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Monday, May 4, 2015

May 2-6:ISATs

CLICK HERE FOR REVIEW PACKETS


We are starting ISATs this week and will continue testing through Friday.  If you are absent any day this week, please be sure to talk to your Advisory teacher or to me as soon as you return so that you can make them up ASAP!

And please don't worry too much about these tests- 

they do NOT define you!  

You are ALL bright, wonderful, unique individuals, and the characteristics that make up the person you are can never be decided based on a computer program.  Just know that I am so immensely proud of each and every one of you, and I know you'll do the best you can do, and that's all anyone can ask!




Monday, April 27, 2015

April 27 - May 1: ISAT Review

* UPDATE: Here is the link to the Review Packets. The file is very large (70 pages) so don't print it- just work from your computer!

We begin our Math ISATs next Monday, so this week we are reviewing ALL of the concepts we have learned this year.

We have 5 unique packets we will be working on in class in groups this week to review.  Each packet is separated into the 5 main concepts, or stands, we learned this year:

  • Number System (8.NS)
  • Expressions and Equations (8.EE)
  • Functions (8.F) 
  • Geometry (8.G)
  • Statistics and Probability (8.SP).  
Each of the individual 8th Grade Idaho State Standards for Mathematics can be found in these strands.  We have covered all of them over the course of the last 8 months, but I know that many of these concepts have been forgotten or may be a bit "foggy" at this point!

There will be no take home "homework" this week- everything we do will be in class, so please make every effort to be here this week for review!

Friday, April 24, 2015

Friday, April 24: Finish Test

Today was dance day, so classes were only 35 minutes long.  Students that did not finish the test yesterday had time today to complete it.

PLEASE make sure if you that you complete the test ASAP if you were gone yesterday or today!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Thursday, April 23: Geometry Test

Today we took the Geometry Test.  If you were gone today, be sure to make that up as soon as you can!

No Homework on test days!

Monday, April 20, 2015

Monday, April 20- Wednesday, April 22: Volume

Because of  ISATs the week, we did different notes on different days in each class.

We started by reviewing how to find the volume of a rectangular prism.We created booklets that we will use today through Wednesday to keep track the formulas for each individual figure.  

Front of the booklet: each shape opens to reveal the formula and an example.


Volume of a Rectangular Prisml . . h

Volume of a Cylinder:  π r2 . h

Volume of a Cone: 1/3 π r2 . h

Volume of a Sphere 4/3 π r3


Formula s and examples for Rectangular Prism and Cylinder


Formulas and examples for Cone and Sphere.
The homework packet was assigned on Monday but not due until Thursday (test day). There were a few more challenging problems on the last page of the homework, so we worked a couple of those in the notes (see below).

Examples of more complex problems comparing the volume of one figure to another. 
Click here for this week's homework packet that is due Thursday, April 23.

Friday, April 17, 2015

Friday, April 17: Angle Relationship Quiz



Today we took a short quiz on Angle Relationships.  If you were gone today, please make sure you take that when you return on Monday.

Next week, we will spend a few days on volume, and then the Geometry Test is next Thursday!


Thursday, April 16, 2015

Thursday, April 16: Exterior Angle Theorem


Today we learned the Exterior Angle Theorem.  In crazy confusing "mathy" terms,

The measure of the exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the measures of the non-adjacent interior angles.


The notes we took in class were very helpful on this one!  We took some triangles and started by tracing them our notebooks.  Then we tore 2 of the vertices off and moved them down to the third vertex and noticed something interesting...

THE 3 VERTICES OF A TRIANGLE ARE SUPPLEMENTARY!


We discussed this and realized we kind of already knew this, since we know the interior angles of any triangle always add up to 180o (Triangle Sum Theorem). Like I said, we kind of knew this, but we never really connected this to the angles being supplementary.

We took another triangle and did the same thing, but this time we put both of the non-adjacent angles (angle A and angle B below) and laid them next to each other.  From here we determined what that crazy math theorem was actually saying made sense!

The measure of the exterior angle of a triangle is equal to the sum of the measures of the non-adjacent interior angles.



So, in other words, the measure of the angle that supplementary to Angle C (the Exterior Angle to Angle C) is equal to the measures of Angle A plus Angle B!  So the sum of Angle A and Angle B is equal to the Exterior Angle to Angle C.  

There was no new homework tonight- we had a lot of students gone for ISAT testing, so we focused mainly on making sense of this new theorem and then we spent the rest of class working on the maps that are due tomorrow.

