minutes asleep in class then he spent awake. If the
class period is one hour, how long was Allan asleep?
If we let x represent the time Allan was awake in class then x + 10 is the time he
was asleep. The total time he was awake and asleep was the total class period. Hence,
X + x + 10 = 60
Problem
Dirst, draw the square with one of its side at the top of the left most nails. Then
translate the square one nail to the right. How many times can you translate to the
right? Down?
Problem: Juan, Mario, Gary and Ralph each read four magazines. They read a
different magazine each week, always choosing from a group of four magazines. During
Week 2, Juan read Travel ang Gary read Auto Guide. During Week 3, Mario read
Update and Ralph read Listen. During Week 4, Gary read Listen and Ralph read Auto
Guide. What week did each boy read each magazine?
Situtaion:
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Did any of them read the same magazines more than once a week? ________
Data:
4. During Week 3, which magazine did Mario read? Which magazine did Ralph read?
5. During Week 4, which magazine did Gary read? Which magazine did Ralph read?
Plan:
Duke Travel
Rene
Allan
7. During Week 4, Gary read Listen and Ralph read Auto Guide. Since Juan read Travel
during Week 2, which magazines in the table.
8. During Week 3, Mario read Update and Ralph read Listen. Since Juan read Travel
during Week 2, which magazine did he read third? So which magazine did Gary read
third?
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9. Use logical reasoning to find which boy read which magazine. Record the magazines
in the table.
Answer:
10. Read across in the table to tell which magazine each boy read in each week
Check:
11. Make sure that no magazine appears more than once in each column and that no
magazine appears more than once in each row.
1. Round off and estimate whenever possible. Simplify your calculations 3,978 x 289
can be roundned off to 4,000 x 300. Then if only one of the answer choices is slightly
less than 1,200,000
2. Look for shortcuts. These are often built into problems. For example, you know that
an odd number multiplied by an odd number will give you and odd number. If only one
of the answer choices is an odd number, it has to be the right answer.
3. DO not panic if a question has an unusual sumbol. Replace the symbol with the
specially designed definition that accompanies the symbol.
4. Work in consistent units. If one side of a square measures 30inches and the other
measures 2 feet, don’t try mmmuuultiplying until you have both measurements in feet or
in inches
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5. Have important rules and formulas at your fingertips. Use the information supplied at
the top of the first page of each mathematics section. Or better yet, memorize these and
other important facts and formulas before the test date.
6. Read the question carefully. DO not assume anything that is not actually stated.
Some questions are not similar to questions you usualy encounter in regular mat
classes.
7. Beware of positive and negative number. If the problem does not specifically state
that the value of an unknown is positive, then it could also be negative. The square root
of a number can be positive or negative.
8. Use your time wisely. If you absolutely have no idea on how to solve a particular
problem, do not waste time on it. Circle it and leave it. If you have time at the end of the
tests, you can go back and try again.
9. Avoid lengtly computation. None of the questions on the test will require terribly
complicated computations. If you find yourself about to start on a long string of
complicated computations. To solve a problem, you are doing something wrong. Either
you missed a shortcut, or you are solving the wrong problem. Read the question again.
10. Use the exam booklet wisely. Don’t try to do all computations in your head. Write in
the test booklet. Mark up any diagrams if it will help you.
11. Chech the diagrams. The diagrams may be drawn accurately or they may be
accompanied by a statement saying that figure is not drawn to scale. In the altter case
you may redraw the diagram slightly to make it accurate.
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12. Be on the look out for irrelevant material in a word problem. There probably will be
at least one question that gives you more information that you need. Don’t assume that
you have to use it all to solve the problem. If what you need si how many people were
wearing red hats, it does not matter how many were wearing blue shoes.
13. Don’t rush to get the most challenging problems. Questions get harder as you go
along in the math section.
14. Don’t hesistate to work back from the answers. On this test you don’t have to show
how you arrive at the answer. First plug in the answer which is easiest to try. Usually
this is the correct choice.
15. DO not panic when you are faced with mathematical terminology. Try putting the
problem into simpler words. “S” is a set of integers on the number line1-100 inclusive
“just means” S is all the numbers from I through 100.”
16. Substiture for unknowns, if necessary, If you are having trouble solving a problem
with several unknowns, try substituting simple number for theunknows.
