Friday, July 29, 2011

Running Friday Funny

Nieman Runners Painting
Image Source: http://www.harveyabramsbooks.com

Sometimes I wonder if I am running out of ideas for the Friday Funny. The above picture might not be funny, but is a splendid piece of art to finish the week with.

Here is a funny video called "The Running Matador".



Running is a very serious sport, usually lacking in funny moments.

That is until we see a guy who just doesn't get it.

Guy falling over upside down
Image Source: http://www.failpix.net

This next running race is also a bit out of the ordinary. Could it be a modern take on the "Hare and the Tortoise" race ?

Chicken suit vs Potato
Image Source: http://verydemotivational.files.wordpress.com

Running Jokes 1

A blonde goes out for a run. She comes to a river and cannot see a bridge anywhere nearby.

She spots another blonde on the opposite bank. "Yoohoo doll!" she shouts, "How can I get to the other side?"

The second blonde looks up the river then down the river then shouts back, "You're already on the other side!"


Running Jokes 2

A brunette was jogging down the street saying "66,66,66" etc. a blonde comes up behind her asking her "why are you saying 66."

The brunette says "It helps me jog better." So, the blonde goes across the street and starts saying "66,66" etc.

The brunette yells "Its a lot easier if you do it in the street." So, the blonde goes in the middle of the street saying "66" all of a sudden a truck comes up and hits her.

The brunette keeps jogging down the road saying "67,67,67".

Joke Source: http://www.best-running-gear.com

And full proof of the validity of the above jokes is very evident in the following photo finish.

Blondes all tumbling down in race
Image Source: http://www.demotivationalposters.org

This next video is all about sticking by your friends in times of trouble.




The Joy of Jogging

1. For every mile you jog, you add one minute to your life. This enables you, at the age of 85, to spend an additional five months in a nursing home at $5,000/month.
2. The only reason I took up jogging was to hear heavy breathing again.
3. I joined a health club last year, spending $400 in the process. I haven't lost a pound. Apparently you have to show up.
4. I have to exercise early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.
5. I like long runs, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.
6. The advantage to exercising every day is that you die healthier.
7. I have flabby thighs but fortunately my stomach covers them.
8. If you are going to take up cross-country running, it helps to start with a small country.
9. I don't jog; it makes me spill my milk shake.
10. Actually, I don't exercise at all. If we were meant to touch our toes, we would have them farther up on our body.

Joke Source: http://www.jokesnjokes.net

But not everyone who goes out running is exactly who the appear to be.

Cops on bikes chase Marathon runner
Image Source: http://www.motifake.com

If you think that runner looked surprised, then check out the surprise you get when we find out who is jogging along in these running shoes.



This one isn't so funny, as just absolutely incredible. Parkour Free Running was invented by the Russians, and combined running with amazing gymnastic stunts in public places.

Serious Warning: Don't try this at home!



Something else incredible is this crazy UK guy called "Neg", and his Urban take on running sports.

Neg's Urban Sprinting low quality but only embeddable one

(Warning: Some viewers may be offended by the language in this video).



Neg would definitely never get away from these security guys.

Chinese army guys on segways
Image Source: http://www.demotivationalposters.org

That's just about it for another Friday Funny.

But just before we go: Remember that advice that your mother gave you about never running with scissors in your hand?

Teddy bear with Scissors
Image Source: http://runswscissors.files.wordpress.com

That's it for now, I've got to run off and start another big weekend.

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Weight Training and the Internet

Guy leg pressing blue weights
Image Source: http://sp.life123.com

Suppose we want to do some weight training in the gym to help us with sport and be healthy. We might need to get a few things worked out first.
  • How do we know how much weight to lift for a given exercise?
  • How do we know how many times ("repetitions") we should do?
  • How do we know how many sets of exercises to do ?
  • How do we know how long to rest in between sets ?
  • How many times should we go to the gym a week ?
  • How long should we rest between trips to the gym ?
And what better way to get some answers to these questions than from the Internet. There is a wealth of information, online calculators, and instructional videos on weight training. We will be reviewing them here, and proving once more that whatever you need is on the Net for free.

However, the computer does not give all the answers. We need to hire a professional trainer to work out a starting point for us, and that will be money well spent.