We will also have a short quiz on Angle Relationships tomorrow, so if you have ANY questions, please be sure to ask!
 

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Wednesday, April 15

No new notes today!  We're gong to take what we've learned this week and apply it in different activities.

The first one is an in-class activity.  If you were not in class today, don't worry about completing this one!  :-)

Tonight assignment is a project you will be working on today and tomorrow.  You will create a map of Parallel City using the angles relationships we've recently learned.

This assignment is a project, so it's worth more than a typical homework.  It is due Friday, and it will be graded on accuracy and creativity.

Click here for the map activity.  Use a piece of construction paper or plain printer paper to complete this project.  Remember, it will be graded like a quiz, so do your best!

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Tuesday, April 14: Transversals

Today we learned about Transversals, and more specifically, the angles that are created when a transversal cuts through 2 or more parallel lines.

There are 3 new angle relationships we learned today:

We created a flip book for each of the new relationships (see below).  We found that Corresponding Angles, AIA, and AEA are all congruent.

Front of Flip Book Notes

Inside of Flip Book Notes


Tonight's homework was to finish the Angles Packet that was passed out yesterday.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Monday, April 13: Angle Relationships

Today we learned about Supplementary Angles, Complementary Angles, Vertical Angles, and Adjacent Angles.

We started by defining each on a piece of paper we folded into fourths.  Then we created an example for each and discussed each relationship.

Supplementary Angles: the sum of their measures is 180o.

Complementary Angles: the sum of their measures is 90o.

Vertical Angles:  Angles that are across from each other than share a vertex are congruent.

Adjacent Angles: Angles that share a common side and a vertex.  Adjacent angles are not necessarily congruent.

Examples of each are shown below in the notes we took in class.


Click here for today's homework

Friday, April 10, 2015

Friday, April 10: Quiz, and Introduction to Angles

Today we took a short quiz on Rational Numbers.  If you were not here today, make sure you take this quiz on Monday!

We started our unit on angles, and today we used protractors and practiced measuring angles.  See notes below:

We started by drawing the given angles using a protractor.

Then we measured angles and defined angle terms.

We had a quick homework assignment that most students finished in class.  This is due MONDAY for those students that did not complete it before we left for the weekend.

http://www.bestsayingsquotes.com/files/great-weekend-quotes-images-5-6afc8188.jpg

Click here for today's homework

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Thursday, April 9: Review Rational Numbers

Today we worked in partners on a Review Packet.  There were no new notes, and tomorrow we will be taking a quiz on rational numbers, so be sure to study!


http://i3.cpcache.com/product/72421018/dont_forget_to_study_button.jpg?height=225&width=225
Click her for today's homework.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

April 8: Converting Repeating Decimals to Fractions

Today we learned how to convert numbers with repeating decimals into fractions.   The notes we took in class are below, and you can watch a brief video tutorial on how to do this here.

We learned the shortcut which is a pretty quick 2 Step method:

STEP 1:  Write the digits that repeat in the numerator of a fraction. 

STEP 2:  Count how many digits are repeating.  Then write that many '9's in the denominator.


Converting Repeating Decimals into Fractions
If you have any questions, please come in before or after school or during Advisory to go over the notes.

Click here for tonight's homework

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

April 7: Rational Numbers

Today we learned about Rational Numbers and the subsets that are included.  We created a Venn Diagram of the Real Numbers and focused on those Rational Numbers. Real Numbers are the numbers we work with in math: ANY number you can think of is a real number!  In other words, they are any and all of the numbers that we can put on a number line.

As you can see below, the universe of Real Numbers has exactly 2 subsets: Rational and IrrationalEvery number is either Rational or Irrational- it's either/or.  A number can't be both.


Rational Numbers are described as any number that CAN BE represented as a fraction.  So, 0.5 is rational because it can be represented as 5/10, or 1/2 simplified. 

