inspired by lilavati volume 2.0
DESCRIPTION
A collection of Math poems by grade 8 students at the Canadian International School of Hong KongTRANSCRIPT
LilavatiVolume 2.0
Inspired by
Math Poems byGrade 8 Students
CDNIS 2010-2011
Inspired by Lilavati
Math Poems
by
Grade 8 Students
CDNIS 2010-2011
Inspired by Lilavati
Editors:
Ms. Hillary DanielsMichael LiDaphne PangJun PangFrances Sun
Grade 8 Math Teachers:
Ms. Hillary DanielsMr. Michael LucianiMs. Rebecca Stewart
Layout & Cover Design:
Jane ChowCynthia ChanMonica NgMs. Hillary Daniels
Special thanks to Saeed Rahman and Aaron Metz for the technical support. We could not have done this without you.
Dedicated to
John D’Arcy
and
Linda Trautman,
whose gentle nature, strong leadership,
and unwavering support will be greatly missed.
TABLR OF CONTENTS
ContentsForeword ......................................................................... 9 Introduction ........................................................................ 11
JuniorReady to Dance Heather Warning ........................................... 15Superior Survival Lindy Wong ................................................. 17Fishy Math Elton Wong ............................................................ 19The Angel’s Feathers Megan Shum ......................................... 21Puppy Love Janice Choi .......................................................... 23Juliet and Romeo Zoe Koong................................................... 25Kittens Astray Alex Dopp.......................................................... 27Tears of the Clouds Andrea Ma................................................ 29
IntermediateThe Blue Guitar Jun Pang.......................................................... 33Starlight Cherri Wong ................................................................ 35Got a Sweet Tooth? Daphne Pang ........................................... 37Birds in the Tree Frances Sun .................................................. 39Party Time! Kelly Wong ............................................................ 41Contest for the Brightest Kristy Chan ........................................ 43Give Me Gum Gum Dum Dum Michelle Wong..................... 45Prey Gerald Kwok ..................................................................... 47Mystery Monkeys Jessica Nip. ................................................. 49Can I have Some More? Joyce Chau ....................................... 51Stars Cynthia Chan .................................................................. 53
Advanced Candy Candy Candy Michael Li .............................................. 57Jack and Jill Ashley Wat .......................................................... 59The Algebraic Oak Daniel Ng .................................................. 61On the Seashore of Endless Meetings Tiffani Wong ............. 63Muffin Madness Veronica Li .................................................... 65Flower Power Enzo Cheng...................................................... 67A Field of Daffodils Joyce Wong.............................................. 69Seashells Gary Ge .................................................................. 71
Solutions ............................................................................. 75
9
Foreword
CDNIS’ 2010- 2011 Grade 8 class is comprised of an amazing group of mathematicians and artists. As seen in the subsequent pages of this book, these students clearly know how to merge the unlikely combination of beauty, creativity and algebra.
These students created original poems that, through their vivid imaginations and a little ingenuity, were based on algebraic equations. The creation of this algebraic poetry, however, was only the beginning. Through the CDNIS design cycle process, these students were introduced to InDesign, a desktop computer application, to artistically illustrate their work. Throughout this project, students investigated the elements and principles of design, created two experimental designs, and then put it all together to craft a beautifully illustrated algebraic poem.
The poetry that fills the subsequent pages is the product of the integration of Middle Years Programme Math and Technology. We hope that through the hard work of our students, you will find the poetic beauty in algebra. Enjoy!
Ms. Rebecca Stewart
June, 2011
11
INTRODUCTION
Poetry? In Math?! Yes, indeed! In India, long before there were textbooks, as we now know them, math and astronomy books were written entirely in verse. This comes from an ancient tradition of passing knowledge from generation to generation in spoken, rather than written
form in order to prevent the lower castes from learning- text in verse is much easier to memorize.
A fifth part of a swarm of bees came to reston the flower of Kadamba,
a third on the flower of Silinda.Three times the difference between these two numbers
flew over a flower of Krutaja,and one bee alone remained in the air,
attracted by the perfume of a jasmine in bloom.Tell me, beautiful girl, how many bees were in the swarm?
The poem above comes from Lilavati, the arithmetic portion of the Siddantasiromani, an astronomy text written by Bhaskara (1114-1185), a well-known Indian astronomer and mathematician, for his daughter, Lilavati. Bhaskara, with his astronomical skill, had calculated the perfect time for his daughter to be married, of which she kept careful track with a water clock. Just near the time she was to be wed, she looked over the clock and a pearl from her headdress dropped into it, blocking the flow of the water. Before she realized what had happened, the time for her marriage had passed! Of course, Bhaskara, being the loving father that he was, felt terribly for his beautiful daughter and to console her he named a portion of his book, Lilavati, after her.
Centuries later, how is Lilavati relevant? Students in the 21st century have been left with big problems, and mathematics offers an approach to finding answers to complex questions. The modern way of doing math - algebra - is extremely powerful but to an eighth grader in math class it can be dry. To a mathematician it is beautiful. To give students a feeling of how mathematics can be beautiful we have given them an opportunity to return to a more poetic approach to math. It is great fun and hopefully gives them an appreciation for the more logic-based rules of modern algebra.
In Poems in the Style of Lilavati you will find a range of problems and we hope that whatever your ability is in math, in the following pages you too will be able to see the beauty in algebra.
Namaste,
Ms. Hillary Daniels
June, 2010
JUNIOR
15
17
We’re too large and too weak,
Whatever will we do?
Began with eight then we duplicate,
We can’t take it anymore.
We needed to part, to be smart,
We now divide into four.
We found a new place,
It was a long, unbearable search,
And oh what I saw to my face.
I now see that my group
Had taken in ten new members,
But we must get rid of a few.
So this tragically happened that December,
Two people to the power of two,
They were banished without a glimpse of a clue.
Those banished began a tribe next door,
They had more with a whole tribe of X people,
They looked stronger and tougher,
It angered me to my very core.
Yes I had refused more members before,
But this was an exception I had to take,
And so I took one half of their total the
very next day.
And you know, my friend, what my group
ended up with?
Thirty men along with twenty-two women.
As you know now,
X people were in that neighboring tribe,
What was X before I took some
To help keep mine in thrive?
Super
ior
Survival
19
Fishy Math
Elton Wong 8B
A school of fish, swimming in the sea,Swimming, O so happilyOne fifth was speared,Two fourths became food, and six fish remained, Saved by a stroke of luck.Tell me, random reader,How many fish were there in the sea?
21
Way above the azure sky,On a cloud lies a girl.
A girl with a pink fluffy feathered halo,Wearing a rose satin knee-length dress,And a pair of wings with ten thousand feathersWhiter than the sky in early morning,Whiter than the clouds floating,Feathery and light.
Gently, softly, quietly,She flap her fragile wings,Manoeuvring onto another soft fine cloud.
Nine squared feathers detach themselves from their home, Floating down into the vast land below.Another eleven follows along,One regrets and follows the wind back to its home.The feathers like falling snow,Dissolve into the snow in the land below.
The girl spreads her wings, Then closing them back,Going into a deep sleep on the cloud.But as she does that, Eight divided by two feathers say ‘It’s time to leave!’Woooosh,They go down, down, and down,Trying to find another wing to live on.
The girl wakes up,Finding several feathers missing.With the snap of her finger,Eight feathers suddenly appear on her wings.
The girl once again moves,Soaring through the sky,Searching for a specific cloud,A gold coloured cloud,Her home.
On the way,She loses the square root of four multiplied by six feathers.Slowly, The light white blinding feathers turn invisible,Hiding themselves away from other feathers.
Now,The girl arrives home, She turns around seeing that many of her feathers disappeared,But accidentally makes an unknown number of feathers fall off,But she knows that that number of feathers that she has left right now is equal to nine hundred and seventy-nine of that unknown plus a hundred and one.
Can you find the number of feathers she has lost when she turned around?
The Angel’s FeathersBy: Megan Shum
23
25
Jul i e t and Romeo
Long, long agoThere was once a boy named Romeo
He came from a city called Tokyoto search for a cupid’s bow
Then, in a place near Mexico,he went to a TV show
People made him solve some ratiosAnd Romeo did not know
He said, “Give me another chance,Then I will go find my romance!”
Now, find the unknown number Romeo got correct on
First, plus the unknown number of questions by 3
and multiply by 2 squaredDivide all by 10 times -2
It equals -2 The unknown number is less than 30
27
Kittens AstrayAn even litter of kittens were sitting in a rowHalf of them ran away; oh no!Another eight followed close,Leaving one-sixth of the hostOf cats; their mother was too distressedTo remember how many there were before they left?