MATHEMATICS REVIEW
SYMBOLS
= equals
≠ is not equal to
_ is congquent to
≈ is similar to
│ is perpendicular to
║ is parallel to
± plus or minus
Important Definitions
___________ = ____________________
Divisor Divisor
A Positive numver is one that is greater than zero, a Negative number is one that is less
than zero. The meaning and the use of signed numbers are basic in the study of
Algebra.
Positive numbers are preceded by a plus sign (+); negative numbers, a minus sign (-).
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Arithmetic Concepts
Any quantity = 4, except zero raised to the zero power is 1 (xº =1 if x=0)
If x2 then x= +2 or -2
Adapted from:
Krulik, Stephen and Rudnick, Jesse. Problem Solving: A Handbook for Teachers
Allyn and Bacon, Inc.Boston, Mass. 1980
FUNDAMENTAL OPERATIONS
Whole Numbers
The Factors of a given number are numbers which when multiplied together
from the given number.
Prime factors are those numbers which have no other factors except one and
itself.
The Greatest Common Factor is the largest common factor of two or more
numbers. It is the product of all the prime factors which they have in common.
25= 5 x 5
ADDITION
The numbers that are to be added are called addends. The number resulting in
the addition of these numbers is called the sum of the numbers.
Example:
45
395
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+ 4396
890
_____________________
5726 SUM
SUBSTRACTION
Example:
5283 minuend
- 4997 subtrahend
____________
286 DIFFERENCE
MULTIPLICATION
Example:
1937 Multiplicand
X 86 Multiplier
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__________
11622
15496
166582 Product
DIVISION
Dividend refers to the number to be divided into equal groups. Divisor refers to
the size of each group. Quotient refers to the number of groups resulting from division
Example:
54,528 ÷ 64 = 852
↓ ↓ ↓
Multiples
The multiples of a number are those numbers that are divisable by the given
number.
Characteristics:
Example: 128 & 524 are divisible, by 4 since 28 and 24 are divisible by 4.
And 24 is divisible by 3
Steps:
2. Subtract the product in step 1 from the number without the last digit.
Solution:
The last 3 digit is 912 & 912 = (114)(8). Therefore, 912 is divisible by 8 and 4912 is
divisible by 8.
Divisibility for 9
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Divisibility for 10
Divisibilty for 11
ORDER OF OPERATIONS
Very often two or more numbers are grouped together to indicate that they are to
be considered together as a single number. To avoid confusion, grouping, grouping
sumbols are used.
() parenthesis [] brackets
{} braces ─ vinculum
Rules:
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2. Do multiplication and division next, in the order they occur that is, from left to
right.
3. Do addition and substraction last, in the order they occur, that is from left to
right.
In short, you can remember this by using the mnemonic “Please Mind Dear Aunt
Sally’. The first letters will remind you of “Parentheses, Multiplication and Division,
Addition and Subtraction.’ (PMDAS)
Example:
Simplify 16 x 2 ÷ 8 + 12 x 3 – 48 ÷ 6 x 3 = 32
An exponent is the number that indicates how many times a whole number is used as a
factor.
Example:
25 = 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2
FRACTIONS
The symbol a/b, where a,b are the elements of whole nos. and b ≠ 0, is called a
fraction.
The number above the bar is the numerator and the number below the bar is the
denominator. The word fraction if derived from the latin word fraction, meaning’ to break
into parts.
Kind of Fractions:
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1. Proper Fractions – is a fraction in which the numberator is less tan the denominator.
To add or subtract fractions with similar or like denominators, add or subtract rhe
numerators. Write the sum or difference over the common denominator.
Examples:
3. Add or subtract the numberators and write the result over the LCD
4 ¼ = 4 15/60
+ 2 4/5 = +2 48/60
- 1 1/3 + -1 20/60
__________________________
5 43/60
To multiply two fractions, multiply the numerators and multiply the denominators.
Write the product of the numerators over the product of the denominators. If necessary,
reduce the answer to lowest terms.
b. 3/5 of 5 = ¾ x 5 = 15/14 = 3 ¾
If a, b, c and d are all real numbersm and if b≠ 0, c≠0, d≠-, then a/b ÷ c/d = a/b x d/c
DECIMALS
Examples
(1) 6/10 = 6/101 = .6 (2.) 16/100 = 16/102= .16 (3.) 425/1000 = 425/ 103 =
.425
Operations on Decimals
To add Decimals
1. Write the numbers to be added vertically and line up the decimal points.
2. Add all digits with the same place value, beginning with the rightmost column.
To Subtract Decimals
1. Write the numbers to be subtracted vertically such that the decimal points are in a
column.
