Mathematics / Year 8 / Number and Algebra / Real numbers

Curriculum content descriptions

Solve a range of problems involving rates and ratios, with and without digital technologies (ACMNA188)

Elaborations
  • understanding that rate and ratio problems can be solved using fractions or percentages and choosing the most efficient form to solve a particular problem
  • calculating population growth rates in Australia and Asia and explaining their difference
General capabilities
  • Literacy Literacy
  • Numeracy Numeracy
  • Critical and creative thinking Critical and creative thinking
  • ICT capability Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capability
ScOT terms

Ratios

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Work sample Year 8 Mathematics: Linear Relationships in the real world

This work sample demonstrates evidence of student learning in relation to aspects of the achievement standards for Year 8 Mathematics. The primary purpose for the work sample is to demonstrate the standard, so the focus is on what is evident in the sample not how it was created. The sample is an authentic representation ...

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Mathematics, moon phases, and tides

Through this activity, students will learn the relationship between lunar phases and tides, graphically plotting the tidal range versus Moon phase over an annual cycle for a selected Australian port, as well as determining the mean tidal range for each lunar phase. Students will then focus on determining the relationship ...

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The wide wide world of sports betting

This lesson explores the difference between perfectly predictable events (like the roll of a die) and less certain events (such as sports). Students investigate mathematically how sports bookmakers create odds to guarantee themselves a profit and pay gamblers less for a win than they deserve. The lesson is outlined in ...

Downloadable

Operations: Foundation to Year 9

This comprehensive resource describes the progression of ideas that cover addition and subtraction of integers; multiplication and division of integers; the four operations with common and decimal fractions; and operation applications with percent, rate and ratio.

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Mathematical modelling (Measurement): Year 8 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 8 is for the topic of Mathematical modelling. Students use mathematical modelling to solve problems involving ratios and rates in a financial context.

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Rates and ratios: Year 8 – planning tool

This planning resource for Year 8 is for the topic of Rates and ratios. Students recognise and use rates to solve problems including, constant rates, rate of pay, cost per kilogram, recipes, simple interest and average rates. Students will also be required to make comparisons between two related quantities of different ...

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Proportional reasoning video

Use this video as a springboard to explore scaling or proportional thinking, and to apply that thinking in a food context, drawing on reasoning and mathematical modelling.

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TIMES Module 21: Number and Algebra: rates and ratios - teacher guide

This is a 17-page guide for teachers. This module introduces the idea of ratios and rates. Ratios are used to compare two quantities. The emphasis is usually on comparing parts of the whole. Rates are a measure of how one quantity changes for every unit of another quantity. It relates the ideas of ratios, gradient and fractions.

Interactive

Syllabus Bites: Revisiting proportion

This is the first in a series of Syllabus Bites related to direct and indirect proportion. Students revise the concept of ratio. They create short visual explanations showing how problems can be solved.

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BTN: Calculating area using locust plagues

How many locusts in a plague? Find out just how big the threat of locusts can be and how farmers try to prevent the plagues from getting out of control. This clip provides context for a combination of area, area units and rate problems.

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Using maths to understand the universe

When completed, the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project will be the largest and most capable radio telescope available to scientists. Radio telescopes like the SKA detect radio waves produced by events and objects in the furthest reaches of space, translating these waves into data and imagery that allow scientists to study ...

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My Five Cents: Why borrowing can cost you more

Think credit cards are basically free money? Gen Fricker will make you think again. Learn how interest rates and fees affect the money you borrow, and why they may be more expensive in the long run. Oh dear! Then test yourself with ASIC MoneySmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

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Catalyst: Take the Phi Golden challenge

The golden ratio, Phi: fact or fallacy? What about the Fibonacci sequence? We are told this ratio and its cousin Fibonacci occur everywhere in nature. Let's see which of these claims stacks up when put to the test.

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Catalyst: Nautical Robots

How might you find out how much and where the Earth's oceans are warming? Watch the report by Ruben Meerman and discover how more than 3000 'nautical robots', known as argo floats, have been placed in the oceans to collect data on variations in temperature, pressure and salinity.

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Comparing fuel consumption

Is it more fuel efficient to drive or fly between two places? Watch this clip and learn how to calculate the answer. What are the various factors that need to be taken into account? This video was made using the American measurement of gallons per hour, American firgures for the average number of passengers in a car and ...

Interactive

Renovate, Calculate!

A student resource that explores the use of mathematics in the trades. Highly interactive investigations into ratio, areas of special quadrilaterals and right-angled trigonometry.

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Are plants mathematicians?

Ever noticed that plants are examples of Fibonacci numbers? Watch Vi Hart draw examples of flower petals and leaf growth that follow this pattern. See how plants seem to use Phi (.), the golden ratio. Find out how to make your own 'angle-a-tron' to create interesting petal designs. This is the second in a series of two.

Interactive

Examples of Pythagoras' Theorem Part 2

An animated tutorial demonstrating the application of Pythagoras' theorem through some worked examples, followed by a interactive quiz.

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TIMES Module 17: Number and Algebra: the unitary method - teacher guide

This is an 18-page guide for teachers. This module introduces the idea of ratios and rates.

Interactive

Examples of Pythagoras' Theorem Part 1

An animated tutorial demonstrating the application of Pythagoras' theorem through some worked examples, followed by a interactive quiz.