Inside the Rational Numbers we find Integers.  These are all of the positive whole numbers, negative whole numbers, and 0 (since 0 is neither positive nor negative!). There are no decimals and no fractions in the Integer subset.  Integers are often represented in set notation, like this:

 {… -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}

Inside the Intergers, we find Whole Numbers.  These are all the NON-NEGATIVE Integers.  But doesn't that mean the same things as Positive Whole Numbers?  Almost, except when we say Positive Whole Numbers, that doesn't include 0, and 0 is a Whole Number!  Here's what that set would like like:
 {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}


Finally, inside the Whole Numbers we find the Natural Numbers.  These are also commonly called Counting Numbers, because these are the numbers we learned when we learned to count!  The ONLY difference between Whole Numbers and Natural Numbers is the number 0; zero is a Whole Number, but it is NOT a Natural Number!   So that set looks like this:

 {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}

Lastly, we talked about those numbers that aren't Rational: The Irrational Numbers.  These are numbers that CANNOT be represented as a fraction- they are decimals that never repeat and never terminate.  Probably the most famous Irrational Number is Pi (π) as it goes on and on forever (non-terminating) and it never repeats (non-repeating).  Other Irrational Numbers are found by taking the square root of numbers that are not perfect squares: √17= 4.12310562... this is a non-repeating, non-terminating decimal, so we cannot represent it as a fraction and it is irrational.


After we defined each of these sets, we took several values and placed them in the correct subset, as seen below.


If you have ANY questions, please make sure you ask as this is brand new, and it important to have a good understanding of this concept!

Click here for tonight's homework


Monday, April 6, 2015

April 6: Welcome Back!

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_qzU4mUwAEiHDv.jpg:large
Anyone else feel this way??

I hope you all had a very restful and relaxing break, and if you went somewhere warm and tropical, I really don't want to hear about it!  :-)

Today I was out sick, so our guest teacher had a practice Performance Activity for you to do in class.  It is similar to what you might expect to see on the upcoming ISATs, so please do your best and make sure to answer ALL of the questions to the best of your abilities.  Try to be very clear when explaining your reasoning; it's better to give too much information than not enough!

This is due tomorrow, and I will be grading these as if I am grading your actual ISATs, so again,

DO YOUR BEST!!!

Click here for today's activity

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

March 24: District Assessment

DON'T FORGET CONFERENCES ARE THURSDAY, MARCH 26!


Today we took the District Assessment, and that's about it!  If you missed it, please be sure to make that up after break!

Speaking of break, here's a fun fact for you:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/97/01/92/970192ce3b88f9aa8c745dab979fde16.jpg

No, seriously.  True story :-)



SEE YOU IN APRIL!!!

http://www.quotesfrenzy.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Life-Inspiration-Quotes-Happy-Spring-Break.jpg

Monday, March 23, 2015

March 23: Review for District Assessment

Since this week is only 2 days long, there's no new learning, so no new notes!

We have our 3rd Quarter District Assessment on Tuesday, March 24, so Monday we will be reviewing for that.  And remember, the District Assessment does NOT count toward your grade- it is ONLY used by the District Office to determine how our new curriculum is working!  So don't get too stressed about it, but still try your best! 

Click here for the review activity.

Friday, March 20, 2015

March 20: UNIT 7 TEST

Today we took the Unit 7 Test.  I will pass them back on Monday, and then you have until Tuesday to make any corrections you choose to make. 

LAST DAY OF THE QUARTER IS NEXT TUESDAY, MARCH 24!


Thursday, March 19, 2015

March 19: Review for Unit 7 Test

I was gone today (darn migraines!) so the guest teacher passed out an activity for the class to do.  The problem was that she passed out the wrong activity!  Since it was my mistake (I know, I was as shocked as you that I made a mistake this year!) there was no homework tonight. 

Unit 7 test TOMORROW on Pythagorean Theorem, converse of Pythagorean Theorem, distance formula, and finding distance on a graph.

You may use your notebook on the test, but be sure to study so that you don't use your notebook as a crutch!

Have a great day, and see you tomorrow!

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

March 18: Map Activity

Today we worked on an activity that requires Pythagorean Theorem to solve a real world problem.

Students were given a map of a neighborhood in Spokane, and the premise is that a new Cable Company has opened and needs to run fiber-optic cable to provide service to the area.  The map has several diagonal segments connected at street corners, and students are to use Pythagorean Theorem to determine the lenghts of each segment of cable.  We did the first one together in class, and everyone seemed to pick up on the activity quickly.

If you were absent today, please make an effort to complete the activity using the example triangle given for #1.  If you have any questions, please be sure to come in during Advisory for help!

Click here for tonight's homework.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

March 17: Applicaiton of Pythagorean Theorem

Today we discussed when Pythagorean Theorem can actually be used in the real world.  We had several examples of real-world problems that required Pythagorean Theorem in order to solve them.  Some examples were:
  • Finding the length of the diagonal support board on a wooden gate
  • Distance from one city to another (if we knew other lengths)
  • TV sizes
  • Distance from home plate to second base

Each of these real-world scenarios requires Pythagorean's Theorem to determine a missing length.