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2. If the number of decimal places in the subtrahend exceeds that in the minuend, insert
the necessary number of zeros to the right of the last decimal place in the minuend.
3. Subtract all digits with the same place value, beginning with the rightmost column and
regroup when necessary.
4. Write the decimal point in the difference. This should be in line with the other decimal
points.
To Multiply Decimals
2. Put a decimal point in the appropriate location so that the number of decimals places
in the product equals the sum of the number of decimal places in all the factors.
To Divide Decimals
1. Move the decimal point in the divisor up to the necessary number of places to the
right to make it a whole number.
2. Move the decimal point in the dividend to the same number of places to the right.
3. Put a decimal point in the quotient immediately above the new decimal point in the
dividend.
4. Proceed with the technique for dividing whole numbers, take note of the location of
the decimal point in the quotient,
INTEGERS
The set of integers consists of the positive whole numbers, negative whole
numbers, and zero. { . . . . , -5, -4 , -3, -2 , -1 ,0 ,1 ,2 ,3 , 4 ,5 . . . }
0 ‘Zero’
- 9 – 8 – 7 – 6 – 5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
OPERATIONS ON INTEGERS
Addiition
1. if the addends have the same signs, add the numbers disregarding the signs. The
sign of the sum will be the common sign of the addends.
If the addends are of different signs, subtract the smaller number from the larger
number and write the sign of the larger number.
Subtraction
1. In subtracting signed numbers, change the sign of the subtrahend then proceed to
addition of integers.
-10,348
Example - - 9,753
_______________
-595
Multiplication
1. When two numbers of the same signs are multiplied, the product is positive.
2. When two numbers of opposite signs are multiplied, the product is negative.
Example: Multiply + 12 by + 4 = 48
Division
-96 -84
3 -7
- Finding Patterns
Objectives
The process of finding patterns is not quick or direct as following a recipe or list
of instructions. It requires the concept of sequence.
Example
Solution:
To discover the pattern for this problem, let us look at the first nine letters of the
English alphabet, A B C D E F G H I, Let us cross out those letters that are not included
in the sequence, A B C D E F G H I. Following this pattern, J should come after I. Then
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From the examples shown, it is seen that patterns involve not only numbers, but
also non-mathematical objects like letters, words, and figures.
A collection of numbers arranged in order from left to right, such that there is a
first term, second term, etc, and are separated by commas, is called a number
sequence.
Example:
Solution:
To describe a sequence, we often try to find a pattern that relates the number of
a term to the term itself. Now for the sequence 1, 1, 2, 4,8 , 16, 32 ,64, the pattern is not
obvious. First, let us look at the relationship between the terms. The first term, I and the
second term, 1, are equal but the third term is 2, which may be treated as the sum of
the forst two terms.
1+1=2
And if we add the first, the second, and the third terms, we have 1 + 1 + 2 = 4,
which is fourth term. Continuing the patterm
1 + 1 + 2 + 4= 8, fifth term
1 + 1 + 2+ 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 = 64,eight term
Objectives
Analyze the problem to be solved step by step with the aid of a picture or a
diagram. Sometimes a math problem looks more difficult than it really is. You must dirst
understand the problem before you attempt to solve it. It often helps to rewrite the
problem using only the important information. This makes it easier to figure out what
you must do.
Example Given the numbers 6, 2 ,3 ,1 ,4 and 5. If the second number is less then the
fourth circle the number that is the difference between the first numbers, circle the
second number.
Solution:
3. If the second number is less than the fourth number, then circle the number
that is the difference between the first and the sixth numbers. Circle the second number
if the third is less than the first. 5th no.
4. Now Consider:
6 2 3 1 4 5
1st no.
Thus, 6 2 3 1 4 5
PLANE GEOMETRY
Plane geometry deals with shapes like lines, circles and triangles . . . shapes that
can be drawn on a flat surface called a Plane.
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equal sides
. perpendicular to line CD
. A and B
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Line
A line is one of the basic terms in geometry. We may think of a line as a “straight”
Line that we might draw with a ruler on a piece of paper, except that in geometry, a line
extends forever in both directions. We write the name of a line passing through two
different points A and B as “ line AB”, the two headed arrow over AB signifying a line
passing through points A and B.
Example: The following is a diagram of two lines: line AB and line HG