Alex Dopp 8B
29
tearsof the cloudsI feel misplaced,Encased in a robust exterior.Struggling to escape what they wish for me to be,What I am told to be.Running wild,And all my desires compiled,I found shelter.Roofed under an insecure top,Chilly breezes wafted against my skin,And goose bumps formed within.As I faced the wind,The frost transformed my state of mind,And I began to watch the rain.
Suddenly, a hasty downfall of heaps of raindrops fell to the ground.Unsure how many - but ofprofound racket.As it calmed, ten raindrops plopped on down,Down the pipe that appearedcaramel brownDrip, drop.The droplets shared equally by five, amongst the bleak concrete ground,Splattering down, they're greeted by sixty-eight more raindrops divided by four to the power of threediminished by sixty-one.But see now, it has just begun.The noise was piercing, like amachine gun.
Boom!All that has fallen is multiplied by fifteen.Then silence..As if the clouds were mocking me, their crying came to a halt.But I continued to observe.. and my head felt serene..
Equivalent to the previousdroplets, more raindropscontinued to plummet...The clouds rolled in, unbound as thee,Another deluge came pouring down, the product of four and the last unknown,Left only debris for the others to see.I sat in distress,About to depart..But the echoes of the dropletsenticed me nevertheless.A couple more seemed to seep from the clouds, five I think..Yes, five to the power of two went clink.The drops united, shrinking their quantity by the product of twenty and the square root of twenty-five..More tears didn't arrive.Had this been the end?Bewildered by the clouds, perplexed by their tears..I began to marvel..How many raindrops fell during the premier?
By: Andrea Ma
intermediate
33
Strolling up a mountain pass (Doubtless, their van ran out of gas) Three musicians, from yonder far Came across a blue guitar.
The first musician was one of class, She ignored the guitar for she played brass, But the other two, they weren’t so nice They didn’t think their money did suffice.w One grabbed the neck, the other the bow Until they heard a menacing blow From the sky, and then they heard the sound Of a song being played, all around.“ Mortals, if you are to have the guitar fair Woven out of laurel, oak and angel’s hair Answer my questions, you better be nervous Don’t do yourself an enormous disservice I want to know how many notes must be strummed In order to match the beat of the drums.”
“Now, Fiddler,
before you’re added to chocolate cake mixWhat’s thesquare root of two hundred and fifty six Divided by the square root of sixteen,don’t bescaredAnd subtract that quotient from theundeclaredAnswer that was not prepared from the cowardly Piper.”The Fiddler knew not what to doAnd so a gust of wind strongly blewHim to the East, where grew woods of pineChocolate trees and fountains of wine.
“Brass player, as you are lastTell me an answer, make it fast, Take the answers of the questions
asked to the two that didn’t survive,And add twenty five times a number divided by fiveThe answer to all this madness is simpleEasy as pie, or popping a pimpleIn fact you may even say its funIt’s the sum of six times the variable and twenty oneTell me dear, what’s the value of the numberElse I’ll put you into a everlasting slumber.”
If you
want the
brass player
to surviveOr if
you want the
other two to be revivedUse what
your teacher is teaching you in Grade 9If you didn’t listen, you’ve crossed the bottom lineAnswer the riddle, help
the musicians win a guitarSave some souls while you’re at it
And train your math skills from afar.
Tell me now, Piper, also known as
ElizabethWhat’s the product of
six times a
squared numberAnd six hundred times
one twentiethSplit up into
thirty pieces of lumberHurry up now,
don’t put me into slumberAnswer me quick,
Or else I’ll turn you
into a brick!”Faltering, stuttering,
the Piper fell to his knees
And with that, there came a
gentle breeze
It blew the Piper
far awayOnly two musicians
were to
stay.
The
Blue
Guitar
35
Sitting there,Gazing up at the tormenting sky.I sat there for five hours,
And one may ask why.You see,Everything was different, Not all was usual…
In the first hour, I saw seven stars shower, Equally distributed amongst the black atmosphere.Nothing seems odd,Things seem clear,Yet,The amount of shooting stars soaring past was incredible.Eight was the number.Eight!The stars sat there, blinking back, as if they knew me…Tick tock…Tick tock...Tick tock…
Time flew by,The second hour has come,I gazed up again and counted twelve new stars shining fiercely,Sitting beside the others I’ve seen previously.After counting the twelve,I saw three stars diminish,Never to be seen again.The world could sometimes be such a mysterious place…Tick tock…Tick tock…Tick tock…
An hour passed, I held my head up and saw…Something ridiculous,Something miraculous,Something that made me stare in awe.
The number of stars that’s left was the original amount of stars divided by six,Fascinated, I sat there,My heart pounded like a drum.An hour ago, I was counting the beautiful starlight,Shining, oh so bright.Now all that’s left is barely none...Tick tock…Tick tock…Tick tock…
I was still looking towards the now non-visible mountains,Still dreaming in my fantasies,Hiding myself with an invisible curtain,When all of a sudden,Boom!The number of stars was increased by x times theamount before.Boom!It goes again!Now the stars is larger by three squared.I turned my head around,And realized there were even more stars, Following me.Behind me was the same number of stars in front of me, Which was equal to 81 increased by x.Somehow my eyes felt heavy, And I drifted away…Tick tock…Tick tock…Tick tock…
Now you see why everything was different,Not all was usual,But here I am after five hours of endless encounters,So tell me,How many stars remain in the night sky?
Starlight
Cherri Wong 8F
37
Chocolate : food preparation,
In the form of a paste or solid block,
Made from roasted and ground cacao seeds,
Typically sweetened, maybe hardened like rock.
It is awesome, so I always have a huge supply. ☺
From this unknown amount I own
I get more scrumptious bars of chocolate.
I buy 6 times a half of the bars I had, in the Chocolate
Zone.
These mouthwatering treats I treasure,
Like it so much I may get sick of it soon.
No matter if it’s in solid or liquid form,
I’d lick it off my spoon.
With my total amount,
I decide to get 18 times 5 tenths, of this galore.
I’m still not satisfied.
I intend to buy the square of 3 more.
Caramel, nut, toffee, and chocolate,
They are all so yummy.
I would not hesitate,
To use these to fill my tummy.
Sharing is caring,
So I split my goodies into three.
Then with what I have remaining,
I give one to my sister, mom, and dad, my direct family tree.
This final quantity is equivalent to
My original amount less than 26
How much did I originally have?
Got a Sweet Tooth?
39
The Birds in the Tree
On a plain summer day in July,Oh when the air was aromatic and sweet.There was a big oak tree standing,Across the highway street.
Perched upon the branches,Hidden within the leaves,Were birds of all shapes and sizes,Enjoying the summer breeze.
Then two times of the number of birds perched on the tree,Flew in to have a rest,And the square of the differenceOf three and the original number of birds,Decided to perch near the nest.
Suddenly the loud honking from the truck,Alarmed the birds, I might say,Divide it all by 4, and with luck,You’ll find the number of birds that remained.The birds that remained,Is equal to the square,of half of the original number of birds,Calculate with care!
Now tell me dear children,Playing so happily under the oak tree,How many birds were there originally,Perched upon the tree?
By Frances Sun
41
Party TIME!There was a party, where food was here and there.A flattish pizza popped, and it didn't smell nice,Because there were many ingredients on the pizza.The unknown number of ingredients on it increased by 3, the sum multiplied by 2 was on the pizza.How did it come? Wishy washy, I don't know.The ingredients on top was divided equally with 18 cutsI smelt it mmm...real good real good, no mashed ducks,I guess that's really just my luck.
Not enough, we're gonna eat till we're buff.As well as the pizza was a cupcake, with the unknown number of ingredients plus 2-blueberries on it,Hoping we'd have a war of just something real lame,Just because...They split the cupcake in 6 times a square
root of 9 ingredients.And when I got the first lick, I spitted on Tick.It tasted so bad, I almost got sick.
Also, on this side was a fruit cupcake that was very well baked.Now 3 plus the number of ingredients were there, but 2 of them got lost.Do Do it, or you'll get boxed.This small fruit cupcake was split in 9 cuts.Let's play a game, which is not the same.Let's find the number of ingredients,Don't be the laziest, before we go our craziest.
Take all this and multiply it by 2.Munching and Crunching, loving the taste,Bob looked at me with a degree of disgrace.
The ingredients on that side is equivalent to this side, admit it.There was a big bubbly stomach-turning spit,And 3 multiplied by the unknown number of ingredients got diminished by 3,Because it got munched away,Crazily getting crunched by the big hungry cats.Which was, somewhat sane.The cats at last got a tummy pain,Which to them had no gain.This spit got split in 9 bubbles.