Click here for tonight's homework

Monday, March 16, 2015

March 16: Pythagorean Theorem Proof


Today we looked problems using Pythagorean Theorem and discussed more in depth how a2 + b2 = c2.  Showing that this works every time is called a Proof.  The notes we did together in class are below:

Using the proof, we can determine missing side lengths if we know the area of the squares made by the sides.



Click here for tonight's homework.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

March 12: Distance Formula

The Distance Formula is a rather ugly looking formula.  Almost terrifying in fact.  See?

More specifically, given the two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2), the distance between these points is given by the formula above.


This is very similar to what we did yesterday when we found the distance using a graph.  No, really, it is!  Here- I'll prove it to you! Let's start with 2 arbitrary points: A and B.



We can run lines down from  A and B to create a right triangle (again exactly what we did yesterday.)  And we already know that a2 + b2 = c2 thanks to Pythagoras.



 When we label the coordinates of points A and B, we can see the the intersection of the two legs we created has the same x-value as Point A and the same y-value as point B.



 So the length of side a is equal the change in x from point B to the intersection,
the length of side b is equal the change in y from point A to the intersection.

a = x2x1   and    b = y2y1


Click here for today's homework


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

March 11: Distance on a Graph

Today we learned how to determine distance between 2 points on a graph.

In order to determine the distance on a graph, we can use Pythagorean Theorem.  First we make a right triangle so that the distance we are looking for is the hypotenuse.  If we know the length of the legs (and because it's on a graph, we do!), we can easily solve for the missing side using a2 + b2 = c2.

We did several examples in class and that sheet was secured in our math notebooks.

In each example, we drew a right triangle by using the segment given as the hypotenuse
.

Also, Progress Reports went out today, so please make sure those are SIGNED and RETURNED no later than FRIDAY, MARCH 13!  This is a homework assignment, so don't forget!



Click here for tonight's homework.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

March 10: Converse of Pythagorean Theorem

Today we looked at the Converse of the Pythagorean Theorem.

Before we do that, let's consider what the Pythagorean Theorem is, because it's not JUST a2 + b2 = c2

The Pythagorean Theorem can be written as follows:

If a triangle IS a right triangle, then a2 + b2 = c2.


The Converse states:

If a2 +b2 = c2, then the triangle IS a right triangle.

Wait... isn't that the same thing?

Nope!  Think about it this way:

If it's the weekend, then we don't have school.  

What is the converse of that statement?

If we don't have school, then it's the weekend.

Is that true?  Not necessarily!  So the converse of the Pythagorean Theorem may at first seem like the exact same thing, but it really isn't!

We can use the converse to determine if a triangle is a right triangle.  If we know the side lengths, we put them into the formula and determine if the sides do in fact create a right triangle!

Click here for tonight's homework.  

Monday, March 9, 2015

March 9: Triangle Investigation

I was gone today, so our guest teacher had an investigation for Pre-Algebra today.  Students were to cut out squares of varying sizes, and use the sides of the squares to create triangles and record the data on the sheets given.

There are many relationships with triangle side lengths and the types of triangles that are created- specifically acute, obtuse, and right triangles.

Click HERE to manipulate a triangle and change it from acute to obtuse to right!

Tomorrow we will look at the relationships we noticed and see what conjectures we can make!

See you tomorrow!

Friday, March 6, 2015

March 6: Quiz Day!

Many students were gone today for a National Junior Honor Society field trip, so we had a pretty low key day.  We started with a time Perfect Squares and Perfect Cubes quiz, and then Intro to Pythagorean Theorem quiz after that.  If students were gone on Friday, they are required to retake the Intro to Pythagorean Theorem quiz, but they DO NOT have to take the Perfect Squares and Perfect Cubes quiz unless they choose to!

Next week we are going to delve into Pythagorean Theorem and see how it is used in the real world.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, March 5, 2015

March 5: Pythagorean Theorem

Today was the first day of Pythagorean Theorem.  We learned that the sum of the squares of the legs is equal to the square of the hypotenuse.  What?  Here's a better explanation with an example:


We saw a video proof of Pythagorean's Theorem as well.  When squares are created using the sides of a right triangle, we saw that when the wheel was turned over, the water in the two squares along the legs fill the square along the hypotenuse perfectly.





The equation for solving right triangles is 


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

March 4: Equations with Square Roots

Today we learned how to solve equations by taking the square root.

