March 1 on A380

In the tail section of Airbus A380, the seats are numbered from m to 63 where m is less than 63. Every row, except the last row has seats numbered A to J. The last row has only four seats. 

This problem requires multiplication of a two-digit numbers but the numbers  are not given. Students have to generate the numbers based on the description of a situation. 

In assessing students, find out if they can compute and if they can, are they also able to generate the required numbers when those numbers are not given and identify the relevant mathematical operations to use? 

February 27 on Joss Paper

A large 30 cm x 30 cm sheet is fokded like origami and opened up to form an ingot-looking piece.

Two pieces is 10 cm tall when stacked as shown. Four pieces is 15 cm tall.

How tall is one piece?

This is a problem-solving situations - problems of similar structure have appeared in previous PSLE with situations where chairs / bowls are stacked.

February 26 on Kek Lok Si

Photograph taken from the Internet.

Kek Lok Si was built in 1893. In 1930 the iconic pagoda which combines Chinese, Thai and Burmese designs in one pagoda was added. In 2002, a 99-feet Goddess of Mercy statue was erected. How long after the original temple was built was the pagoda and statue added? 

For Parents | This is a basic skill task and students use a timeline (on paper or mentally) to find the answer. 

February 25 on Chinese Year

This is the Year of the Goat. Chinese Years are named after 12 animals rather than numbered. 

But scholars have used different conventions to number Chinese Yrars making AD2015 the Chinese Year 4713, 4712, or 4652. In each convention, which year was Chinese Year 1?

February 24 on Jambu

Regular guava costs RM2.48 per kg. Seedless guava costs RM6.99 per kg.

Jon paid the same amount for a bag seedless guava as he did for a bag of regular guava. 

Is that possible?

February 23 on Yogurt Drink

Each 100ml of this yogurt drink provides 47kcal. Each bottle is 125ml. 

Yi Yang has slurped down five bottles today. 

How many kcal did he consume from the yogurt drink alone? 

For Parents | This type of question are typically worth two marks in the PSLE. Still considered basic but it is not a single-step task. Students with good number sense do not divide by 100 and multiply by 125, Instead they divide by 4 and multiply by 5. 

This is typically for Paper 2 where calculator use is allowed. 

Self-Check for Students | Can you do this leaving your calculation answers in fractions and to do it without using calculator? 

February 18 on Peanut Cookies

Ten cookies fit in one layer. Estimate the number of layers this container can hold.

How many peanut cookies can each container hold?

For Parents | In the PSLE, basic skills question often require the use of basic operations in one or two-step (simple) situations. 

Often measurement sense is also required. In 2014, students were ask to say how long is a typical bed.

Self-Check for Students |?Are you able to say what calculation you need to do? Are you able to tell how many layers fit into this container? 

February 17 on Kueh Bakul

This is thnee kueh or what Penang Malays call Kueh Bakul. It was such a prized delicacies among my Malay neighbors, only the closest one receive one. It is because home-made thnee Kueh is labour intensive to make. The factory-made ones you buy nowadays are really inedible!

My mother found a perfect box to hold six pieces. The box measures 27 cm x 18 cm x 7.5 cm, 7.5 cm being the height. The thnee kueh fits exactly with 2 cm to spare on the top. 

Estimate the volume of each thnee kueh.

February 16 on New Year Preparation

Chef Le wants to bake at least 200 cashew cookies. His oven is big enough to hold a tray that holds at most 27 cookies. Find the fewest number of trays he needs to bake to get the 200 cookies. 

Photo Credit | Bob Lee

February 13 on Abalone

Why people would pay for this is beyond me but here is the maths problem.

On average, how much is each can?

How many pieces do you expect to find in 5 cans? 

February 12 on Precious Stones

How many of the light blue stones are needed to make four of these?

How many of these can 100 light blue stones make?

If the light blue pieces are square pieces of side x cm, what is the relationship between the number of pieces and diameter of the dark blue circular piece?

February 11 on Chinese New Year

Our teachers at Pathlight School are always trying to engage our students with things that happen around them. 

In getting them to prepare for the coming Chinese New Year, our Primary 1 Foundation classes are pasting wool on lamb and Primary 1 classes are pasting oranges on trees. 

How many trees are needed for 100 students to paste an orange each? 

February 10 on Traditional Games

I played this traditional games as a child. With seven tamarind seeds filling each small hole at the start of the games, the goal is to collect as many seeds as possible in the home hole which is to your left. You grab all the seeds in one hole on your side and drop one in each hole (no skipping). Wherever you end you pick up all the seeds in that hole and you continue clockwise, collecting one more seed when you pass your home hole.your turn ends when you land in an empty hole but if that happen on your side then you are allowed to collect all the seeds in the hole opposite where you 'die' - we call that tembak. The game starts with both players moving at the same time but after a while one of them would cease.

At the end of the games the winner is one with more seeds. 

How many seeds does one need to win the game?

February 9 on League Table

Each team plays another twice. Each win is worth 3 points, draw 1 point and loss 0 point. 

Is it possible for Leicester to overtake Chelsea by the end of the football season?

Basic Tasks

How many games has each team played by the end of the season?

If Chealsea loses all its games from now on and Leicester wins all theirs, which team will be ahead, Chelsea or Leicester?  

February 6 on Robots

China has 30 robots per 10 000 workers employed in manufacturing while South Korea has 437, Japan 323, Germany 282 and the U.S. 152.

Samsung in 2013 hired 427,000 workers. Estimate the number of robots Samsung used. 

February 5 on Sausages

We had a Filipino feast with staff of Megatext at Lantau near Tops. The local sausages come in plates of five sticks.

How many plates can be prepared from four dozen sausages? 

February 4 on Church Bells

This is in the Philippines where the Pope recently visited. But over in Vienna, a manWolfgang wrote to Pope to "beseech" the later to "intervene". "The bells in the Linz Cathedral clock tower ring every quarter of an hour at night. Between 10 pm and 6 am , they ring 222 times." 

Show that this claim is possible.

By the way, Wolfgang lives 75 m from the cathedral.

February 3 on Chocolate Pyramids

How many chocolates are needed to form this pyramid arrangement?

February 2 on Fruit Balls

From 42 watermelon balls, 42 green honeydew balls and 42 orange honeydew balls, how many fruit platter can be prepared

(a) if the combination must be as shown 

(b) if the platter can be any four fruit balls