43
Contest for the
Brightest
Five stars entered a contest,To be the best among all stars,
a strive to see who's the brightest,The brightest of them all.The stars then multiplied by a shining bunch,Then one single dim star drops out feeling crunched.Then all that multiplied by four,Now they are a ready bunch.
One star shined the brightest of them all,
Making the others feel ridged and rough.They go their separate ways,Dividing five plus two squared.Forever leaving the others,Away just to stare.
Now there are sixteen stars in a race,
Plus an extra square root of nine retrace.Then four dull stars, multiplied by the shining bunchDrop out of the race and paced.Now tell me before you go,To get the correct amount of stars in the race,How many stars were in the shining bunch?
Look! I'm A
BROKEN Star!
Kristy Chan 8F
45
Bubblegum, bubble gum, in a dish.How many pieces do you wish?
Dum dum. You give me gum gum. Or you in trouble, Dum dum. And you better run run.
Just give me a few of those mouthwatering goodies,And I’ll be sure to tell you how much I need.
But I’m not greedy, don’t take me wrong.With the number I desire, bring five more along, Then equally distribute it amongst 2 to the power of 2, And multiply the quotient by six, Don’t you find these bubblegum treats,So remarkably and flavorful and sweet?I just can’t wait, they’re going to be so great. So please don’t bring these delicious treats in late!Time ticks quickly, tick tok tick tok tickDon’t waste anymore time, Or else my gum will turn lime!
Fine, tell you what, another way to find what I crave,Is to know about my friend Dave.
He started out with the same number as me,Then he subtracted that from 6, you see,Because he got caught by bees, Then all that was divided by three.After that, he added eleven more, When he started doing his chores.
Finally, the number of gum he had was the same as I wanted,Oh bubble gum, bubble gum, you’re my fav!
So start figuring out how much I fancy, Please get working on this, you dum dumSo you can hurry up and give me gum gum.
Give Me Gum Gum Dum Dum
47
PreyA pack of Arctic foxes, their majestic pelts glittering in the moonlight,
Trotted through the icy tundra, their paw prints littering the soft
white snow.
Suddenly, one of the foxes let out a large howl –
Prey had been sighted.
Perched upon a few barren trees by the shoreline,
Was a flock of forty-eight seabirds, their cries erupting into the si-
lent Arctic night.
When the seabirds spotted the formidable pack, stealthily moving
towards them,
Thirty-seven of the seabirds escaped and flew away into the
boundless ocean,
Whilst the remaining seabirds bravely stayed
In a valiant but futile attempt to protect their eggs.
Surrounded on all sides, they were brutally slain,
And became the foxes’ delicious supper.
When the number of Arctic foxes is combined with the number of
seabirds they killed, and then divided by the cube of two,
The result is equal to the number of foxes subtracted by fifty-two.
So tell me, young child,
What is the number of Arctic foxes,
In the daunting pack?
Gerald Kwok
49
51
Joyce Chau 8E
can i have
some moreRumble rumble their tummies grumbleSqueak squeak...
This morning I found only a few seeds leftLittle Coffee looked at me with begging eyesSo I put five seeds in his dishBut Coffee asked for more
Reluctantly I left ten times the total by the doorI divided them to five pilesSo he wouldn't eat it all at once
Coffee put them back togetherAnd ate three of the totalThen split the rest to seven pilesOne for each day of the week
You may be wonderingHow many sunflower seeds did he start with?Well, lets look at Coffee's friend Toffee...
He started off with the number Coffee had left, which isn't a lotSo I gave him the product of three squared and the total
But poor young Toffee ate ten sunflower seedsAnd moaned sorrowfully so I checked carefullyAnd found that the seeds were rotten
So I and took out the forty that were nastyToffee looked at me with begging eyesHe seemed to be saying"Can I have just a little wittle more"I only found eight left in the bagAnd gave it all to him
Sick Toffee knew he couldn't eat it allSo split them to seven pilesJust like his old friend Coffee
How many sunflower seeds did Coffee and Toffee start with?By now you should knowSo tell me, tell me please...
53
StarsTwilight comes,
Farewells to the last drop of sun .Right there, beyond the rainbow,
Darkness fills the sky.
Stars shining,Twinkling up above.
Children full of hope,Wishing upon a wishing star.
Two children Counting those sparks together,A little boy starts with a number of stars in the sky
And was multiplied by the square root of six hundred andtwenty five,But then eight squared faded in dark.
Clouds came,And divided the sky by three with different colors.
Another three times of the number of stars .Vanished when blue birds flew.
In the other side of the world,A little girl sat below a tree.
Stared at the stars,And begin her count.
There were four little stars shining above,And was squared
When the clouds flew away,and she doubled her count.
They each counted their numbers.Although the children are not together,
They know that their count is always equal to each other,And they actually found the same answer.
When all was through,They were still confused
By the number the first kid started with,So could you help them to figure it out?
Cynthia Chan 8D
advanced
Candy, candy, I love candy,sweet and tasty, yummy and dandy,But before I eat my candy treat,I better count the candies I will eat.
25 of the candy I have combined with 35,mmmmm..., all this snack makes me alive.Divided by 5 times the candy I've got,hey, that sounds like a lot!
and now, add 3 to the quotient,uh oh, it's getting harder at the moment.Now square all that, and multiply by eight-ninths of it.even if it's getting harder however, don't quit!
Now take away two-cubed from our expres-sion,and get the sixth-root of all that,and we get a nice little two,that makes me and you happy too.
Whew, all that talking makes me tired.Now, my dear fellow readers,can you get the amount of candy I've ac-quired,so I can eat my candy?
Candy Candy Candy !!!
By: Michael Li 8D
57
Candy, candy, I love candy,sweet and tasty, yummy and dandy,But before I eat my candy treat,I better count the candies I will eat.
25 of the candy I have combined with 35,mmmmm..., all this snack makes me alive.Divided by 5 times the candy I've got,hey, that sounds like a lot!
and now, add 3 to the quotient,uh oh, it's getting harder at the moment.Now square all that, and multiply by eight-ninths of it.even if it's getting harder however, don't quit!
Now take away two-cubed from our expres-sion,and get the sixth-root of all that,and we get a nice little two,that makes me and you happy too.
Whew, all that talking makes me tired.Now, my dear fellow readers,can you get the amount of candy I've ac-quired,so I can eat my candy?
Candy Candy Candy !!!
By: Michael Li 8D
59
Up the hill went Jack a
nd Jill
This game was their tradition.
And Jack just couldn’t
be still.So they joined the com
petition.But, only t
wo players joined,
That is…, Jack and Jill.
Players were to go to
the well,Collect as
many buckets as they can,
And make sure no buck
ets fell,As the pla
yers ran.Jack collec
ted twenty-four, but it was
too too heavy,s
o he carried half of it inst
ead
Oh my, oh my, five buc
kets fell in the well!
Jack was mad yes that
was no doubt.
He drank an unknown amount of his
buckets of water, until he was swell,
Oh uh, look out.
Cause Jill is about to
win the game.
Looking at her poor, old
brother,Jill gave t
wo times three squared
of her buckets to Jack
.
Indeed, she was a gene
rous sister.Surely, something she d
idn’t seem to lack.
To repay her, Jack colle
cted thirteen buckets
But darn it! We forgot to count how
many how many Jill had bef
ore!
However, one thing I kn
ow for sure,That the a
mount of buckets Jack dra
nk, Is the same as the am
ount Jill collected.
Find the unknown, and you will be t
hanked.
Ashley Wat 8F
Jack and Jill
61
63
TIFFANI WONG 8F
On the seashore of endless meetings,The sun was up and beatingIts rays of warmth Up way up north.The infinite sky was motionlessBut the coast was boisterousOn the seashore of endless meetings
By the seaside, the rocks sat stillAnd up by the hillStood three squared of children Joyfully searching for blue billed herons.Curious as another bunch wereSeeing what fun looking for birds stirsApproached and joinedFlipping a coin,Increasing the number of kids by four squared.But soon enough it was kept on the shelfWhen people had return to their hiveAnd the group divided equally into five
On the other side of the seashore of endless meetingsThe square root of twenty-five number of kids, Went down near the shoreline to hunt for squidsThe water was clearAnd the great squids appearedTogether with the square root of thirty-six youngsters, Number of people in the mixMore people cameMaking there the sum to the power of two By the seashore of endless meetings
With this many peopleThe groups divided into threeSeeing if they can find anything else in the sea.