However we can also do some internet research and a bit of mathematics, to find out some relevant information ourselves.

While it is good to do some math to determine the training weights that you can use, you should always check with a personal trainer or gym staff, before commencing your program.

The contents of this post are a mathematical review of some websites for weight training, and are definitely not weight training advice for someone to set up their own training program.

Here at Passy World we do regular weights training, but we had our program set up by professional staff at a gym. We recommend that you always do the same.

Let's look at some of the mathematics of weight training.

Here is a short YouTube video which mentions some of the mathematics involved with weight training.



As demonstrated in the video, the key to each exercise is the "repetition" which is the full motion we do to complete the exercise once.


"Brian Mac - Sports Coach" is a brilliant website about weight training, and the source of most of the material which follows in this post.

http://www.brianmac.co.uk/weight.htm

We highly recommend visiting the above link for a great overview of muscle strength development and sports training.

On the "Brian Mac" site, ranges of values for recommended repetitions are given, depending on the type of training that the person needs to do.

This is summarized in the following table.

Table of Values

The types of training indicated in the above table, as per the "Brian Mac" site are as follows:

Strength Endurance

The aim is to develop muscles that are able to to produce repeated contractions under conditions of fatigue. This requires high repetitions (15+) with light loading (30-50% of 1RM). Appropriate for field sports, rowing and martial arts.

Power

The aim is to develop fast powerful movements. This requires medium number of repetitions (6-10) with medium to heavy loading (70-80% of 1RM). Appropriate for power based events e.g. sprinting, jumping (long jump), throwing (Javelin).

Maximum Strength

The aim is to enable maximum loads to be lifted. This requires low number of repetitions (1-5) with heavy loads (80-100% of 1RM). Appropriate for Power Lifting, Olympic Lifting, Shot Putt.

In the table shown previously, all weight to be lifted is expressed as a percentage of the "1RM" weight value which is set at 100%.

The 1RM weight is the maximum weight we can lift for a specific exercise, where the weight is so heavy that we are only able to do one repetition of that weight. We are not strong enough to do a second lift of that weight.

As we train and get stronger, this 1RM value may become larger, and so it needs to be recalculated from time to time.

But how do we determine the 1RM weight for a particular exercise?

The "Brian Mac" site has a very nice online calculator that looks like this:

Brian Mac Calculator

Three estimates are provided by this calculator:
  1. Novice - an adult with less than 1 year of regular weight training
  2. Experienced - an adult with 1 to 2 years of regular weight training
  3. Advanced - an adult with more than 2 years of regular weight training
Once we have determined the weight we should lift for 1RM (One Repetitition Maximum) at 100% training weight from the calculator, we can then work out what weight we would need to do for different amounts of reps, according to the training program we are following: Strength, Power, or Endurance.

For example, Let's say we obtained 120kg for Military Bench Press as our 1RM from the calculator. If we want to do Endurance Training, then we need to consult our training table.

Table of Values

The table shows that if we want to do 14 reps per exercise for Endurance, then we need to have our barbell weight set at 65% of 1RM.

So our required weight is calculated as 65% of 120kg = 0.65 x 120 = 78kg.

For Endurance training we need to Military Bench Press 78kg of weight.


But what if we want to determine the 1RM for an exercise that is not in the Brian Mac calculator, such as Bicep Curls.

Girl doing bicep curls
Image Source: http://munfitnessblog.com

What we need to do is work out the maximum weight we could manage for several reps, until such point as our muscles are fatigued, and we cannot lift the weight any more.

For example, to do a 1 rep max test for the bicep curls, we might lift a 40kg barbell and discover that we can only lift the weight 6 times until our muscles are completely fatigued.

From our previous table we know that 6 repetitions represents 85% of the 1RM weight value.

85% of 1RM is 40kg (Divide both sides by 85)
1% = 40 divided by 85 (Now Multiply both sides by 100)
100% = 47 kg

So our calculated 1RM value for us doing 1 rep of bicep curls is 47kg.

To check the mathematics we have done, we can use an Online 1RM Calulator.
There is a very good calculator for determining the 1RM value and it's percents at the following link:

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/OneRepMax.html

Interestingly, when we use this calculator for our 6 reps of 40kg Bicep Curls, the answer given was 46kg and not 47kg.

