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MATH MADE

A BIT EASIER
WORKBOOK
MATH MADE
A BIT EASIER
WORKBOOK
Practice Exercises,
Self-Tests, and Review

LARRY ZAFRAN

Self-published by author via CreateSpace


Available for purchase exclusively on Amazon.com
MATH MADE A BIT EASIER WORKBOOK:
Practice Exercises, Self-Tests, and Review

Copyright © 2009 by Larry Zafran


Self published by author via CreateSpace
Available for purchase exclusively on Amazon.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be


reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever
without written permission except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Book design by Larry Zafran

Printed in the United States of America


First Edition printing December 2009

ISBN-10: 1-4495-9287-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-44-959287-5

Please visit the companion website below for additional


information, to ask questions about the material, to leave
feedback, or to contact the author for any purpose.

www.MathWithLarry.com
CONTENTS

CHAPTER ZERO .................................................... 7


Introduction

CHAPTER ONE .................................................... 15


Is Math Hard, and If So, Why?

Goal-Setting & Assessment Self-Test ................ 23

CHAPTER TWO ................................................... 29


The Foundation of Math:
Basic Skills in Arithmetic

CHAPTER THREE ................................................ 39


Basic Math Topics and Operations

CHAPTER FOUR .................................................. 47


Working with Negative Numbers

CHAPTER FIVE ................................................... 53


Basic Operations with Fractions (+, –, ×, ÷)

CHAPTER SIX ...................................................... 57


More About Fractions
CHAPTER SEVEN ............................................... 65
Other Topics in Fractions

CHAPTER EIGHT ................................................ 71


The Metric System, Unit Conversion,
Proportions, Rates, Ratios, Scale

CHAPTER NINE .................................................. 79


Working with Decimals

CHAPTER NINE AND FIVE-TENTHS .............. 83


More Topics in Decimals

CHAPTER TEN .................................................... 89


Working with Percents

CHAPTER ELEVEN ............................................. 99


Basic Probability and Statistics

CHAPTER TWELVE........................................... 105


How to Study and Learn Math,
and Improve Scores on Exams

End-of-Book Self-Test ....................................... 111

Answers to Exercises and Self-Tests ................ 119

About the Author & Companion Website ....... 143


CHAPTER ZERO

INTRODUCTION
ABOUT THE MATH MADE A BIT EASIER SERIES

This is the second book in the self-published Math Made a


Bit Easier series which will be comprised of at least nine
books. The goal of the series is to explain math "in plain
English" as noted in the subtitle of the first book.

The series also attempts to explain the truth about why


students struggle with math, and what can be done to
remedy the situation. To write with such candidness is
only really possible as a totally independent author.

Unlike many commercial math books, this series does


not imply that learning math is fast, fun, or easy. It
requires time and effort on the part of the student. It also
requires that the student be able to remain humble as
s/he uncovers and fills in all of his/her math gaps.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK

The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with


the means to review, practice, and quiz him/herself on

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what s/he has learned in the first book of the series (Math
Made a Bit Easier: Basic Math Explained in Plain English,
ISBN 1449565107, available exclusively on Amazon.com).
The book includes two comprehensive self-tests for the
reader to assess his/her mastery of the math concepts. It
also includes tips for getting oneself into the optimal
mindset to effectively study math and take exams.

HOW THIS BOOK IS ORGANIZED

This book is directly aligned with the first book in the


series. Following this introduction, the book offers some
exercises for practicing and implementing the ideas that
were presented in Chapter One of the first book entitled,
"Is Math Hard, and If So, Why?"

Before the start of the actual math content, the book


presents a self-assessment test which the reader can use
as a means of goal-setting for working through the rest
of the book. This may be a frustrating and humbling
experience, but it is a necessary step on the path toward
math being easier for you.

Chapters Two through Eleven correspond directly to the


chapters of the same names in the first book. Each
chapter includes practice exercises and a review of
concepts that should be memorized. Some of the ques-

8
INTRODUCTION

tions are meant to be answered by way of a definition or


short explanation. For these questions it is not essential
that your answer exactly match the one in the answer
key. It is only important for you to demonstrate that you
fully understand the concept being practiced.