By the seashore of endless meetings,All the children together, gathered by the rocks, greetingThey built their houses with sand,Gathering shells with their sand-covered handsWith withered leavesThey weaveTheir boatsLetting them floatOn the vast deep.Watching the sun sleep.x number of children had to go homeAs a result, only forty-two x children were left roamingFinally, tell me thisSo we can end with a sigh of bliss How many children left the groupAnd how many of forty-two were still in the troopOn the seashore of endless meetings;The seashore of greetings.
On the Seashore of Endless Meetings
65
Muffin MadnessBy Veronica Li 8A
A certain amount of muffins is stacked on a plate.Three are taken by someone who just ate.
The host took the muffins, thinking, “This isn’t fair,To please the guests, the remaining must be squared!”
The chef accidentally made four times more, So he ate half of them. After all, what are they for?
On a new day, the same amount of muffins was baked,But the chef made double the number by mistake,The waiter tripped, and nine fell to the floor,So the remaining were taken, just like before,
To the chef, who then multiplied it by the very first amountAnd baked three more, for he simply did not count.
The final number of muffins, I must say,Is the same as the final of the first day.
So tell me, mathematical genius that you are,How many muffins were there from the start?
67
Spring passed and summer is soon,Trees turned green and flowers bloomed.Bees and butterflies out in the sky,Dancing around flowers up and high.A group of bees met with the flowers,
Not long, two squared of bees took power.Dawn arrived, and dusk is close,
But suddenly, two times of the resting bees came and greeted hello.
Night fall and it was cold,The bees were divided into groups of fours as told.
So, tell me, my fellow friend,How many bees were in the beginning, but not the end.
FLOWER POWEREnzo Cheng 8B
69
A Field of DaffodilsTwo yellow buds, perched up in a old oak tree,Were daffodils, swaying ever so gently and free.On a sunny-bright day of a warm mid summ-ah,They lightened the air with their sweet aroma.The daffodils bore a great family, Blessed with children, of the square root of eighty-one, quite naturally.They were all different – not all of them sweet,One was bitter, one was sly, one hid behind a tree root, why she’s ever so shy!But as you may already know, all children must grow,And soon those daffodils, had children of their own.A third of the children though, still innocent and carefree,The thought of having a child still made them a bit queasy.Half of the remaining, who thought they could take up the weight,Were delighted when each had daffodils, of the cube two.And the final third were privileged with children four each,They were all beautiful children, a pleasure to teach.
One sunny morning, in the vibrant sunlight of spring,Daffodil seeds descended from the sky, as the birds began to sing.Cousins, carried by the wind, were here to stay for good. Why they came here, no one had ever understood,But there was something they were all sure of:That morning, daffodils the cube of four came flying from above,And it was amazing.
As the fact that children must grow,It is also true, that everything will eventually become old.One solemn day, with not a single drop of rain,Sixteen daffodils, wilted away.No longer yellow, no longer vibrant, and nothing left unsaid,They gradually fell to the ground, brown, and quite dead.
As the years go on, the original family of daffodils become a field of yellow,And by the end of winter, they had long multiplied by four, into a grand field of flower fellows.But when drought came along, sadness lingered close by.An unknown “y” amount of daffodils, gathered their families to bade their goodbyes.
Now, my dear friend,I thank you for sticking with me all along, and I hope you’ve comprehend.I ask of you then,If the sum of twenty “y”, and one hundred forty-nine was equal to the number of yellow flowers,Then, my friend,You must give me your wisdom to lend,
How many daffodils, left during the drought?
Written and Created by: Joyce Wong 8F
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x
71
I met a new friend, Her name was Mary,She enjoyed to count,Her attractive seashells.The problem she had,
Without definition,Was the unfortunate fact,
That she forgot how to count!A wise man walked by,
And she asked him for help,The wise man replied,
And they started to count.Sadly for Mary,
The man was not blunt,He liked to play tricks,
On young boys and gals."Start with a bunch,""Multiply that by two,"
"Oh, just wait a second,""Now divide that by two!"
"Now subtract that by one,""And you've got your first value!"
"Now, dear, new value."The wise man said,
"Take the same bunch,""And add it to two."
"And that's the second value,""Simple as that!"
Then Mary shouted,"Are we done yet?"
The wise old man winked, And replied with a "Soon."
"Now, my dear girl,""Multiply the initial value,"
"With the second,""And there©s still a step to go!"
Mary felt depressed,But the man didn©t care,
He said: "Now, for the final value!""Get the bunch again,""Subtract it by two,""Square it once,"
"And minus that from the first set.""The answer will be nineteen."
"Now, tell me, Mary,""What is the value of the bunch?"
Gary Ge 8E
Seashells
Solutions
Solutions: Junior Ready to Dance by Heather Warning
Poem Calculation Ready to dance, The dancer prepared. But when she checked, there were no pointe shoes left.
No Information
Nineteen twentieths were lent to a friend,
19/20x
Three fifths were wet. 19/20x + 3/5x One fifth was in her closet, 19/20x + 3/5x + 1/5x One fourth were found hidden under her bed.
19/20x + 3/5x + 1/5x + 1/4x
Subtract five from all of this... 19/20x + 3/5x + 1/5x + 1/4x - 5 How many pointe shoes is the dancer supposed to have?
19/20x + 3/5x + 1/5x + 1/4x - 5 = x 57/60x + 36/60x + 12/60x + 15/60x - 5 = x 120/60x - 5 = x Therefore... 2x - 5 = x - 5 = - x x = 5
Step 1: Find common denominator. 57/60x + 36/60x + 12/60x + 15/60x - 5 = x Step 2: Combine like terms 93/60x + 27/60x - 5 = x Step 3: Combine like terms 120/60x - 5 = x Step 4: Simplify 2x - 5 = x Step 5: Solve for x - 5 = - x Therefore: x = 5 Superior Survival by Lindy Wong Poem Translation Weʼre too large and too weak, Whatever will we do?
Began with eight then we duplicate, 8x2 We canʼt take it anymore. We needed to part to move our own ways,
We now divide into four. (8x2)÷4 We found a new place, It was a long, unbearable search, And oh what I saw to my face.
I now see that my group Had taken in ten new members,
8x2/4+10
But we must get rid of a few. So this tragically happened that December,
One of them with a child, Two people to the power of two, They were banished without a glimpse of a clue.
(8x2)÷4+10-22
Those banished began a tribe next door, They had more with a whole tribe of X people, They looked stronger and tougher, It angered me to my very core.
Yes I had refused more members before, But this was an exception I had to take, And so I took ½ of their total the very next day.
(8x2)÷4+10-22+1/2X
And you know, my friend, what my group ended up with? Thirty men along with twenty-two women.
(8x2)÷4+10-22+1/2X = 30 + 22
As you know now, X people were in that neighboring tribe, What was X before I took some To help keep mine in thrive?
Step-by-Step Solving of the Equation
Write out the equation as taken from the poem. (8x2)÷4+10-22+½X = 30+22
BEDMAS requires you to do brackets before all other operations. Calculate 8x2 within the brackets to simplify its value.
16÷4+10-22+½X = 52
BEMAS requires you to do exponents next, so simplify 22 to a value without an exponent.
16÷4+10-4+½X = 52
BEDMAS requires you to do multiplication and division next. Divide 16 by 4. 4+10-4+½X = 52
Because we donʼt know the value for X, we cannot multiply it by ½, so it is at its most simplified state and because it is already one term, it can be left aside. Addition and subtraction is next. Go from a left to right order (general rule) for these operations:
Add 4+10. 14-4+½X = 52
Subtract 4 from 14. 10+½X = 52
-10 -10 Subtract 10 from both sides of the equation to isolate X on the left side.
To isolate X, divide it by ½ as well as 42, because whatever you do to the left hand side (LHS), you must do to the right (RHS).
½X = 42 ÷ ½ ÷ ½
The answer: X = 84
Fishy Math by Elton Wong Lines of the poem Mathematical Translation A school of fish, swimming in the sea Swimming, O so happily.
No information
One fifth was speared, X – 1/5x Two fourths became food, X – 2/4x and six fish remained, Saved by a stroke of luck.
X – 1/5x – 2/4 = 6
Tell me, random reader, How many fish were there in the sea?
