Louis Lim

A Mathematical Mosaic

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the article.

Car talk puzzler//Got pennies?

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the article. Exponents and working with large numbers are the underlying mathematical ideas this month.

Cats and dogs: calculating human age // Rounding at the register

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the article.

Discounts on discounts//Magic town

Practical concerns about advertised discounts are raised. In a 1947 movie, the demographics of a small town are perfectly matched to the nation.

Optimizing HDTV Viewing Angles//Onside Kicks

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the items. This months clips are from an ad for HDTVs, which involves trigonometry and calculus, and from a sportscast, which involves probability and the binomial distribution.

The worst day of the year? // Chopsticks

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the article. This months clips discuss misrepresented formulas.

Lotto prize.1 // Lotto prize.2

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the article. This month features two news clips on a lottery winner; the mathematics involved includes probability and combinatorics and some locus problems.

A Rare July?//Fibonacci Takes to the Air

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the article. The mathematics involved in this months clips includes the Fibonacci sequence and months with five full weekends.

World population soon to hit 7 billion // Facebook mathematics

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the article. Exponential growth is the topic of both clips this month.

Hoarding subway tokens: does the transit commission's math add up? // Voting fractions

Students analyze items from the media to answer mathematical questions related to the article. The first clip uses percents to dispute a claim by the Toronto Transit Commission about rising fares; the second questions what makes a two-thirds majority. The mathematics in both includes fractions, decimals, and percents.