We started with the equation a2 + 17 = 20




Even though the variable has an exponent, we're going to pretend it doesn't.

So how would solve the simpler equation a + 17 = 20?  We'd start by isolating the variable.

Remember 2-Step Equations from AAALLLLLLLLL the way back in September?  That's exactly what this problem is, so that's exactly how we're going to solve it!



When we subtract 17 from both sides, we eliminate the constant on the left so that the term with the variable is the only thing on that side of the equal sign.

Now we know that

a2 =4

Sooooooo, what number, when multiplied by itself, will equal 4?

If you're not sure, take the square root of each side to determine the answer!

 a = 2

Lastly, we need to substitute our answer in for the variable in the original problem to confirm our work.  Does a2 + 17 = 20 when a = 2?

 

Yes, it works!  So we know that a = 2 is the correct answer.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

March 3: Estimating Square Roots

Unit 6 Tests were returned today, so if you did not do as well as you would have liked, make sure you make your test corrections TONIGHT.  If your score was less than 70%, you are required to complete test corrections!


Today we talked about Estimating Square Roots.  In order to estimate the value of a square root of a number that is not a perfect square, it helps to first KNOW the prefect squares.


 1=
1

 22=
4

 32=
9

 42=
16

 52=
25

 62   =

36

 7=

49

 82=

64

 92=

81

102=
100

112=
121

122=

144


So if we are given the value 82, we can easily see the value will be between the integers 9 and 10, because the square root of 81 is 9, and the square root of 100 is 10.  And since 82 is much closer to 81 than it is to 100, we can also determine that the value of 82 is much closer to 9 than it is to 10.  To confirm this, we can check on a calculator.


And we can see that the square root of 82 is about 9.06, which is of course much closer to 9 than 10.



And be sure to study your perfect square and perfect cube flashcards that were passed out today.  We will be taking a quiz on those on FRIDAY, MARCH 6.

Monday, March 2, 2015

March 2: Square Roots

Happy Monday!  Today we started Unit 7: Square Roots and Pythagorean Theorem.

Today's lesson was an introduction to SQUARE ROOTS.  It's actually easier to start with SQUARES, and then talk about square roots.

To square a number, we just multiply it by itself.

For example, 5 squared = 5 × 5 = 25

When we take a number and multiply it by itself, we call the product a PERFECT SQUARE.

5 × 5 = 25

25 is a perfect square, because 5 × 5 = 25.  We can also say that 5 squared is 25.

Square roots go the other way: since 5 squared is 25, the SQUARE ROOT of 25 is 5.


A square root of a number is ...
... a value that can be multiplied by itself to give the original number.
 
A square root of 9 is ...
... 3, because when 3 is multiplied by itself we get 9.
It is like asking:
What can we multiply by itself to get this?


The first 12 squares:
1 Squared =  12 =   1 × 1 = 1
2 Squared =  22 =   2 × 2 = 4
3 Squared =  32 =   3 × 3 = 9
4 Squared =  42 =   4 × 4 = 16
5 Squared =  52 =   5 × 5 = 25
6 Squared =  62 =   6 × 6    =  36
 7 Squared= 72=7 ×7=49
 8 Squared= 82=8 ×8=64
 9 Squared= 92=9 × 9=81
10 Squared=102=10 ×10=100
11 Squared=112=11 ×11=121
12 Squared=122=12 ×12=144

Click here for today's homework

Friday, February 27, 2015

February 27: Unit 6 Test

Today was the Unit 6 Test.  If you were absent today, please be sure to talk to me on Monday to make up the test.

Monday we are starting Unit 7: Pythagorean Theorem.  We will start with square roots: we will learn about perfect squares, estimating and rounding square roots,  and then work into solving equations with square roots.  From there, we will jump into Pythagorean Theorem and solving Right Triangles.
There are only 17 days left in 3rd quarter, so make sure if you are missing work, you get that done and turned in QUICKLY!  All of the homework from Unit 6 can be found here.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, February 26, 2015

February 26: Review for Unit 6 Test

We are taking the Unit 6 Test tomorrow, so today we spent the class period reviewing the topics that will be covered.  We did not take any notes but instead went through several problems on the homework packet.


FUN FACTS FOR FRIDAY:

One of the most interesting Number Patterns is 
To build the triangle, start with "1" at the top, 
then continue placing numbers below it in a triangular pattern. 

Each number is the two numbers above it added together 
(except for the edges, which are all "1").

