By Jessica Brussaard, Mathematics Teacher
Towards the beginning of the year, grade 6 students took a step back to think conceptually about number systems. Some of the questions considered included the following:
- How have different civilizations represented the idea of “number” throughout history?
- Why is the Egyptian system considered “additive”?
- What makes the Mayan “place value” system different from our base 10?
In the picture on the left you see students working hard at translating Mayan numerals. In the picture on the right students are deciphering Roman numerals still found in use today!
As you can see students even had the opportunity to learn base-2, giving them the ability to read a binary clock.
The different number systems according to our students
'My favourite number system is the Chinese - Japanese number system because the system is easy to understand and very fun to do, It is very different from our number system and that makes it very special.' - Sharnitha, 6U
'The most difficult number system is the roman number system because just to write the number 563 in roman numerals is DLXIII. In our number system has 3 characters and in the roman number system, we have to use 6 characters.' - Taksh, 6U
'My favourite number system is the roman numerals because I think it's really unique and creative.' - Levente, 6U
'My favorite number system is the Mayan number system because it has a clever way of display and I just seem to like the base 20 system.' - Saharsh, 6U
'A world of logic and precision'
Grade 7 students hit an important and exciting benchmark in their learning this year. While algebraic concepts have been taught in the past, students worked through their first full algebra unit – learning how to collect like terms, balance equations, and use proper terminology.
What grade 7 students are saying:
'My favorite algebraic concept is isolating X because I can test my knowledge and challenge myself.' Su, 7U
'I enjoy learning algebra because i couldn't do algebra 2 years ago and now for me it is really easy' Donatto, 7U
'I love algebra because it requires every important skill in life, such as analytical thinking, creativity, and problem solving.' Nazar, 7U
'I enjoy learning algebra because it's like solving puzzles that unlock a world of logic and precision.' Aarna, 7U
“I love algebra because it is fun finding the amount of x or y, it was definitely one of my favourite units.' Suvansh, 7U