Questions 3-12

course Mth 151

Question:  `q003. If you are earning 8 dollars / hour, how long will it take you to earn $72?  The answer may well be obvious, but explain as best you can how you reasoned out your result.xxxx

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Your solution:

I would need to work for 9 hours in order to make $72 at $8/hour. So if I divide 72 by 8 I get 9.

 

confidence rating: 3

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Given Solution:  Many students simply know, at the level of common sense, that if we divide $72 by $8 / hour we get 9 hours, so 9 hours are required.

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Self-critique (if necessary): OK

 

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Self-critique Rating:  OK

 

 

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Question:  `q004.  Calculate (8 + 3) * 5 and 8 + 3 * 5, indicating the order of your steps.  Explain, as best you can, the reasons for the difference in your results.

 

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Your solution:  

In (8 + 3) * 5 the first step would be to add 8 and 3 together because the order of operations tells us that anything inside ""()"" should be solved first.Then after finding that 8+3=11 we would multiply 11*5 and get our final answer of 55. In 8 + 3 * 5 the first step is to multiply 3*5 because in the order of operations multiplication and division supersede addition and subtraction. After multiplying those two numbers we would go to addition 8 + 15 and our final answer is 23. The answers are different because of the rules of the order of operation.

 

confidence rating: 3

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Given Solution:  (8 + 3) * 5 and 8 + 3 * 5

To evaluate (8 + 3) * 5, you will first do the calculation in parentheses.  8 + 3 = 11, so

(8 + 3) * 5 = 11 * 5 = 55.

To evaluate 8 + 3 * 5 you have to decide which operation to do first, 8 + 3 or 3 * 5.  You should be familiar with the order of operations, which tells you that multiplication precedes addition.  The first calculation to do is therefore 3 * 5, which is equal to 15.  Thus

8 + 3 * 5 = 8 + 15 = 23

The results are different because the grouping in the first expression dictates that the addition be done first.

 

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Self-critique (if necessary): OK

 

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Self-critique Rating:  OK

 

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Question:  `q005.    Calculate (2^4) * 3 and 2^(4 * 3), indicating the order of your steps.  Explain, as best you can, the reasons for the difference in your results.  Note that the symbol '^' indicates raising to a power.  For example, 4^3 means 4 raised to the third power, which is the same as 4 * 4 * 4 = 64.

 

 

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Your solution: (2^4)*3 = 16 * 3 = 48. This is because anything in ""()"" must be solved for first so 2 must be taken to the fourth power. 2^(4 * 3) = 2^12 = 4096. This is because 4 and 3 must be * first because they are in ""()"" , then 2 can be taken to the twelfth power. The difference in these to problems is again because of the rules of the order of operations.

 

confidence rating: 3

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Given Solution: 

To evaluate (2^4) * 3 we first evaluate the grouped expression 2^4, which is the fourth power of 2, equal to 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 = 16.  So we have

(2^4) * 3 = 16 * 3 = 48.

To evaluate 2^(4 * 3) we first do the operation inside the parentheses, obtaining 4 * 3 = 12.  We therefore get

2^(4 * 3) = 2^12 = 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 * 2 = 4096.

It is easy to multiply by 2, and the powers of 2 are important, so it's appropriate to have asked you to do this problem without using a calculator.  Had the exponent been much higher, or had the calculation been, say, 3^12, the calculation would have become tedious and error-prone, and the calculator would have been recommended.

 

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Self-critique (if necessary): OK

 

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Question:  `q006. Calculate 3 * 5 - 4 * 3 ^ 2 and 3 * 5 - (4 * 3)^2 according to the standard order of operations, indicating the order of your steps.  Explain, as best you can, the reasons for the difference in your results.

 

 

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Your solution: 3 * 5 - 4 * 3^2 the first step is to solve exponents  3^2 = 9 then we solve all multiplication 3 * 5 = 15 and 4 * 9 = 36 and finally we solve for the subtraction 15 - 36 = -21. In 3 * 5 - (4 * 3)^2 one must always solve equations in ""()"" first 4 * 3 = 12 then come exponents 12^2 = 144 then multiplication 3 * 5 = 15 and finally subtraction 15 - 144 = -129. The difference in these problems is again because of order of operations.

 

confidence rating: 3

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Given Solution: 

To calculate 3 * 5 - 4 * 3 ^ 2, the first operation is the exponentiation operation ^. 