(Here I have highlighted that 1+3 = 4)

Patterns Within the Triangle

Diagonals

The first diagonal is, of course, just "1"s, and the next diagonal has the Counting Numbers (1,2,3, etc).
The third diagonal has the triangular numbers.
(The fourth diagonal, not highlighted, has the tetrahedral numbers.)

Fibonacci Sequence

Try this: make a pattern by going up and then along, then add up the values (as illustrated) ... you will get the Fibonacci Sequence. 










(The Fibonacci Sequence starts "0, 1" and then continues by adding the two previous numbers, for example 3+5=8, then 5+8=13, etc)

Click here for today's homework


Wednesday, February 25, 2015

February 25: Operations with Scientific Notation

Today was a short day because of Career Day, so we quickly went over how to multiply and divide numbers in Scientific Notation.

1.  Rule for Multiplying:


(c × 10a) × (d × 10b)  = (c × d) × 10a+b


Multiply the factors and the ADD THE EXPONENTS 




2.  Rule for Dividing:

(c × 10a÷ (d × 10b) = (c ÷ d) × 10a-b

Divide the factors and then SUBTRACT THE EXPONENTS




Remember we have our Unit 6 test THIS FRIDAY!


Click here for today's homework

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

February 24: Scientific Notation 2

Today we had a special guest at school and during 3rd period, the entire 8th grade watched Rachel Atkins from Living Voices perform Through the Eyes of a Friend.  Because of this, 3rd Period classes missed the lesson, and only 1st and 4th periods did the activity and assignment.  If you are in 3rd period, you DO NOT need to complete this activity, though you can for extra credit!

Remember: UNIT 6 TEST THIS FRIDAY!
Topics that will be on the test:


Monday, February 23, 2015

February 23: Scientific Notation

Today we started the final segment in this unit: Scientific Notation.  Scientific Notation is another way to represent REALLY BIG or really small numbers, like the numbers that are typically seen in science.


For example, the distance from Earth to the Sun is 

92,960,000 miles.

In Scientific Notation, this number is written as    9.296 x 107

Scientific Notation gives us a way to compare magnitude of very large or very small numbers.  We found that it was easier to understand Scientific Notation when we actually did a few examples.  The more we tried to explain the concept, the more confusing it got! So here are the notes we took in class- we did several examples going both from Standard Form to Scientific Notation, and then Scientific Notation to Standard Form.  

Click here to download today's homework.  

Friday, February 20, 2015

February 20: MATHO

Today, we corrected homework and turned in our homework records. After that was situated, we played a game called MATHO. It is just like bingo, but you write down math answers and solve the questions read to you. If you were absent today, you were excused from the activity- there is nothing to make up!

Next week, we will finish Unit 6 by learning about Scientific Notation on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then we will review on Thursday for the Unit 6 Test will be on Friday.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Thursday, February 19, 2015

February 19: More with Negative Exponents

Today we looked at a few more complex expressions and simplified them.  The idea was to get rid of the negatives by dividing.  Mrs. Corkins and Mr. Alexander both gave different notes, so both are attached to this post in the hopes that if you were still a bit confused after today's lesson, maybe seeing some additional notes from the other class will help!


Here are the notes that Mrs. Corkins gave. 




These are the notes from Mr. Alexander.



Click here for today's homework.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

February 18: Negative Exponents

Today we learned about negative exponents.  Yesterday when we discussed zero exponents, we discovered that if the exponent is decreased, we divide by the base.  This pattern continues down from zero into the negatives!  So if a base is raised to a negative, it does not give a negative number, but it continues to divide by the base!


Rule:

x -m  =    1  
            x m

for any value x other than zero






Tuesday, February 17, 2015

February 17: Properties of Exponents

YAY FOR 3-DAY WEEKENDS!

We jumped right back into exponents today with looking at zero powers.  The rule is: 

ANY value raised to the zero power will ALWAYS equal ONE (except zero)


Funny that zero is the only exception to the zero exponent rule- hopefully that will make it that much easier to remember!

Here are the notes we took in class- they are pretty short, but they show why anything raised to the zero power is 1: as the exponents increase, we know that means to multiply the base by itself that many times. The greater the exponent, the more times we multiply.  The opposite is also true: as the exponents decrease, we determined that tells us that we need to divide by the base. This will be true for any and every value except zero.




For homework tonight, we have a review worksheet. Click here to download today's homework.   Tomorrow we will learn about negative exponents... think about how we went from 51 to 50.  What did we do?  What do you think will happen when we go from 50 to 5-1 ? Then 5-2 ?