There are several slightly different 1RM math formulas, made by different researchers. This is discussed on Wikipedia, and the common formulas are by Brzycki, Beachle, Epley, Lander, Lombardi, and others.

The Online Calculator appears to be using the Brzycki formula:

1RM = Weight / (1.0278 - (.0278 x Reps))

which is the most commonly used formula by most Sports Scientists and Personal Trainers.

The % Table we have been using in this blog is only an approximation, with rounded off percents. It is therefore not suitable for calculating accurate 1RPM values.

We need to use the Brzycki formula to work out our 1RM correctly. This is simple to do, and involves some basic Algebra substitution.


For our Bicep Curls we have:
Weight = 40
Reps = 6

1RM = Weight / (1.0278 - (.0278 x Reps))
= 40 / (1.0278 - (.0278 x 6))
= 40 / 0.861
= 46.46
= 46kg.

Now that we know the 1RM for our Bicep Curls is 46kg:

If we want to do "Power Training" then we could work at
12 reps using 70% of 46 = 12 reps of a 32kg weight.


And if we wanted to do "Endurance Training" for our bicep curls, we could work a set of 14 reps using 65% of 46 = 14 reps of a 30kg weight.



You may be wondering what exactly are bicep curls exercises ?

"Expert Village" on YouTube have some really good YouTube videos on how to do different weight training exercises.

So if you forgot some of the things your personal trainer showed you at the Gym, then find a video on YouTube to watch.

Here is a great example video by Expert Village on bicep curls.



Finally, let's take a look at some of the Mathematics involved in Olympic Weight Lifting.

Competition Weight Lifting is all about overcoming the force of gravity in the most efficient way possible. This involves applying some specific mathematical geometry and alignment between the weight being lifted and the the person lifting the weight.

Here is an excellent Chinese video, with English narration which explains this mathematics very clearly.



Hope the material in this post has not been too heavy going, too hard to find uplifting, or too much of a strain.

Polish Girl SWtraining
Image Source: http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi

Friday, July 22, 2011

Free Online Math Tests Review

Kids on OLPC laptops
Image Source: http://www.monitoringsoftwareblog.com

The Internet is an incredible resource for mathematics learning tools. And after we have done some learning, we need to test how much has been retained and properly understood.

What better way to do this than to take a quick online test and get immediate feedback.


"Online Tests" are onscreen interactive tests, where we can type an answer into the computer. The computer then immediately corrects all of our questions and gives us our score.

There are many websites that have free PDF Practice Tests for National testing in the UK and USA, but these are not corrected by the computer online, and so we consider these to be worksheet type resources rather than online tests.

In this post we look at ten great websites that have free online tests for Mathematics.

We have not used these online tests on Apple devices, but it is quite likely they will not work. The reason being that Apple devices do not support Flash or Java.

To get to each site, use the text link supplied at the end of each mini review. Click this text link to go to the site - do not click the banner image.


Free Math Test

Free Math Logo

This site is really good and simple to use. It covers basic mathematics up to Averages and Integers, Substitution, Order of Operations.
There do not seem to be any Fractions, Decimals, Percentages, Ratios, or Solving Equations questions.

This site allows a person to choose the level of difficulty, and the number of questions they want to do.

http://www.freemathtest.com/


That Quiz

That Quiz Banner

This covers a lot of mathematics right up to Trigonometry and Calculus.

This site also allows a person to choose the level of difficulty, and the number of questions they want to do.

It is a great site and worth using.

http://www.thatquiz.org/

See our full review of "That Quiz" on a separate post at the following link.

http://passyworldofmathematics.wordpress.com/2011/07/18/online-testing-with-that-quiz/


Math Tests

Math Tests Banner

This site has a great range of online tests, but a selected test can take a minute or two to load in, so be patient.

It also does not appear to allow selection of the number of questions or their difficulty, and seems to default to 10 questions for each test with a 30 minute time limit that is enforced by an onscreen timer.

http://www.math-tests.com


Soft Schools

Soft Schools Banner

This site has plenty of basic math tests.

