Define x @ y as (x3 − y)/x, for distinct positive integers x and y. What is the value of 5 @ 10? Evaluating 5 @ 10 yields (53 − 10)/5 = (125 − 10)/5 = 115/5 = 23. Define a # b as a2 − b2 − ab, for...
Final exams often accompany the final days of school. Sherry has had four tests so far in her science class, each worth 1/6 of her final grade. She scored 87%, 89%, 92% and 91% on these tests. Her...
This plan will help Mathletes to develop a strategic approach to counting the occurrences of a certain shape in a more complex figure made of multiple intersecting lines.
This plan builds on what Mathletes already know about ratios to introduce the definition of probability as a ratio of desired outcomes to total outcomes. Mathletes will then practice calculating the...
Explore combinatorics by looking at a common type of MATHCOUNTS counting problem – counting paths between two points. End with an extension that connects counting paths to another type of combinatoric...
This plan will introduce Mathletes to The Fundamental Counting Principle – a faster method to determining the total number of possible outcomes of an event without listing them all out!