Saturday, December 31, 2011

The Power of Patterns


Art ignites the imagination, and one of the fascinating aspects of art is the use of patterns.
Pascal's Triangle shows many patterns that are useful in mathematics.  The third diagonal from the left shows the triangular numbers (3, 6, 10, 15...)  These numbers show the number of dots that are needed in order to create a triangular shape.
Another pattern that can be seen with triangular numbers is when adding the counting numbers together.
(1+2= 3,  1+2+3= 6,   1+2+3+4= 10, and 1+2+3+4+5=15,...) 
When adding together a the numbers 1-10 in the same way a pattern can be found.
For example the sum of the numbers 1-10 is the tenth triangular number on the pyramid above. What patterns do you notice in the numbers leading up to the triangular number 10? 
Here's a hint:  if you take the 2nd triangular number 6, and compare it to the ones in front of it and behind it, what do you notice?
Another clue is if you list the addends and add the first and last numbers, what do you notice?
Mathematicians notice patterns and experiment with writing equations to show a general rule.  These patterns can create pyramid's of numbers that continue to grow.  

Friday, December 23, 2011

Happy Holidays!

The Swift School International Assembly began our week before Christmas holiday cheer.  Congratulations to all the performers who shined on stage.  The folk tale renditions from different regions of the world introduced each of the talented groups.  The mix of visual arts with cultural clothing and decorations brought a lively environment for all of us to enjoy.  Swift School musical talents included performing on musical instruments, singing, and dancing.  This celebration of culture showed our pride in teamwork, artistic expression, and diverse backgrounds.

Holiday crafts are a relaxing way to enjoy the season.   Create your own unique snowflake on this website and then share it along with a holiday greeting for a friend.   You can find this at Snowdays

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Congratulations to the Math Contest Participants!

Congratulations go out to all the Swift Middle School students who participated in the Sumdog.com Math Contest.  The contestants earned a combined total of approximately 38,671 points!  Top classroom contestants for the math competition include:
312:  Neerida
         Devon
313:  Linda
         Amari
314:  Ayana
         Elma
315:  Jennifer B.
         Sandra
The overall winners for the contest earned a combined total of 26,484 points! 
1st place-  Linda,   2nd place- Neerida,  3rd place- Amari
Congratulations to all the 7th and 8th graders who have played the Math games.  Games are a great way to relax and have fun doing the math.  Illinois is having a state wide Sumdog.com contest coming up soon, and there will be many other chances to use math games this year.