However it does also have some good middle school tests for Algebra such as solving one variable equations.

It does not appear to allow selection of the number of questions or their difficulty, and seems to default to 10 questions

Other things of interest on this site are as follows.

A nice Quadratic grapher with value sliders at:

http://www.softschools.com/math/algebra_1/quadratic_equation_graph/

and a similar straight line graph simulator at:

http://www.softschools.com/math/algebra_1/straight_line_graph/

A set of calculators at:

http://www.softschools.com/math/online_calculators/

The site also has Worksheets, but for some of them you need to be a registered user. (Registration appears to be free).

The homepage for Soft Schools is as follows:

http://www.softschools.com/


Amby Math Tests

Amby Cat Banner

This site has a number of basic skills math tests that can be done online. A mini lesson is given at the start of each test.

It does not appear to allow selection of the number of questions or their difficulty, and the number of questions between different tests varies.

http://amby.com/tests/math/


Math Goodies
Math Goodies Banner
This site does not have quizes that you can directly go to, but has lessons on topics, that most times have a short online quiz at the end of them.

The topics are on basic math, and do not include middle school topics like Trigonometry, Equations, and Algebra.

This site does not allow selection of the number of questions or their difficulty, and the number of questions in an end of lesson quiz varies.

As well as lessons with Quizes at the end of them, the site also has plenty of worksheets.

It is an excellent site, and one of our favorites. Check out all of the lessons at the link below.

http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/


BBC Maths

BBC Bitesize Banner

This site is like Maths Goodies, and has lesson lists and the lessons contain online tests.

It does not allow selection of the number of questions or their difficulty, and the number of questions at the end of a lesson always appears to be 10.

This is a great site and one of our favorites.

Check out the comprehensive list of lessons covering basic number through to Trigonometry, Algebra, and Equations. So the BBC cover primary through to middle school for free online resources, and do it as good as any site we have seen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/11_16/site/maths.shtml


Khan Academy

Khan Banner

Saving one of the best for last, the Kahn Academy is an awesome website of free online Math Learning resources.

There are lots of videos, but to do online practice tests, we need to click on the "Practice with an Exercise" button, and then navigate down the left had side of the page to the topic we want to practice.

The practice sessions have scoring, and you can ask for hints, or watch a video if you are struggling with the test.

This site does not appear to allow selection of the number of questions or their difficulty

http://www.khanacademy.org/


Cool Math

Cool Math Banner

This is a great site that has lessons, games and quizes for math from Primary through to the end of middle school. We have found that students really like this site for the math games and activities it has.

The online testing can be found under the "Practice Problems" link.

Here we usually get problem generators, so we can do as many questions as we like, on a very specific part of math, and get an answer when we need it.

For example check out this typical one at a time question generator.

http://www.coolmath.com/crunchers/algebra-problems-solving-equations-1.htm

The Cool Math homepage can be found here:

http://www.coolmath.com/


My Quizzes CA

My Quizes CA Banner

This site has quizzes that people submit, and so the quality can vary.
However there are around 500 online math quizzes on the site.


http://www.myquizzes.ca/


So that's our Top 10 of great Free Math Quiz and Test sites. These are a great way to check up on how your math skills are going, and an excellent tool to use when reviewing for tests.

Best of all they are available 24x7, and 100 percent FREE!

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi

Geometry Friday Funny

crooked pub blue sky
Image Source: http://reviewtion.com

Hi there, it's good to be at the gateway to another weekend. This Friday we are poking some fun at Geometry. If that doesn't add up, then it's not supposed to, because it's Geometry!

Let's hope this Friday Funny makes everyone a lot happier than this unfortunate little chap.

Bike with square wheel
Image Source: http://www.failepicfail.com

There is right and wrong geometry for everything. Whoever designed that bike never heard wheels on the bus going round and round.....

What makes them go round?


The fact that they are round you dodecagon!

Speaking of things going round and round, here is an interesting little science experiment. (Warning: Don't try this at home!)



Keeping with circles as our geometric shape under close scrutiny, we all know that plane engines have circular openings, and the plane is cylindrical in shape.