Asking for answer
Solution X=6+(2/4x)+(1/5x) X=6+(1/2x)+(1/5x) X=6+(7/10x) X-(7/10x)=6 (3/10x)=6 (1/10x)=2 x=20 The Angelʼs Feathers by Megan Shum Poem Math Translation Math Poem The Angel’s Feathers Way above the azure sky,
On a cloud lies a girl. A girl with a pink fluffy feathered halo, Wearing a rose satin knee length dress, And a pair of wings with ten thousand feathers Whiter than the sky in early morning, Whiter than the clouds floating, Feathery and light. Gently, softly, quietly, She flap her fragile wings, Manoeuvring onto another soft fine cloud. Nine squared feathers detach themselves from their home, Floating down into the vast land below. Another eleven follows along, One regrets and follows the wind back to its home. The feathers like falling snow, Dissolve into the snow in the land below. The girl spreads her wings, Then closing them back, Going into a deep sleep on the cloud. But as she does that, Eight divided by two feathers says ‘It’s time to leave!’ Woooosh, They go down, down, and down, Trying to find another wing to live on. The girl wakes up, Finding several feathers missing. With the snap of her finger, Eight feathers suddenly appear. The girl once again moves, Soaring through the sky, Searching for a specific cloud, A gold coloured cloud, Her home.
10,000 10,000-92
10,000-92-11 10,000-92-11+1 10,000-92-11+1-8÷2 10,000-92-11+1-8÷2+8
On the way, She loses the square root of four multiplied by six feathers. Slowly, The light white blinding feathers turn invisible, Hiding themselves away from other feathers. Now, The girl arrives home, She turns around seeing that many of her feathers disappeared, But accidentally makes an unknown number of feathers fall off, But she knows that that number of feathers that she has left right now is equal to nine hundred and seventy-nine of that unknown plus a hundred and one. Can you find the number of feathers she has lost when she turned around?
10,000-92-11+1-8÷2+8-√4 • 6 10,000-92-11+1-8÷2+8 -√4 • 6 – x 10,000-92-11+1-8÷2+8 -√4 • 6 – x = 979x + 101 x = ?
Step by step: (First, write equation out) 10,000-92-11+1-8÷2+8 -√4 • 6 – x = 979x + 101 (Do the equation in the order of BEDMAS) (Change the numbers with exponents back to a number) 10,000-81-11+1-8÷2+8-√4 • 6 – x = 979x + 99 (Divide 8 to 2) 10,000-81-11+1-4+8-√4 • 6 –x (Multiply the square root of 4 to 6) 10,000-81-11+1-4+8-12-x (Since you don’t have to do addition before subtraction, it is just easier to go from solving left to right.) (Subtract 81 from 10,000) 9919 -11+1-4+8-12 –x = 979x + 101 (Subtract 11 from 9919) 9908 + 1 – 4 + 8 -12 –x = 979x +101 (Add 1 to 9909) 9909 – 4 + 8 – 12 – x = 979x +101
(Subtract 4 from 9909) 9905 + 8 – 12 – x = 979x +101 (Add 8 to 9905) 9913 – 12 – x = 979x +101 (Subtract 12 from 9913) 9901 – x = 979 x + 101 (Move 101 to the left) 9901 – 101 – x = 979x (Subtract 101 from 9901) 9800 – x = 979x (Move ‘x’ to the right) 9800 = 979x + x (Add ‘x’ to 979x) 9800 = 980x (Move 980 to the left and divide it to 9800) 9800 ÷ 980 = x (Your answer) 10 = x Puppy Love by Janice Choi English Words Algebra The square of four together with two 42 + 2 A number of balls rolled out 42 + 2 - χ Four baskets… Each baskets contains... 4(42 + 2 – χ) Eight little puppies 4(42 + 2 – χ) divide by 8 Share five balls equally 4 (42 + 2 – χ) = 5
8 How many balls rolled out from each basket
χ = 8
Step by step solution: 4 (42 + 2 – χ) = 5 8 4 (18 – χ) = 5 8 72 - 4χ = 5 8
72 – 4χ x8 = 5 x 8 8 72 – 4χ = 40 4χ = 72 – 40 4χ = 32 χ = 8 Juliet and Romeo by Zoe Koong
Poem
Equation
Long, long ago There was once a boy named Romeo
He came from a city called Tokyo To search of a cupidʼs bow
Then, in a place near Mexico, he went to a TV show
People made him solve some ratios And Romeo did not know
He said, “Give me another chance,
Then I will go find my romance!”
Now, find the unknown number Romeo got correct on
First, plus the unknown number of questions by 3
And multiply by 2 squared Divide all by 10 times -2
It equals -2
The unknown number is less than 30
Kittens Astray by Alex Dopp
Poem Algebra
An even litter of kittens were sitting in a row
x is even
Half of them ran away; oh no! x - ½x
Another eight followed close x - ½x - 8
Leaving one-sixth of the host 1/6x = x – ½x - 8
Of cats, their mother was too distressed
To remember how many there were before they left?
x = ?
Solution: 1. 1/6x = x – ½x – 8 2. 6(1/6x) = 6(x – ½x – 8) 3. x = 6x – 3x – 48 4. x – 3x = 3x – 48 - 3x 5. -2x = -48 6. x = 24
Tears of the Clouds by Andrea Ma Poem Translation I feel misplaced, Encased in a robust exterior. Struggling to escape what they wish for me to be, What I am told to be. Running wild, And all my desires compiled, I found shelter. Roofed under an insecure top, Chilly breezes wafted against my skin, And goose bumps formed within. As I faced the wind, The frost transformed my state of mind, And I began to watch the rain. Suddenly, a hasty downfall of heaps of raindrops fell to the ground. Unsure how many – but of profound racket. As it calmed, ten raindrops plopped on down, Down the pipe that appeared caramel brown. Drip, drop. The droplets shared equally by five, amongst the bleak concrete ground, Splattering down, theyʼre greeted by sixty-eight more raindrops divided by four to the power of three diminished by sixty-one. But see now, it has just begun. The noise was piercing, like a machine gun. Boom! All that has fallen is multiplied by fifteen. Then silence.. As if the clouds were mocking me, their crying came to a halt. But I continued to observe.. and my head felt serene.. Equivalent to the previous droplets, more raindrops continued to plummet... The clouds rolled in, unbound as thee, Another deluge came pouring down, the product of four and the last unknown,
Left only debris for the others to see. I sat in distress, About to depart.. But the echoes of the droplets enticed me nevertheless. A couple more seemed to seep from the clouds, five I think.. Yes, five to the power of two went clink. The drops united, shrinking their quantity by the product of twenty and the square root of twenty-five.. More tears didnʼt arrive. Had this been the end? Bewildered by the clouds, perplexed by their tears.. I began to marvel.. How many raindrops fell during the premier?
See next page for working out
Solutions: Intermediate The Blue Guitar by Jun Pang Poem: Mathematical Translation: Strolling up a mountain pass (Doubtless, their van ran out of gas) Three musicians, from yonder far Came across a blue guitar.
No Information
The first musician was one of class, She ignored the guitar for she played brass, But the other two, they weren't so nice They didn't think their money did suffice. One grabbed the neck, the other the bow Until they heard a menacing blow From the sky, and then they heard the sound Of a song being played, all around.
No Information
"Mortals, if you are to have the guitar fair Woven out of laurel, oak and angel's hair Answer my questions, you better be nervous Don't do yourself an enormous disservice. I want to know how many notes must be strummed In order to match the beat of the drums."
No Information
"Tell me now, Piper, also known as Elizabeth What's the product of six times a squared number
And six hundred times one twentieth
Split up into thirty pieces of lumber
Hurry up now, don't put me into slumber
No Information
Answer me quick, Or else I'll turn you into a brick!" Faltering, stuttering, the Piper fell to his knees And with that, there came a gentle breeze It blew the Piper far away Only two musicians were to stay. "Now, Fiddler, before you're added to chocolate cake mix Whatʼs the square root of two hundred and fifty six
Divided by the square root of sixteen, don't be scared
And subtract that quotient from the undeclared Answer that was not prepared from the cowardly Piper."
The Fiddler knew not what to do And so a gust of wind strongly blew Him to the East, where grew woods of pine Chocolate trees and fountains of wine.
No Information
"Brass player, as you are last Tell me an answer, make it fast,
No Information
Take the answers of the questions asked to the two that didn't survive, And add twenty five times a number divided by five
The answer to all this madness is simple Easy as pie, or popping a pimple In fact you may even say its fun It's the sum of six times the squared variable and twenty one
Tell me dear, what's the value of the number Else I'll put you into a everlasting slumber."
No Information
If you want the brass player to survive Or if you want the other two to be revived
No Information
Start with the equation; solve for y
Divide both sides by 5 to balance out the equation
The answer: y equals 5
Combine like terms
Simplify terms
Find one twentieth of 600 (30) and cancel out the repetitive numbers Find the square roots of 256 and 16 (16 and 4 respectively) and divide them (16/4=4) Divide 25y by 5 (5y)
Subtract 6y² from both sides
Use what your teacher is teaching you in Grade 9 If you didn't listen, you've crossed the bottom line Answer the riddle, help the musicians win a guitar Save some souls while youʼre at it And train your math skills from afar.
