Comments on: Ugh..MATH AGAIN! http://serendipitymommy.com/misc/ugh-math-again/ Wed, 23 May 2012 16:23:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Bambi M http://serendipitymommy.com/misc/ugh-math-again/comment-page-1/#comment-535 Bambi M Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:21:49 +0000 http://serendipitymommy.com/2009/09/04/ugh-math-again/#comment-535 There's a neat trick for multiplying positives and negatives which hubby explained to me - If you have negative numbers, rotate ONE of their signs and overlay with the other! Sounds odd, right? Say you're multiplying 3 by 4 - they're both positive, +3 * +4. Rotation is irrelevant since they're positive and when you overlay the signs they vanish, so you've got a positive result, +12. Now multiply -3 by 4. -3 * +4. Rotate the minus (so it's a |) and overlay, the | cancels the | of the + and you're left with a -. -3 * 4 is -12. Multiplying by two negatives works the same way. -3 * -4, rotate the FIRST minus and you get |, overlay with the - and it makes a +. -3 * 4 = +12. There's other tricks you can try and remember too - Two wrongs DO make a right in math, One wrong turn and one right turn always makes the wrong destination, stuff like that. As for retaining things, practice, practice, practice! Get friends or family to make up problems to solve, multiply items on your shopping receipt together and include any deductions for coupons/discounts for your negative number practices. You can easily check your work with a calculator later to see if you're right :) Hopefully that's helpful! There’s a neat trick for multiplying positives and negatives which hubby explained to me – If you have negative numbers, rotate ONE of their signs and overlay with the other! Sounds odd, right?

Say you’re multiplying 3 by 4 – they’re both positive, +3 * +4. Rotation is irrelevant since they’re positive and when you overlay the signs they vanish, so you’ve got a positive result, +12.

Now multiply -3 by 4. -3 * +4. Rotate the minus (so it’s a |) and overlay, the | cancels the | of the + and you’re left with a -. -3 * 4 is -12.

Multiplying by two negatives works the same way. -3 * -4, rotate the FIRST minus and you get |, overlay with the – and it makes a +. -3 * 4 = +12.

There’s other tricks you can try and remember too – Two wrongs DO make a right in math, One wrong turn and one right turn always makes the wrong destination, stuff like that.

As for retaining things, practice, practice, practice! Get friends or family to make up problems to solve, multiply items on your shopping receipt together and include any deductions for coupons/discounts for your negative number practices. You can easily check your work with a calculator later to see if you’re right :)

Hopefully that’s helpful!

]]> By: Amanda http://serendipitymommy.com/misc/ugh-math-again/comment-page-1/#comment-534 Amanda Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:05:34 +0000 http://serendipitymommy.com/2009/09/04/ugh-math-again/#comment-534 I wish I had some tips and tricks. I loved math, but hated literature and history classes because there was so much reading and memorizing with no hands on work like math and science. I wish I had some tips and tricks. I loved math, but hated literature and history classes because there was so much reading and memorizing with no hands on work like math and science.

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