Even though the geometry theory has been implemented in the following example, there still seems to be something annoyingly wrong.

engine in middle plane swiss
Image Source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com

When dealing with plane engines, it is important to remember that square things don't fit into round holes.

truck crash in plane engine
Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com

Not all things fit in square holes either, no matter how much money you throw at the problem!

lambo not fit in garage
Image Source: http://www.dailyhaha.com

Spacial geometry tells us that an air traffic controller's circular screen could not fit this many planes taking off at once.

Lots of planes taking off
Image Source: http://projectwander.com


But it's not just humans who struggle with the complexity of geometry.

cute cat has trouble with geo
Image Source: http://images.icanhascheezburger.com

But like all species, there are always those members of superior intelligence.

This next cool cat has certainly blitzed triangles on his latest geometry test!


cat in triangle shape
Image Source: http://mypantherpress.info

Here is a video crash course in geometry. They reckon you can learn geometry in 48 seconds! Amazing!



If learning by video is not your style, then you could always read a book on geometry. There are books about everything these days.

geometry of pasta book
Image Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com

Okay, time we squared up this post by actually adding a humor item.

triangle making a pass at another triangle
Image Source: http://evansheline.com

Here is a mini quiz on what we have learned so far.

Spot the odd one out:

hexagon wrong pic
Image Source: http://failblog.files.wordpress.com

Answer: The Octagon should have eight sides. The red shape in the picture above only has six sides, so it is actually a Hexagon.


Rectangles are a great shape to use for parking cars.

As simple as this may seem, some drivers just don't get it!


Sorry Picture Not Found
Image Source: http://2.bp.blogspot.com

You don't really need to know Geometry to be a rock star, but it certainly might improve your parking.



That was a very exciting stunt, squarely captured on car park security cam.

If only geometry could always be that exciting!


That's it for another funny week.

Hope you get around this weekend, and you liked the angle we took on geometry in this post.

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi

Friday, July 15, 2011

Amazing and Puzzling Friday Funny

two girl so bugger maze
Image Source: http://images.travelpod.com

This week we are taking a funny look at Puzzles and Mazes.

So let's start off with something really simple.

Stupid maze drawing
Image Source: http://media.myspacepimper.com


You will be absolutely amazed at this video. We certainly were!

Make sure you watch the whole video, and have the sound up nice and loud... lol.

(Not for the faint hearted, people with heart conditions are strongly advised to skip this one.)



Everyone just loves a good Maze game.

Check out this video if you don't believe us.




Here is a video from "The Crystal Maze".

In this show people are locked in a room, and have to solve a puzzle to get out, or in this case do an actual maze as the puzzle.




Here is an epic fail from the Crystal Maze.
Obviously this guy failed every science electronics class he ever took.




This next video must be one of the all time biggest epic fails on Crystal Maze ever !




Jigsaw Puzzles are always a load of fun.
But this little furry guy is having a bit of a confusing time.


Sorry cat for breaking stuff
Image Source: http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com

Here is a picture of the Vase that the cat was talking about.

Broken Vase puzzle
Image Source: http://www.coolfunpics.com

That cat sure is a real little trouble maker!

Cat steal jigsaw puzzle piece
Image Source: http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com


The Rubik's Cube has been one of the most amazing puzzles ever.



But for some dudes, solving the cube requires a bit of lateral thinking.

Dog chews cube
Image Source: http://www.karrels.com

The cube provides indisputable proof that cats are much smarter than dogs.

Cat does Rubiks easy
Image Source: http://images.cheezburger.com

Certain non-Rubik approved modifications were required to the cube however.

This was especially so in parts of the USA inhabited by pick up driving familes.


Rubiks cube for dumb kids
Image Source: http://www.thecomedynet.com

The cube is certainly one for the thinkers of this world.

Do cube with hammer
Image Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com

But leave it to the world's biggest solutions company to bring us the best non-functioning Rubiks cube ever.

Bill Gates pretend cube
Image Source: http://images.icanhascheezburger.com

And some nerd we found on Google who has the best tattoo ever.

Rubiks cube tatoo
Image Source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com

All right then, enough of the Rubik's cube, and onto other exciting puzzles.

This next puzzle is not from Crystal Maze, and is an interesting little Car Parking Challenge.