Add 4 to both sides to balance out the equation
4
y 5
Starlight by Cherri Wong Translation Sitting there, Gazing up at the tormenting sky. I sat there for five hours, And one may ask why. You see, Everything was different, Not all was usual… In the first hour, I saw seven stars shower, Equally distributed amongst the black atmosphere. Nothing seems odd, Things seem clear, Yet, The amount of shooting stars soaring past was incredible. Eight was the number. Eight! The stars sat there, blinking back, as if they knew me… Tick tock…Tick tock...Tick tock… Time flew by, The second hour has come, I gazed up again and counted twelve new stars shining fiercely, Sitting beside the others I’ve seen previously. After counting the twelve, I saw three stars diminish, Never to be seen again. The world could sometimes be such a mysterious place… Tick tock…Tick tock…Tick tock… An hour passed, I held my head up and saw… Something ridiculous, Something miraculous, Something that made me stare in awe. The number of stars that’s left was the original amount of stars divided by six, Fascinated, I sat there, My heart pounded like a drum. An hour ago, I was counting the beautiful starlight, Shining, oh so bright. Now all that’s left is barely none… Tick tock…Tick tock…Tick tock… I was still looking towards the now non-visible mountains, Still dreaming in my fantasies, Hiding myself with an invisible curtain, When all of a sudden, Boom! The number of stars was increased by x times the amount before.
7 7+8 7+8+12 7+8+(12-3) 7+8+(12-3) 6
Equation extracted from the poem: [7+8+(12-3)] x +32 = x+81
6 Expand the exponent: [7+8+(12-3)] x +9 = x+81
6 Simplify the inner brackets, (12-3). (7+8+9) x +9 = x+81 6 Add 7 to 8, to simply the question. (15+9) x 9 = x+81 6 Simplify the brackets, (15+ 9). (24) x +9 = x+81
6 Find the product of x and 24. 24x +9 = x+81 6 Divide 6 by 24x. 4x +9 = x+81
Subtract x from both sides of the equation. 4x + 9 – x = x + 81 – x
Boom! It goes again! Now the stars is larger by three squared. I turned my head around, And realized there were even more stars, Following me. Behind me was the same number of stars in front of me, Which was equal to 81 increased by x. Somehow my eyes felt heavy, And I drifted away… Tick tock…Tick tock…Tick tock… Now you see why everything was different, Not all was usual, But here I am after five hours of endless encounters, So tell me, How many stars still remain in the night sky?
[7+8+(12-3)] x 6 [7+8+(12-3)] x +32
6 [7+8+(12-3)] x +32 = x+81
6
Simplify by collecting like terms. 3x + 9 = 81
Subtract 9 from both sides of the equation. 3x + 9 – 9 = 81-9
Simplify. 3x = 72 Divide both sides by 3, to isolate x. 3x = 72 3 3 Find the quotient. x = 24 Therefore, 24 stars remain in the night sky.
Got a Sweet Tooth? By Daphne Pang Equation Step by step working out
Original equation; solve for x
Simplifying exponents and brackets within brackets
Poem line Step by step translation Chocolate : food preparation, No information In the form of a paste or solid block, No information Made from roasted and ground cacao seeds,
No information
Typically sweetened, maybe hardened like rock.
No information
Chocolate is awesome, so I always have a huge supply.
No information
From this unknown amount I own I get more scrumptious bars of chocolate. I buy 6 times a half of the bars I had, in the Chocolate Zone.
These mouthwatering treats I treasure, No information Like it so much I may get sick of it soon. No information No matter if itʼs in solid or liquid form, No information Iʼd lick it off my spoon. No information With my total amount,
I decide to get 18 times 5 tenths, of this galore.
Iʼm still not satisfied. No information I intend to buy the square of 3 more.
Caramel, nut, toffee, and chocolate, No information They are all so yummy. No information I would not hesitate, No information To use these to fill my tummy. No information Sharing is caring, No information So I split my goodies into three.
Then with what I have remaining, No information I give one each to my sister, mom, and dad, my direct family tree.
This final amount is equivalent to
My original amount less than 26
How much did I originally have? Solve for
Simplifying within brackets
Multiplying the brackets out
Getting rid of the fraction Add 3 to both sides of the equation
Simplify Add x to both sides of the equation
Simplify Subtract 3 from both sides of the
equation Simplify
Divide both sides by 13
Final answer Birds in the Tree by Frances Sun Poem Equation On a plain summer day in July,
Oh when the air was aromatic and sweet.
No information.
There was a big oak tree standing,
Across the highway street.
Perched upon the branches,
Hidden within the leaves,
Were birds of all shapes and sizes,
Enjoying the summer breeze.
x
Then two times of the number of birds, Flew in to have a rest, No information.
And the square of the difference Of three and the original number of birds,
Decided to perch near the nest.
Suddenly the loud honking from the truck,
Alarmed the birds, I might say,
No information.
Divide it all by 4, and with luck,
Youʼll find the number of birds that stayed.
The birds that remained, I might say,
No information.
Is equal to the square,
of half of the original number of birds,
Calculate with care!
Now tell me dear children,
Playing so happily under the oak tree,
No information.
How many birds were there originally,
Perched upon the tree?
Find x
Let ʻxʼ equal the original number of birds in the tree.
BEDMAS, calculate brackets first
Cancel common denominator
Expanding brackets
Collecting like terms
Subtract x2 from both sides
Isolate x by dividing both sides by 3
x is 3
Party Time! By Kelly Wong Algebraic Poem Equation There was a party, where food was here and there. A flattish pizza popped, and it didn't smell nice, Because there were many ingredients on the pizza. The unknown number of ingredients on it increased by 3, the sum multiplied by 2 was on the pizza. How did it come? Wishy washy, I don't know. The ingredients on top was divided equally with 18 cuts I smelt it mmm...real good real good, no
mashed ducks, I guess that's really just my luck. Not enough, we're gonna eat till we're buff. As well as the pizza was a cupcake, with the unknown number of ingredients plus 2-blueberries on it, Hoping we'd have a war of just something real lame, Just because...They split the cupcake in 6 times a square root of 9 ingredients. And when I got the first lick, I spitted on Tick. It tasted so bad, I almost got sick. Take all this and multiply it by 2. Munching and Crunching, loving the taste, Bob looked at me with a degree of disgrace. The ingredients on that side is equivalent to this side, admit it. There was a big bubbly stomach-turning spit, And 3 multiplied by the unknown number of ingredients got diminished by 3, Because it got munched away, Crazily getting crunched by the big hungry cats. Which was, somewhat sane. The cats at last got a tummy pain, Which to them had no gain. This spit got split in 9 bubbles. Also, on this side was a fruit cupcake that was very well baked. Now 3 plus the number of ingredients were there, but 2 of tkkkkk hem got lost. Do Do it, or you'll get boxed. This small fruit cupcake was split in 9 cuts. Let's play a game, which is not the same. Let's find the number of ingredients, Don't be the laziest, before we go our craziest.
+
+
=
= 3x-3
=
=
=
Solution 1 METHOD 1: Start with:
1. Do the brackets inside on the left hand side first.
2. Find the square root of 9 and change it.
3. Combine the common denominators together, and combine the like terms.
5. Simply the 2 and 18 on the left hand side.
6. Cancel out the common denominators/cancel out the 9ʼs.
6. Isolate the 2 by adding 2 to both sides.
6. Isolate the 3x by subtracting 3x on both sides.
/ Solution 2
METHOD 2: Start with:
1. Do the brackets outside on the left hand side first.
2. Find the square root of 9 and change it.
3. Combine the common denominators together, and combine the like terms.
5. Find the common denominator. Which means, multiplying the numerator by that number too! In this case, multiply the numerator and denominator by 2.
6. Cancel out the common denominators/cancel out the 18ʼs.
7. Isolate the 4 by adding 4 to both sides.
8. Isolate the 6x by subtracting 6x on both sides.
9. Divide each side by 2.
Contest for the Brightest by Kristy Chan
Give Me Gum Gum Dum Dum by Michelle Wong
Bubblegum, bubble gum, in a dish. How many pieces do you wish? Dum dum. You give me gum gum. Or you in trouble, Dum dum. And you better run run. Just give me a few of those mouthwatering goodies, And Iʼll be sure to tell you how much I need. But Iʼm not greedy, donʼt take me wrong. With the number I desire, bring five more along. Then equally distribute it amongst 2 to the power of 2, And multiply the quotient by six, Donʼt you find these bubblegum treats, So remarkably and flavorful and sweet? I just canʼt wait, theyʼre going to be so great. So please donʼt bring these delicious treats in late! Time ticks quickly, tick tok tick tok tick Donʼt waste anymore time, Or else my gum will turn lime! Fine, tell you what, Another way to find what I crave, Is to know about my friend Dave. He started out with the same number as me, Then he subtracted that from 6, you see, Because he got caught by bees, Then all that was divided by three.