• The two numbers involved in the exponentiation are 3 and 2; the 4 is 'attached' to the 3 by multiplication, and this multiplication can't be done until the exponentiation has been performed.

• The exponentiation operation is therefore 3^2 = 9, and the expression becomes 3 * 5 - 4 * 9.

Evaluating this expression, the multiplications 3 * 5 and 4 * 9 must be performed before the subtraction.  3 * 5 = 15 and 4 * 9 = 36 so we now have

3 * 5 - 4 * 3 ^ 2 = 3 * 5 - 4 * 9 = 15 - 36 = -21.

To calculate 3 * 5 - (4 * 3)^2 we first do the operation in parentheses, obtaining 4 * 3 = 12.  Then we apply the exponentiation to get 12 ^2 = 144.  Finally we multiply 3 * 5 to get 15.  Putting this all together we get

3 * 5 - (4 * 3)^2 =

3 * 5 - 12^2 =

3 * 5 - 144 =

15 - 144 =

-129.

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Self-critique (if necessary): OK

 

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Self-critique Rating: OK

 

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Question:  `q010.  If you divide a certain positive number by 1, is the result greater than the original number, less than the original number or equal to the original number, or does the answer to this question depend on the original number?

 

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Your solution: When dividing numbers by 1 the result is always that same number, but if the number is 1 it would not change. So the answer depends on the original number.

 

confidence rating: 3

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Given Solution:  If you divide any number by 1, the result is the same as the original number.  Doesn't matter what the original number is, if you divide it by 1, you don't change it.

 

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Self-critique (if necessary): OK

 

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Self-critique Rating: OK

 

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Question:  `q011.  If you divide a certain positive number by a number greater than 1, is the result greater than the original number, less than the original number or equal to the original number, or does the answer to this question depend on the original number?

 

 

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Your solution: Dividing is separating numbers in to smaller groups so I would imagine that the number would be smaller than the original.

 

confidence rating: 2

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Given Solution:  If you split something up into equal parts, the more parts you have, the less will be in each one.  Dividing a positive number by another number is similar.  The bigger the number you divide by, the less you get. 

Now if you divide a positive number by 1, the result is the same as your original number.  So if you divide the positive number by a number greater than 1, what you get has to be smaller than the original number.  Again it doesn't matter what the original number is, as long as it's positive.

Students will often reason from examples.  For instance, the following reasoning might be offered:

OK, let's say the original number is 36.  Let's divide 36 be a few numbers and see what happens:

36/2 = 18.  Now 3 is bigger than 2, and

36 / 3 = 12.  The quotient got smaller.  Now 4 is bigger than 3, and

36 / 4 = 9.  The quotient got smaller again.  Let's skip 5 because it doesn't divide evenly into 36.

36 / 6 = 4.  Again we divided by a larger number and the quotient was smaller.

 

I'm convinced.

That is a pretty convincing argument, mainly because it is so consistent with our previous experience.  In that sense it's a good argument.  It's also useful, giving us a concrete example of how dividing by bigger and bigger numbers gives us smaller and smaller results.

 

However specific examples, however convincing and however useful, don't actually prove anything.  The argument given at the beginning of this solution is general, and applies to all positive numbers, not just the specific positive number chosen here.

 

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Self-critique (if necessary): I didn't use an example but I think that what I said is similar to what the given solution stated, although I didn't take dividing a number by 1 into account.

 

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Self-critique Rating: 3

 

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Question:  `q012.  If you divide a certain positive number by a positive number less than 1, is the result greater than the original number, less than the original number or equal to the original number, or does the answer to this question depend on the original number?

 

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Your solution: If you divide a positive number by a positive number less than 1 then I am quite sure that the number would be greater than the original. Ex: 6 / 0.5 = 12. The answer, 12, is greater than the original number ,6, after dividing by a positive number less than 1, 0.5.

 

confidence rating: 2

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Given Solution:  If you split something up into equal parts, the more parts you have, the less will be in each one.  Dividing a positive number by some other number is similar.  The bigger the number you divide by, the less you get.  The smaller the number you divide by, the more you get.

Now if you divide a positive number by 1, the result is the same as your original number.  So if you divide the positive number by a positive number less than 1, what you get has to be larger than the original number.  Again it doesn't matter what the original number is, as long as it's positive.

 

 

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Self-critique (if necessary): OK

 

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Self-critique Rating: OK

&#Your work looks good. Let me know if you have any questions. &#