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Predicting the weather

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A  recent workshop on maths and science got me thinking about the weather forecast and how mathematics must be used in order to correctly predict the weather.

METEOROLOGY is the science that deals with the phenomena of the atmosphere, especially weather and weather conditions.

According to the met office calculations of subtle changes in the basic variables  are carried out. These include: wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure, density and humidity  this is recorded at millions of data points in our atmosphere. Seven basic equations at each data point are created which amounts to solving tens of millions of equations. Amazingly this is done in minutes because of computers capable of over one thousand billion calculations per second (a measure called petaflop), and databases hold information in multiple petabytes.

According to the Met Office ‘by combining equations describing heat and moisture with equations governing the wind and pressure, we can form a new variable called potential vorticity, or ‘PV’. Vorticity is a measure of swirling motion. PV actually helps us to identify key mechanisms that are responsible for the development, the intensity, and the motion of weather systems – including superstorms such as Hurricane Sandy – because it encapsulates over-arching physical principles that control the otherwise complicated ’cause and effect’ relationships. These principles enable us to decide what is predictable amid the detailed interactions.’

Techniques for making a forecast is to use weather maps to estimate . Things that might be estimated are: the speed of movement of air masses, fronts, and high and low pressure systems and all these things are plotted onto graphs and charts.

The ability to read temperatures and pressures is key to organising weather material.

Thermometer:   Is an instrument for measuring temperature, especially one having a graduated glass tube with a bulb containing a liquid, typically mercury or coloured alcohol, that expands and rises in the tube as the temperature increases. There will be a scale on this in positive numbers and negative numbers to represent the temperature.

Hydrometer:   Is an instrument  used for measuring the velocity or discharge of water, as in rivers, from reservoirs,from clouds to earth, etc., and called by various specific names.

So as we can se there are many mathematical concepts evident when forecasting the weather which include:

Equations
Geometry
Estimating,
Charts
Graphs
Scales

 

 

 

 

 

References 

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/barometer/in-brief/2013-07/the-role-of-maths-in-weather-and-climate-prediction

 

Science and maths

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It has become increasingly apparent over the past few weeks that science has many links to maths. We have recently had a  workshops with Neil Taylor.

First we were asked to come up with as many reasons as possible about why maths is important to science. our group did quite well, coming up with; measurement, data, statistics, temperature and scales.

We then plotted the following graphs:
y=x
y=x^2
y=1/x
y=1/x^2

The most enjoyable part of the workshop was measuring magnetic force against distance with magnets. We had our experiment set up like the picture below. The magnets were set 15 cm apart and the scales were set to zero. We used the ruler to reduce the gap 1cm at a time until the gap was 2cm. At each cm reduction we recorded the force. We plotted a graph using the data of the force against distance and found that looked most like the graph y=1/x^2.

 

Picture1

 

This is an experiment that can be easily carried out by the children in the classroom which I think they would thoroughly enjoy. The children will be able to make clear links between the links that science has to maths by doing this. The children will have to use key maths concepts such as:

  • Collecting data
  • Choosing how to present data
  • Drawing charts and graphs

By the end of the workshop the use of maths was much more evident.

In science everything is measured, time, speed, volume, capacity, density and these are only a few.

Science is the study of how the universe – and the things that exist in this universe – work. The language that is used in science is maths.

Math can help us understand what scientists discover and helps find relationships between an experiment’s hypothesis and the data that is collected.

By using statistics, scientists can use data as evidence to support or disagree with their theories. Without the use math it would be impossible to prove these theories.

Maths is used to accurately determine calculations or scientific principles.

 

 

 

 

References

http://www.kumon.com/resources/how-science-and-math-are-related/

 

creative maths

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Until recently I would never have believed that maths and art are linked, however after a workshop in discovering maths I now know this to be true.

The Fibonacci sequence is a series of famous numbers 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34… But what is it that is important about these numbers and how can they be used in art work?

In 1509, Italian mathematician Luca Pacioli published Divina Proportione, a treatise on a number that is now widely known as the “Golden Ratio.”

In an equation form, it looks like this:

a/b = (a+b)/a = 1.6180339887498948420 …

This ratio, symbolised by Phi (Φ) appears a lot in nature and mathematics.

Here are a few examples of the golden ratio being used in nature and in architecture

download images (1) images (2). images

After the workshop I started looking at things in my house and thinking about how aesthetically pleasing they look, was the golden ratio used to create these?

One thing that struck me was a set of Davinci paintings on the wall that I have always thought looked quite strange, I began to wonder if the body was drawn in proportion to the golden ratio?

download (1)

 

This drawing is based on the correlations of ideal human proportions, however after research it is concluded that the drawing does not follow the golden ratio.