After that, he added eleven more, When he started doing his chores. Finally, the number of gum he had was the same as I wanted, Oh bubble gum, bubble gum, youʼre my fav! So start figuring out how much I fancy, Please get working on this, you dum dum So you can hurry up and give me gum gum. Or you in trouble, dum dum. Then, you better run run…
=
Prey by Gerald Kwok
Poem Translation
A pack of Arctic foxes, their majestic pelts glittering in the moonlight,
Trotted through the icy tundra, their paw prints littering the soft white snow.
x
Suddenly, one of the foxes let out a large howl –
Prey had been sighted.
Perched upon a few barren trees by the shoreline,
Was a flock of forty-eight seabirds, their cries erupting into the silent Arctic night.
When the seabirds spotted the formidable pack, stealthily moving towards them,
Thirty-seven of the seabirds escaped and flew away into the boundless ocean,
Whilst the remaining seabirds bravely stayed
In a valiant but futile attempt to protect their eggs.
Surrounded on all sides, they were brutally slain,
And became the foxesʼ delicious supper.
When the number of Arctic foxes is combined with the number of seabirds they killed, and then divided by the cube of two,
The result is equal to the number of foxes subtracted by fifty-two.
So tell me, young child,
What is the number of Arctic foxes
In this daunting pack?
48 (48-37) x + (48-37)
23
x + (48-37) = (x – 52)
23
x = 61
Solution for Prey X + (48 - 37) = (x - 52) 23 x + (11) = (x - 52) 23 x + 11 = (x - 52) 8 8(x + 11) = 8(x - 52) 8 x + 11 = 8x - 416 x + 11 – x = 8x - 416 - x 11 = 7x - 416
11 + 416 = 7x 427 = 7x 7 61= x The solution to my problem is 61. Therefore, there are 61 Arctic foxes in the pack. Mystery Monkeys by Jessica Nip
Can I have Some More? By Joyce Chau
Poem Algebraic Translation
Rumble rumble their tummies grumble Squeak squeak... This morning I found only a few seeds left Little Coffee looked at me with begging eyes So I put five seeds in his dish But Coffee asked for more Reluctantly I left ten times the total by the door I divided them to five piles So he wouldn't eat it all at once Coffee put them back together And ate three of the total Then split the rest to seven piles One for each day of the week You may be wondering How many sunflower seeds did he start with? Well, lets look at Coffee's friend Toffee... He started off with the same number Coffee had left, which isnʼt a lot So I gave him the product of three squared and the total But poor young Toffee ate ten sunflower seeds And moaned sorrowfully so I checked carefully And found that the seeds were rotten So I and took out the forty that were nasty Toffee looked at me with begging eyes He seemed to be saying "Can I have just a little wittle more" I only found eight left in the bag And gave it all to him Sick Toffee knew he couldn't eat it all So split them to seven piles Just like his old friend Coffee How many sunflower seeds did Coffee and Toffee start with? By now you should know So tell me, tell me please...
x x + 5 10(5 + x) 10(5 + x) ÷ 5 10(5 + x) ÷ 5 – 3
x 32x 32x -10 (32x -10) - 40 (32x -10) – 40 + 8
Step-By-Step Solution
Stars by Cynthia Chan
Twilight comes, Farewells to the last drop of sun. Right there, beyond the rainbow, Darkness fills the sky. Stars shining, Twinkling up above. Children full of hope, Wishing upon a wishing star. Counting those sparks together,
No Information
A little boy starts with a number of stars in the sky
And was multiplied by the square root of six hundred twenty five, But then eight squared faded in dark.
Clouds came, No information And divided the sky by three with three different color.
Another three times of the number of stars Vanished when blue birds flew.
In the other side of the world, A little girl sat below a tree. Stared at the stars, And begin her count.
No information
There were four little stars shining above,
And was squared
as the cloud flew away, No information and she doubled her count. They each counted their numbers. Although the children are not together, They know that their count is always equal to each other,
No information
And they actually found the same answer.
When all was through, They were still confused By the number the first kid started with, So could you help them to figure it out?
No information
Solve the calculation in the bracket
Solve the numbers with exponent or square root
Multiply the all numbers by 3 to undo the division
Move -64 to left hand side
Do the additions and subtraction of both left hand side and right hand side
Divide both numbers by 16
Candy Candy Candy by Michael Li
Solutions: Advanced
Jack and Jill by Ashley Wat Poem Translation Up the hill went Jack and Jill, This game was their tradition And Jack just couldnʼt be still. So they joined the competition But, only two players joined, That is…, Jack and Jill. Players were to go to the well, Collect as many buckets as they can, And make sure no buckets fell, As the players ran. Jack collected twenty-four, but it was too heavy, so he carred half of it instead. Oh my, oh my, five buckets fell in the well! Jack was mad yes that was no doubt. He drank an unknown amount of his buckets of water, until he was swell, Oh uh, look out. ʻCause Jill is about to win the game. Looking at her poor, old brother, Jill gave two times three squared of her buckets to Jack. Indeed, she was a generous sister. Surely, something she didnʼt seem to lack. To repay her, Jack collected thirteen buckets for Jill. But darn it! We forgot to count how many Jill had before! However, one thing I know for sure, That the amount of buckets Jack drank, Is the same as the amount Jill collected. Find the unknown, and you will be thanked.
24/2 24/2 – 5 (24/2 – 5) – x (24/2 - 5) – x + 2(32) (24/2 – 5) – x +2(32) = 13 (24/2 – 5) – x +2(32) = 13 + x
Step by Step solving of the equation Use BEDMAS to solve this equation: (24/2 – 5) – x +2(32) = 13 + x Solve everything inside the brackets: (12-5) – x +2(32) = 13 + x 7 – x + 2(9) = 13 + x 7 – x + 18 = 13 + x Collect like-terms:
25 – x = 13 + x Add “x” to both sides of the equation: 25 – x + x = 13 + x + x 25 = 13 + 2x Subtract “13” from both sides of the equation: 25 – 13 = 13 – 13 + 2x 12 = 2x Divide both sides by 2 to identify the value of “x”: 12/2 = 2x/2 6 = x The Algebraic Oak by Daniel Ng
Lines of the poem Mathematical Translation A great oak stood proud and tall, Leaves in the wind, green and small.
No information
Each twig held a number of leaves on the tree, Equal to the sum of eight and three.
8 + 3
Roots bore deep underground avoiding the snow, And the square of six was the number of boughs.
62
Three fourths of the boughs had already withered, But the ones alive had thirteen twigs each, still hither.
(62 – 3/4(62)) (13(8 + 3))
However, there were more trees than one, Simply existing under the wintry sun.
No information
The product of three and five, Was how many trees that thrived.
3 X 5
Two thirds of the trees were as mentioned above,
2/3(3 X 5) (62 – 3/4(62)) (13(8 + 3))
And the other third of trees received no love, So only had a ninth the leaves of said tree.
1/3(3 X 5) (1/9(62 – 3/4(62)) (13(8 + 3))
Leaves swishing slowly, so pretty and free. The wonderful oaks made wonderful sounds, So tell me my friend, how many leaves are to be found?
Asking for the answer
Solution The full equation: 2/3(3 X 5) (62 – 3/4(62)) (13(8 + 3)) + 1/3(3 X 5) (1/9(62 – 3/4(62))(13(8 + 3))
(Two thirds of the 15 trees have three fourths of their 36 boughs gone, and each bow has 13 twigs, and each twig has 11 leaves. One third of the 15 trees have one ninth the number of leaves the other trees have.) Simplify: = 2/3(15) (36 – 3/4(36)) (13) (11) + 1/3(15) (1/9(36 – 3/4(36)) (13) (11)) = 10(36 – 27) (13) (11) + 5(1/9(36 – 27) (13) (11)) = 10((9) (13) (11)) + 5(1/9(9) (13) (11)) = 10((9) (13) (11)) + 5(1/9(9) (13) (11)) = 10(117 (11)) + 5((1) (13) (11)) = 10(1287) + 5(143) = 12870 + 715 = 13585 Final answer: 13585 leaves On the Seashore of Endless Meetings Tiffani by Wong
English Poem Mathematical Translation On the seashore of endless meetings, The sun was up and beating Its rays of warmth Up way up north. The infinite sky was motionless But the coast was boisterous On the seashore of endless meetings By the seaside, the rocks sat still
And up by the hill
Stood three squared of children
Joyfully searching for blue billed herons.
