Video Notes: “Mathematics in Movies” Name: ______
http://www.math.harvard.edu/~knill/mathmovies/index.html Pre-Algebra, Period: ______
Clip #1: “The Simpsons”
The Problem: At 7:30 a.m., an express train traveling at 60 miles an hour leaves Santa Fe bound for Phoenix, 520 miles away. At the same time, the local train traveling 30 miles an hour and carrying 40 passengers leaves Phoenix, bound for Santa Fe. It’s eight cars long and always carries the same number of passengers in each car.
An hour later, a number of passengers equal to half the number of minutes past the hour get off, and three times as many plus six get on. At the second stop, half the passengers plus two get off, but twice as many get on as got on at the first stop…
Describe a time when you ever felt like Bart.
Clip #2: “Abbott and Costello”
The Problem: 7 • 13 = 28, right?
There are tons of different ways to solve the same problem in mathematics. Sometimes the way one might solve a problem makes sense. Other times, they don’t.
If you work out a problem using your own method and you get the right answer, should you always use that method for that type of problem? Why or why not?
Clip #3: “Stand and Deliver”
You ever been to the beach? You ever play with the sand?
Finger man. C’mon. You ever dig a hole? The sand that comes out of the hole, that’s a ______. The hole is a ______.
That’s it. Simple. Anybody can do it. Minus two plus two… equals?
Net-head! Oralé. Answer it. Come on, you know the answer.
Minus two plus. Fill the hole…. If I had that on my hands, I wouldn’t raise it either. Oralé.
Come on, a negative two plus two equals. Anybody can do it. Fill the hole.
Minus two plus two equals. Come on, just fill the hole. You can do it. You going to let these burros laugh at you? Minus two plus two equals. I’ll break your neck like a toothpick, click! Oralé.
Minus two plus two equals ______.
Negative • Negative = ______.
Clip #4: “Shrek 3”
Underline each negative word or phrase.
Prince Charming: You. You can't lie. So tell me, puppet, where is Shrek?
Pinocchio: Uh, hmm, well, uh, I don't know where he's not.
Prince Charming: You're telling me you don't know where Shrek is?
Pinocchio: It wouldn’t be inaccurate to assume that I couldn’t exactly not say that it is or isn’t almost partially incorrect.
Prince Charming: So you do know where he is?
Pinocchio: Oh, on the contrary. I'm possibly more or less not definitely rejecting the idea that in no way with any amount of uncertainty that I undeniably...
Prince Charming: Stop it!
Pinocchio: ...do or do not know where he shouldn’t probably be, if that indeed wasn’t where he isn’t. Even if he wasn’t at where I knew he was, that could mean I’d really have to not know where he wasn't.
Count how many negatives are in each statement.
When multiplying negative numbers: Even number of negatives = positive.
Odd number of negatives = negative.
Clip #5: “Stand and Deliver”
The Problem: Juan has five times as many girlfriends
as Pedro. Carlos has one girlfriend less than Pedro.
If the total number of girlfriends between them is
twenty, how many does each gigolo have?
Clip #6: “Harold and Kumar”
meets . A love story.
I fear that I will always be, a lonely number like root three.
A three is all that’s good and right, why must my three keep out of sight?
Beneath the vicious square root sign, I wish instead I were a nine.
For nine could thwart this evil trick, with just some quick arithmetic.
I know I’ll never see the sun, as 1.7321.
Such is my reality, a sad irrationality.
When hark! Just what is this I see? Another square root of a three.
As quietly co-waltzing by, together now we multiply.
To form a number we prefer, rejoicing as an integer.
We break free from our mortal bonds, and with the wave of magic wands,
Our square root signs become unglued, your love for me has been renewed.