Vitruvian_vs_Golden

Exploring poetry

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My memories of poetry at school were not very enjoyable.  The usual topic was almost always Scots poems for Burns day or less enjoyable, acrostic poems based on the class topic at that time. I always found it difficult to write poems, in particular poems that do not have to rhyme. My dislike for poetry developed further at high school during my time in higher English, having to critically analyse poems and learn them  to be able to write an essay on them in the exam.

However the poetry workshops with Anna have sparked a surprising interest and enjoyment in poetry. In particular I have enjoyed the quick warm up activities of taking objects and giving them life which can then  be turned into a poem. The workshops have allowed me to see that writing poetry can be fun for children if it is taught properly especially using quick activities to get the children thinking and create enjoyment.

Myself and a couple of others had a go at writing our own poem on our favourite food in today’s workshop. We had a lot of fun creating the poem. Playing around with words until we were happy with how it sounded was particularly fun which is something I think is important for the children to explore while writing poetry.

Our pizza poem:

Thin crust
Stuffed crust
Cheesy twisted garlic crust
The tasty dough is a must

 Swirl on the tomato sauce
And garlic butter too
Sprinkle on some mozzarella
Made by the Italian crew

 Chicken, ham and pepperoni
Sounds so divine
Don’t forget the tomatoes and peppers
Your pizza will be ready in no time.

 

More than just a story

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Stories are something that most of us would have thoroughly enjoyed as children. Stories are a great stimulus for the development of language and literacy but also numeracy. When people think about story telling they often don’t think about the numeracy development which happens throughout. The discovering maths module has allowed me to understand some of the mathematical concepts which can be developed through story telling such as time, shape, size and colour. The use of mathematical language can also emerge through stories, examples of this could be in, out, behind. An important aspect of story telling is questioning as this supports the development of problem solving skills. For example, asking the children what they think might happen next in the story? What the character could have done differently?

Discovering maths has made me think about stories which can help develop and encourage enjoyment of mathematics. A lot of traditional tales can be used as a stimulus to develop numeracy and mathematical language.

‘Goldilocks and the three bears’ can help develop the mathematical concepts size and quantity. There is repetition with the sizes and quantities, the bowls, beds and chairs. Children can relate to the small bowl being for the small bear and the big bowl being for daddy bear which develops reasoning. This also helps develop mathematical language, ‘baby bears bowl is smaller than daddy bears’

There are also great follow up activities which can relate to numeracy development. A story sequence can be a good activity  to help children not only recall the story but put the key parts into order which again is developing numeracy skills and mathematical language.

Are teachers professionals?

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According to the Oxford dictionary the term ‘profession’ is defined as, ‘a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification.’ Of course it would be viable to state based on this definition, that teaching is a profession as it meets this criteria.

As cited in Carr (2000, pg.23) there are 5 criteria of professionalism, however it is stated that teaching does not meet all of these criteria and may perhaps only count as a semi profession. In my opinion teaching as a profession meets four of these criteria. First of which is ‘professions provide an important public service.’ Teachers are highly regarded in society and if appropriately educated and trained can provide an education – a basic need and entitlement for children. Secondly I believe that teaching meets the second criteria, ‘they involve a theoretically as well as practically grounded expertise.’ Teachers must have theoretical knowledge as well as the skills to put these theories into practice in their classroom, for example theories on learning, development or behaviour management. Teachers need to meet and maintain standards of registration with the General Teaching Council(GTC), this meets the third criteria that professions ‘require organisation and regulation for purposes of recruitment and discipline’ The fourth criteria which I feel teaching meets is ‘ they have a distinct ethical dimension which calls for expression in a code of practice’. As a teacher you have to support and guide children in making sense of and developing their own moral values without imposing your own values and beliefs onto the children.

According to the Oxford dictionary there are several definitions of ‘professional’. I fully support the claim that a teacher is a professional and the definition which aids my understanding of a teacher being a professional is ‘a person engaged or qualified in a profession’. A teacher must be qualified in order to meet the standards for registration with the GTC before being able to teach. This qualification is a combination of knowledge and transferable skills which should continually grow and expand as their career progresses.

The most important aspects in my opinion of teachers being professionals is the impact they have on children. Teachers should undoubtedly be positive role models for children, therefore should act in a away which is professional and acceptable. A teacher needs to make sure they do not act in a way which will impact negatively on a child. As a teacher, I believe that you are regarded highly in society therefore there are certain behaviour which are expected of you. Secondly I believe that the teachers’ attitude and self commitment are key attributes of being a professional. Teachers need to be committed to continual development in their career through taking advantage of new learning and training opportunities.