Let's finish off with this great puzzle prank.
Who wouldn't love doing these funny jigsaw puzzles!



We're off to find our way through a maze of weekend activities ahead of us.

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Passy's World of Mathematics

PW of Maths Header Image
http://passyworldofmathematics.wordpress.com/

Hi everyone. We have a brand new Blog, all about Mathematics, and it is in WordPress!

We decided that we would take some of the maths posts from this Blogger blog, and copy them into their own separate blog.

So why is the new blog in WordPress ?

Well here are the reasons:
  • We have always wanted to try out WordPress, and "see how the other half lives".
  • Blogspot.com sites are now totally blocked in a lot of schools, (because some Blogger sites contain pronography). Apparently WordPress is not blocked.
  • We wanted a simple clean "book" type layout and look for the blog
  • We wanted a Blog without any Friday Funnies in it, because some teachers don't like students looking at them
  • We wanted a blog which only has mathematics resources on it
  • We wanted a companion website for the mathematics ebook we are currently writing
  • WordPress is free, just like Blogger
  • WordPress is easy to use, just like Blogger
  • We wanted to learn WordPress anyway.

You can read the "About" page for our new Mathematics blog here:

http://passyworldofmathematics.wordpress.com/about/


To check out the new WordPress blog: "Passys's World of Mathematics",
simply click the link below:

http://passyworldofmathematics.wordpress.com/

Don't worry, we will still be keeping Passy's World of ICT and the Friday Funny going. But we are also very busy writing our first ebook, and so there might not be so many posts in the next few weeks.

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Decimal and Percentage Games

Pirates Game Partial

Here at Passy World we are contantly searching the web to find great free stuff that can be used for fun and learning. Because learning should be fun !

But sorry there is no fun for Apple users, because these games are in Flash and Java.

Thanks to Apple's designers, Flash and Java do not run on ipods or ipads.
We do have an ipad here at Passy World, but hope to replace it in the near future with an Android tablet with USB connection and Flash and Java capability.

In this post we present a great collection of free online games for gaining skills in dealing with decimals, fractions, and percentages.

If Blogger sites are blocked in your school, then you can also read this post at our Mathematics blog on WordPress by clicking the link below:

http://passyworldofmathematics.wordpress.com/

Note that to get to each Game, it is necessary to Click the Link that we have supplied. Clicking the screen shot of the Converter, does not take you to the online app.

(Eg. Because it is a bit tricky to do picture links in Blogger, we haven't connected each screen shots to it's app, but instead provided a direct text link at the end of each review.)

We have certainly checked out a lot of games on the web, and here we give you the best of the best! So let the fun begin.


"Mission Magnetite"

Magnetite

Mission Magnetite involves Fractions and Percents.

In this fun game we click a percent first into it’s bottom circle, and then click it’s equivalent fraction, and then into the last bottom circle the appropriate drawing.
It is a race against time to complete the puzzle before the rocket fills with fuel.

http://pbskids.org/cyberchase/games/percent/percent.html

“Bravo Millionaire”

Millionaire

In this one or two player millionaire game, we can practice changing fractions and decimals into percents. It is well done and lots of fun.

Click here to play Fractions Decimals Millionaire


“Bravo Jeopardy”

Jeopardy

In this really fun jeopardy game we change fractions to decimals and percents and vice-versa. We can play this game by solo, or with our friends, or in teams. Remember to click on your character to get them to buzz in first for the answer.

Click here to play Fractions Decimals Jeopardy


Decimal Place Values - American Football Game

USA Football

In this American football math game, we solve decimals place value problems. For each correct answer, we earn seven points, but we lose three points for each incorrect answer.

Use the mouse to move the ball thrower left and right, and when it looks a good time to pass to your layer, then click the mouse to do the pass.

After the pass is completed, we get to do a math question on decimals.

Click here to play the American Football Game


Rounding Decimals to Whole Numbers - Soccer Game

Soccer

In this Soccer game we practice our knowledge about rounding decimals to the nearest whole numbers. You have to answer each question correctly to get a chance to kick the ball. You must score enough goals to move on to the next level!

To round a decimal to the nearest whole number, look at the digit that indicates the tenth place value. If this digit is greater than 5, you have to round the decimal up. If that digit is less than 5, you have to round the number down. Erase the decimal point.