Curious as another bunch were
Seeing what fun looking for birds stirs
Approached and joined
Flipping a coin,
Increasing the number of kids by four
squared.
But soon enough it was kept on the shelf
When people had return to their hive
And the group divided equally into five
On the other side of the seashore of endless
meetings
The square root of twenty-five number of
kids,
Went down near the shoreline to hunt for
squids
The water was clear
And the great squids appeared
Together with the square root of thirty-six
youngsters,
Number of people in the mix
More people came
Making there the sum to the power of two
By the seashore of endless meetings
With this many people
The groups divided into three
Seeing if they can find anything else in the
sea.
By the seashore of endless meetings,
All the children together, gathered by the
rocks, greeting
They built their houses with sand,
Gathering shells with their sand-covered
hands
With withered leaves
They weave
Their boats
Letting them float
On the vast deep.
Watching the sun sleep.
x number of children had to go home
As a result, only forty-two x children were left
roaming
Finally, tell me this So we can end with a sigh of bliss How many children left the group And how many of forty-two were still in the troop On the seashore of endless meetings; The seashore of greetings.
Step-by-Step Solving of the Equation
The above is the original equation extracted from the poem. To solve the brackets (BEDMAS) first solve the exponents on the left side of the equation.
Then, solve the square roots since we have to solve the inner bracket first.
Solve all addition. (9+16 and 5+6).
Solve the squared number. (11^2)
Solve one bracket by dividing 15 by 5.
Add 3+121 to solve another bracket.
Divide 126/3 to solve the last bracket.
Rewrite it so instead of 42*x it would be 42x.
Since the numbers on both sides are the same, the answer x can be anything.
Muffin Madness by Veronica Li Poem Algebraic Translation A certain amount of muffins is stacked on a plate.
Three are taken by someone who just ate.
The host took the muffins, thinking, “This isnʼt fair, To please the guests, the remaining must be squared!”
The chef accidentally made four times more,
So he ate half of them. After all, what are they for?
On a new day, the same amount of muffins was baked,
But the chef made double the number by mistake.
The waiter tripped, and nine fell to the floor, So the remaining were taken, just like before,
To the chef, who then multiplied it by the very first amount,
And baked three more, for he simply did not count.
The final number of muffins, I must say, Is the same as the final of the first day, =
So tell me, mathematical genius that you are, How many muffins were there from the start?
=?
Solution (Step-by-step process)
Equation: =
Multiply by 2:
Simplify the left: Use the distributive method on the inside brackets on the right:
Use the perfect squares rule (a2+2ab+b2) to calculate the exponent:
As for the right, get rid of brackets: Apply the distributive law on the left:
Subtract 4x2 on each side:
Simplify: Add 24x on each side:
Simplify again:
Subtract 6:
Divide by 6 to get x on the right: Simplify for the last time:
To check, replace the variable with 5.
Flower Power by Enzo Cheng Poem: Spring passed and summer is soon, Trees turned green and flowers bloomed. Bees and butterflies out in the sky, Dancing around flowers up and high. A group of bees met with the flowers, x Not long, two squared of bees took power. x + (22) Dawn arrived, and dusk is close, But suddenly, two times of the resting bees came and greeted hello. 2 ( x + [22] ) Night fall and it was cold, The bees were divided into groups of fours as told. 2 ( x + [22] ) / 4 So, tell me, my fellow friend, How many bees were in the beginning; but not the end. 2 ( x + [22] ) / 4 = x
Equation:
2 ( x + [22]) / 4 = x
Solution: 2 ( x + [22]) / 4 = x
2 (x + 4) / 4 = x
4 ( 2x + 8 / 4 ) = 4x
2x + 8 = 4x
2x – 2x + 8 = 4x – 2x
8 = 2x
8 / 2 = 2x / 2
4 = x
A Field of Daffodils by Joyce Wong
Poem Algebraic Translation Two yellow buds, perched up in a maple tree, Were daffodils, swaying ever so gently and free. On a sunny-bright day of a warm mid summ-ah, They lightened the air with their sweet aroma. The daffodils bore a great family, Blessed with children, of the square root of eighty-one, quite naturally. They were all different – not all of them sweet, One was bitter, one was sly, one hid behind a tree root, why sheʼs ever so shy! But as you may already know, all children must grow, And soon those daffodils, had children of their own. A third of the children though, still innocent and carefree, The thought of having a child still made them a bit queasy.
2 2 + √81
Half of the remaining, who thought they could take up the weight, Were delighted when each had daffodils, of the cube two. The remaining were privileged with children four each, They were all beautiful children, a pleasure to teach. One sunny morning, in the vibrant sunlight of spring, Daffodil seeds descended from the sky, as the birds began to sing. Cousins, carried by the wind, were here to stay for good. Why they came here, no one had ever understood, But there was something they were all sure of: That morning, daffodils the cube of four came flying from above, And it was amazing. As the fact that children must grow, It is also true, that everything will eventually become old. One solemn day, with not a single drop of rain, Sixteen daffodils, wilted away. No longer yellow, no longer vibrant, and nothing left unsaid, They gradually fell to the ground, brown, and quite dead. As the years go on, the original family of
[ [ 2 + √81 + (⅓ x √81 x 2³) ] [ [ 2 + √81 + (⅓ x √81 x 2³) + (⅓ x √81 x 4) ] ] [ [ 2 + √81 + (⅓ x √81 x 2³) + (⅓ x √81 x 4) + 4³ ] ] [ [ 2 + √81 + (⅓ x √81 x 2³) + (⅓ x √81 x 4) + 4³ - 16 ] ]
daffodils become a field of yellow, And by the end of winter, they had long multiplied by four, into a grand field of flower fellows. But when drought came along, sadness lingered close by. An unknown “y” of the daffodils, gathered their families, to bade their goodbyes. Now, my dear friend, I thank you for sticking with me all along, and I hope youʼve comprehend. I ask of you then, If the sum of twenty “y”, and one hundred forty-nine was equal to the number of yellow flowers, Then, my friend, You must give me your wisdom to lend, How many daffodils, left during the drought?
[ [ 2 + √81 + (⅓ x √81 x 2³) + (⅓ x √81 x 4) + 4³ - 16 ] 4 ] [ [ [ 2 + √81 + (⅓ x √81 x 2³) + (⅓ x √81 x 4) + 4³ - 16 ] 4 ] – y ] [ [ [ 2 + √81 + (⅓ x √81 x 2³) + (⅓ x √81 x 4) + 4³ - 16 ] 4 ] - y ] = 20y + 144144/2
A FIELD OF DAFFODILS: Equation Working Out
Question: How many daffodils left during the drought? Equation: [ [ [ 2 + √81 + (⅓ x √81 x 2³) + (⅓ x √81 x 4) + 4³ - 16 ] 4 ] - y ] = 20y + 149144/2 1. Expand the exponents and solve the square roots. [ [ [ 2 + 9 + (⅓ x 9 x (2 x 2 x 2) )+ (⅓ x 9 x 4) + (4 x 4 x 4) – 16 ] 4 ] - y ] = 20y + 149144/2 2. Multiply the expanded square roots.
[ [ [ 2 + 9 + (⅓ x 9 x 8) + (⅓ x 9 x 4) + 64 – 16 ] 4 ] - y ] = 20y + 149144/2 3. Multiply the numbers in the brackets.
[ [ [ 11 + (3 x 8) + (3 x 4) + 64 – 16 ] 4 ] - y] = 20y + 149144/2 4. Add together the numbers in the brackets. [ [ [ 11 + 24 + 12 + 64 – 16 ] 4 ] – y ] = 20y + 149144/2 5. Subtract the numbers in the brackets. [ [ [ 111 – 16 ] 4 ] - y ] = 20y + 1491 6. Multiply the bracketed numbers.44/2 [ [ [ 95 ] 4 ] - y ] = 20y + 149144 7. Simplify the equation/2/2 380y – y = 20y + 1491 8. Put all the unknowns on once side of the equation.44/2 380y – y + y = 20y + 149 + y 380 = 21y +149 9. Simplify the Equation 380 – 149 = 21y + 149 – 149 231 = 21y 10. Divide to get the unknown. 231 21y ---- = ----- 21 21 11 = y Therefore, eleven daffodils left during the drought.
Seashells by Gary Ge
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