Answers to the Understanding Test By your favorite Seminar Teacher

I gave you the test last time to see what you understand about some of the topics we’ve covered in Seminar 1st quarter. If you got a question wrong, I circled the number.

Now I want you to correct some of your incorrect answers Now I want you to correct some of your incorrect answers. Pick five of the questions you got wrong, and correct them. If you got less than 5 wrong, just correct the ones you got wrong. Remember to use complete sentences.

Make certain you understand all of the questions you got wrong Make certain you understand all of the questions you got wrong. However, you only have to rewrite five.

Write your corrected answers in the back of your journal, immediately after the assignment you wrote last week about the math posters. Please make certain you write the number of the question you are rewriting.

But first we must start with a hink pink But first we must start with a hink pink. (I stole this one from a student.) A naughty sum is a . . .

That’s right – a bad add. Okay, now down to business.

1. T or F Leonardo Fibonacci learned about numbers like “4, 5, 6” when he was in North Africa. Later he returned to Europe and wrote a book called Liber Abaci that told Europe about these numbers. True. Remember when we read that Leo followed his Dad to Bugia, and then returned to Europe with information about the “new” numbers (like the ones we use today). In Europe they were still using those crazy Roman numerals (I, II, III, IV, V, etc.)

2. T or F In his book, Liber Abaci, Leonardo told people about the Fibonacci sequence and how it is related to many things in nature. False. In his book Leo was mainly telling people about the cool new numbers like the ones we use today. He did mention the bunny problem. Later, someone (Mr. Lucas) solved the problem and discovered that the answer was a cool number sequence that performed other tricks. Mr. Lucas decided to name the sequence after Fibonacci.

3. What do Fibo numbers have to do with sunflowers? The Fibo’s are in the number of spirals in the seed arrangement. If you could count the spirals in most (not all) sunflowers, you would find that the number is a Fibo number! In fact, the spirals on a sunflower go both ways. Both of these numbers of spirals are consecutive Fibo numbers. Weird-smeird!

4. Where can you find the Fibo numbers in pine cones? If you could count the spirals (actually helices) of the scales on most pinecones, you’d get a Fibo number.

5. How are Fibo numbers and bunnies related? Remember when we made the chart of bunnies. We asked what would happen if we put two bunnies in a walled area and each month the adult bunnies had a pair of babies? (That’s what Mr. F. asked in his book Liber Abaci. Well, we found out that the numbers are always Fibo numbers! So, Fibo numbers are found in the way bunnies reproduce. (Don’t be fooled – this would never happen in real life.)

6. How are Fibo numbers and bees related? This is like question 5, except we find Fibo numbers in the ancestors of a male bee. Remember Bob the Bee and his family tree?

7. Would you rather have 2 X 3 dollars in your pocket or 23 dollars in your pocket? The answer is 23. They are not the same. 2 X 3 = 6 23 = 2 X 2 X 2 = 8

8. What is one thing you have learned about bees? I’m skipping this one. Anything that you learned will work – just needs to be related to bees.

9. What is the difference between a spiral and a helix? A spiral is two dimensional. A helix is three dimensional. Remember my dog, Felix? He licked the spiral and it became a helix.

10. The Fibo numbers are arrogant because they are always bragging about _______________________________________________________________. They are always bragging about all the tricks they play. Remember, you earn a pizza party for the class if you find a situation where the Fibo’s don’t do what they say they can do!

11. If you were to look up the word “seminar” in a dictionary, you would find that it means: __________________________________________________________________ Seminar is actually a synonym for “class.” Or another answer is a group of people learning or studying or talking about the same thing. Occasionally it means an advanced group studying something.

You were nominated, but that wasn’t enough. 12. How were you chosen for Seminar? ______________________________________ You are in Seminar because some time you got a very high score on a test that shows how well you think, or very high scores on both your MAP reading and math tests. You were nominated, but that wasn’t enough.

13. Why did Ms. Brackley show you Powers of 10? I showed you Powers of 10 because it helps you “see” exponents. In the movie we moved away from the picnic (or inside the man) by a power (or exponent) of 10 each time (101 meters, 102 meters, etc.) It also supports my theory that all knowledge is related.

The End Okay, this is really one of my all time great hink pinks. Suppose you take a word that means the same thing as another word. Then you sprinkle a Christmas spice on it. What is it called?

Synonym Cinnamon

Really the end (but actually there is just one more slide). Remember, you are rewriting five of your answers to make them correct.

Really and truly The End! Please always see me if you are lost or confused. Real learning is usually confusing in the beginning, but finally you get to a point where you understand what is going on – and it is my job to help you get there.