Example: 31.78 rounded to the nearest whole number is 32, because 7 is greater than 5, therefore we have to round the number up.

56.2 rounded to the nearest whole number is 56, because 2 is less than 5, therefore we have to round the number down to the nearest whole number.

The game also includes rounding to tenths, hundredths, and thousandths.

Note that to kick goals we first mouse click how much power we want to apply, and then mouse kick again to have the kick at goal.

Click here to play Soccer Rounding Game


Rounding Decimals - Baseball Game

Baseball

In this baseball math game we practice our knowledge about rounding decimals. We first need to click the mouse on the batter when the ball is pitched to get a home run.

After this we get to answer a rounding off question. Each correct answer gives 1000 points and each incorrect answer takes away 1000 points from our score. The game has several levels, but we need to get enough home runs to advance from one level to the next.


Click here to play Baseball Rounding Decimals Game


Mixed Decimal Mathematics

The following web page has a listing of several Decimal Mathematics Games including adding, subtracting and multiplying questions. Do some of these if you need to learn more about decimals than we have covered here.

http://www.math-play.com/decimal-math-games.html


Percentage of a Number - Balloon Invaders

Balloon Invaders

This game is like a Space Invaders type game to play, and is really fun.
Use the arrow keys to move the shooter, and space bar to shoot.

http://www.mathplayground.com/balloon_invaders_percent.html


Percent Discount - Discounts at Troy's Toys

Troys Toys

This game is quite challenging, and for some people they might need a calculator to divide the % value by 100, and then multiply by the dollar amount.

http://www.mathplayground.com/percent_shopping.html


Percents Fractions Decimals - "Decention" Game

Decention Grps of 3

“Decention" involves Percents Fractions and Decimals Groups of 3 Matching.

Use the mouse to move the players into circles in groups of 3, then click the “Check” button to see how things are going. The groups of three have to be equal values. For example 4/5 and 0.8 and 80% belong in a group of three because they are all representations of 80 percent.

http://www.mathplayground.com/Decention/Decention.html


Fractions and Percent - Memory Matching Game

Matching Memory

This Memory Matching game is very challenging, as we can only reveal two squares at a time, and have to remember what was under each square as we continue through the game. It will teach fractions and their percent equivalents, as well as improve memory.

http://www.mathplayground.com/matching_fraction_percent.html


Fractions Decimals Percent - Matching Game

BBC Red Blue Buttons

This matching game has the player click pairs of circles, and if they match correctly they turn red, and go into the answer box in the top left hand corner.

Click here to play Fractions and Decimals Matching Game


Viewing Percentages Activity

BBC View Pizza

This is not so much of a game as an activity, where percentages can be viewed as part of a Pizza, a number of people, how full a jug is, or how much chocolate is left.
We simply click down and hold the mouse button, and then drag the % value from the right hand table, into the black action box, and the picture changes.

Click here to do BBC Viewing Percentages Activity


Percentages to Fractions - Private Investigator Game

Percent PI

In this game we solve the mystery of the burgled bank vault with Percentage P.I.
Visually we locate percent values on Pie Charts and learn the fractions associated with percentages.

http://funschool.kaboose.com/formula-fusion/games/game_percentage_pi.html


Percentage Discount

Sorry Picture Not Found

This game teaches how to calculate percentages, as well as rounding off Answers. It is a UK game, and so money is in pounds and pence.

Click here to play Percentages Discount Game


Ordering Decimal Numbers Activity

Order Percents

In this game we push down our mouse button and drag the left hand decimal values, over onto the right hand number line. We can click “Check” anytime to see how we are going, but we lose a life is a decimal is in the incorrect position.

Click here to do BBC Ordering Percents Challenge


Percentages Mystery Game

Percents Mystery Map

This game is a movie mystery story with percentage puzzles along the way. Requires sound to hear the story. Very well produced and entertaining. Note that you need to mouse over area names on the map to find out how many squares they actually are.