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Using Pythagoras' Theorem (Simulation)

An interactive simulation in which students use Pythagoras' theorem can be used to find distances.

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Australia's population: countries of birth - dataset

The dataset provides statistics about the estimated resident population, median age and sex ratio by countries of birth for the latest year of available data. It is periodically updated by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The dataset is included in the list of related datasets on the page in MS Excel format.

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TIMES Module 22: Measurement and Geometry: scale drawings and similarity - teacher guide

This is a 41-page guide for teachers. It contains an introduction to scale drawings and similarity, and in particular the tests for triangles to be considered similar. Applications of similarity are included throughout the module.

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Geometric reasoning - congruence

This is a website designed for both teachers and students that introduces congruence of shapes in the plane through transformations. In particular, transformations, translations, reflections in an axis and rotations of multiples of 90 degrees are used to define congruence and to identify congruent shapes. The four congruence ...

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Stateline: Mapping farmland: using area and trigonometry

In northern Queensland's Gulf region, some farmers use GPS mapping to help manage their extensive properties. Use this clip as a context for applying your understanding of area, in particular your understanding of conversion between square kilometres and hectares. Apply trigonometry and Pythagoras' theorem.

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Mystery man Pythagoras meets his match

What do you know about Pythagoras? Join Vi Hart as she not only explains his theorem but raises some legends about his dark past! Follow Vi's timeline of famous mathematicians to find out in which century Pythagoras lived. See how Vi shows a proof of his theorem and raises what was a big dilemma for Pythagoras: the irrational ...

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Maths inside bees and beehives

Bees are necessary for assisting many plants to produce the food we eat, including meat and milk. Colony collapse disorder, which describes the disappearance of beehives, could have catastrophic effects on food production. Australian scientists are applying their maths and science knowledge to build up a picture of a healthy ...

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Modelling climate changes

There is a saying: 'climate is what you expect and weather is what you get'. |Understanding climate change is very difficult for most people, especially when the weather we experience is different from the information we are given by scientists about the climate changing. The difference is that weather reflects short-term ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 50: How to use a tetrahedron to solve the tree problem

How can you place four trees exactly the same distance apart from one other? By making a model! By using miniature trees to make a model of the problem, it becomes clear that a 2D solution is impossible. We learn how objects can help us visualise the problem situation, which in this case requires a 3D solution: a tetrahedron.

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MathXplosion, Ep 10: What is the strongest shape?

Are triangles really the strongest shapes ever? If so, why? Learn how and why right-angled and equilateral triangles have been used in engineering, architecture and design through the ages.

Interactive

The Mathematical Toolkit

A 2D Shapes tool that can be used to create geometric objects such as quadrilaterals, circles, triangles, lines, arcs, rays, segments and vectors on a coordinate grid. Plot and label the vertices to reveal the internal angles, side lengths, area and perimeter, then manipulate the shapes on a grid to transform their shape ...

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Mixing Lemonade

This resource is a web page containing an interactive task to explore ratios and proportions. Compare different mixtures of lemonade and develop a strategy for deciding which is stronger each time. The task requires students to apply their understanding of ratio and proportions. A 'Getting started' page, 'Solution' and ...

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Secondary mathematics: different representations

These seven learning activities, which focus on 'representations' using a variety of tools (software) and devices (hardware), illustrate the ways in which content, pedagogy and technology can be successfully and effectively integrated in order to promote learning. In the activities, teachers use different representations ...

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Six Notes All Nice Ratios

This resource is a web page containing a short task to explore ratio and fractions. The task is based on the Pythagoreans discovery that simple ratios of string length made nice sounds together. A 'Getting started' page, printable resource and solution is also available to support the task.This resource is an activity ...

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Triathlon and Fitness

This resource is a web page containing an investigative task that explores rate. The estimated rate at which a competitor burns calories per hour for each discipline of triathlon is used to answer a problem. A 'Getting started' and 'Solutions' page is also available to support the task. This resource is an activity from ...

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reSolve: Fibonacci Miles

This lesson introduces students to a trick for quick conversion between miles and kilometres using the Fibonacci sequence. Students are challenged to explain why the trick works. They investigate using their knowledge of ratio and discover that the miles/kilometres conversion rate is close to the golden ratio. The lesson ...

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Mixing More Paints

This resource is a web page containing an investigative task to explore ratios and is a follow up to the task Mixing Paints. The context of mixing paints to particular ratios of colours provides a useful task to model practical situations involving ratios. A 'Getting started' and 'Solutions' page is also available to support ...

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Burning Down

This resource is a web page containing a challenging problem solving task that requires an understanding of rate and proportion. It can be solved in a number of ways for example graphically, using fractions or equations and all involve reasoning. A printable resource and solution is also available to support the task. This ...

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Mixing Paints

This resource is a web page containing an investigative task to explore ratios. The context of mixing paints to particular ratios of colours provides a useful task to model practical situations involving ratios. A 'Getting started' and 'Solutions' page is also available to support the task. This resource is an activity ...

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reSolve: Mechanical Linkages: Quadrilaterals

This series of six lessons explores geometry using real world contexts focussed on the dynamics of linkages and moving joints of everyday tools and objects. Students use physical models and computer simulations, the lessons move from a view of geometry as a study static diagrams to encompass movement. Each lesson is outlined ...