Click here to play BBC Percentages Mystery Game


Fraction Decimal Percent

Glossers Maths Goodies

This game is basically a set of quizzes which get progressively harder as we move through each 10 question game. It lacks action, but is good for practicing our skills.

http://www.mathgoodies.com/games/conversions/


Whole Numbers Place Value

Place Value Millionaire

This Millionaire game contains whole number tens, hundreds, thousands, place value questions and is good fun. Can be played in one player or two player mode.

http://www.math-play.com/Place-Value-Millionaire/place-value-millionaire.html


Decimal Place Value - Pirates Game

Place Pirates

This is a fun game where we have to choose which Pirate to cast our sword on, depending on the decimal place given at the top of screen information box.
We move our sword to the correct Pirate and then click the mouse button.

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/placevaluepirates1.htm


Decimals Number Line

Place Value Cops

In this game we have to type in a decimal value in between the two values they give us, and gradually work our way along the number line to the house where the criminal is hiding. Note that values like 0.5 have to be entered in the bottom right hand box as .5 (eg. There is no room for the leading zero).

Click here to play Decimal Detective Game


Putting Decimals in Order

Olympic Medals in Order

In this Olympic Medals awards ceremony, choose the Long Jump even to do decimals. Drag the country to a Position number in the "Pos" column. Then click on this number with the mouse to have to country's details entered in there. Once all countries are in, click the Award Medals Button.

http://www.mathsonline.co.uk/nonmembers/gamesroom/awards/awardc.html


Fractions to Decimals - Puppy Race Game

Puppy Chase

Getting this Puppy Race game started is tricky, because if there is only one player then you have to create a game moving through the options and then play against the computer. Not sure how multiplayer works, but the option is there.

http://www.arcademicskillbuilders.com/games/puppy-chase/puppy-chase.html


Decimals to Fractions - Flying Helicopter Game

Helicopter Flying Chopper

In this flying game we click the mouse button to make our helicopter go up, and let go of the mouse button to let it go down, as it flies through the city. We are given a decimal value in the middle of the screen, and have to fly above or below the decimal towards the correct Fraction answer. If we fly too high or too low, or hit the decimal, the game ends.

The game takes a while to get used to, and it is very annoying that there is not a restart button. To restart a game we have to reload/refresh the web page with our browser.

http://www.xpmath.com/forums/arcade.php?do=play&gameid=79


Fractions to Decimals - Alien Invaders

Dec Alien Invaders

In this Invading Aliens game we get to save the world from invading decimals by converting the fraction value given in the left hand corner to a decimal. We move the fraction man superhero using the arrow keys, and use the space bar to shoot. Note that the webpage loads the game in slowly, so we have to wait a minute or two for it to come in.

http://www.mrnussbaum.com/death_decimals/index.html


Decimals to Fractions Tester

Dec to Fracs Tester

This is an online quiz activity. Note that we get given some study notes first, then we need to scroll down the web page to do the quiz that is shown above. When a decimal value is given, click the yellow fraction button which is equal to the given decimal value.

http://www.aaamath.com/fra42cx2.htm


Percents to Fractions Tester

Per frac tester

This is an online quiz activity. Note that we get given some study notes first, then we need to scroll down the web page to do the quiz that is shown above. When a Percent is given, type the /100 fraction in the answer box, and then click the yellow "Check" box. Note that we do not reduce fraction answers down, so that 80% is 80/100 and not 4/5 in this game.

http://www.aaaknow.com/fra71cx2.htm


Percents to Decimals Time Trial

Per decs time trial

In this Time Trial activity, we type the answer in the answer box and then press enter, (or click the check box). We are then given immediate feedback about our answer. At the end of the time we get a % accuracy score for our work.

http://www.xpmath.com/forums/arcade.php?do=play&gameid=31


Decimals to Percents Time Trial

Dec to Perc Time trial

In this Time Trial activity, we type the answer in the answer box and then press enter, (or click the check box). We are then given immediate feedback about our answer. At the end of the time we get a % accuracy score for our work.

http://www.xpmath.com/forums/arcade.php?do=play&gameid=33


So that's a big percentage of the best available free online games. Give them all a go and have some fun learning mathematics.

The sad thing is that a large percentage of Apple device owners will never got to play these games, because Apple does not support Flash and Java.

Enjoy,
Big Passy Wasabi