At the end of the math content chapters there is an end-


of-book exam that the reader can take for additional
practice. Aside from the changing of numbers and the
order of the questions, it is almost the same as the pre-
test. The goal, of course, is for problems which proved
difficult on the pre-test to be easier on the post-test.

Chapter Twelve focuses on how to study and learn math,


and improve scores on exams. Some mental exercises are
offered which the reader can use to practice the concepts
from the corresponding chapter in the first book.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK FOR SELF-STUDY

This book was designed to be used in conjunction with


the first book in the series which can be viewed in its
entirety for free on Google Books if you are unable or
choose not to purchase it. I decided that it would be most
effective to write the first book in a conversational tone
as opposed to turning it into a textbook or commercia-
lized workbook.

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As mentioned in the first book, the best way to study is


to make up your own examples modeled after the
sample ones provided. Just constantly ask yourself
questions such as, "What if that number had been that
instead?" or "What if that positive had been a negative?"
Go out of your way to "trip yourself up" instead of
waiting for that to happen on an exam.

With that said, many students are just not inclined to


make up their own examples, or are concerned that their
examples are not representative of what they may face
on an exam. This book attempts to address that concern.

As you solve each problem in this book, it is essential


that you constantly think about what you are doing.
Don't take any "stabs in the dark" followed by checking
the answer key to see how your attempt turned out.
Your goal is to learn and master the concepts. Remem-
ber, the book is yours, and no one is grading you or
looking over your shoulder. Progress through the
material as slowly as you need to, and go back and
review to the extent that is necessary.

It is essential that you avoid grading yourself on the


exercises or exams and say, "I got 65, good, I passed."
That mindset is the root of the entire reason why stu-

10
INTRODUCTION

dents struggle with math. Not only should you aim to


answer every question in the book correctly, but your
goal should be to do so with confidence. You should get
to the point where you can clearly explain to someone
else why your correct answers are correct, and why your
wrong answers were wrong. That is what it means to
truly know the material and face exams with confidence.

To get the most benefit from this book, do not work on


the problems in any section which you have recently
reviewed in the main book. Allow at least a day or two to
pass so that you can assess whether you are truly retain-
ing the concepts, and whether you have internalized
them. Don't get into the pattern of mindlessly solving
problems by rote, or by "spitting back," information that
you just saw a moment ago.

Try your best to solve each problem in this book without


resorting to any type of hints, whether by referring to the
main book, or by working backwards after having seen
the answer, or by asking someone for help. It is essential
to understand that even the slightest hint is robbing you
of being able to practice thinking about the material. Try
to simulate typical exam conditions as much as you can.

As you work through this book, remember that you can


e-mail me if you have questions or comments. Take

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advantage of this opportunity, and don't move past any


concept that is not fully clear to you. A huge component
of why students struggle with math is the mindset of,
"I'll just move on and get back to this later." Math simply
doesn't work that way. It must be learned step by step.

A NOTE ABOUT ERRORS / TYPOS IN MATH BOOKS

Virtually all books go to print with some undiscovered


errors or typos. Math books are especially prone to this.
Unfortunately, many commercial publishers rush to get
their books on the shelf before their competitors, result-
ing in an even greater number of errors.

When studying from any math book, don't assume that


the book is flawless. This is especially important when
checking your answers in an answer key. While it's
possible that you made a careless error, or misunders-
tood a question, or got tricked by a "trick" question, it's
also possible that the editor typed "C" instead of "B," or
misinterpreted a handwritten negative sign or decimal
point. If you're finding yourself in doubt about a ques-
tion, try to speak with someone before giving up in
frustration. You can also contact me for this purpose.

Many publishers are confident enough to include an


errata section on their website where they list errors in

12
INTRODUCTION

their books that weren't caught before publication. If a


publisher doesn't do that, there is no harm in e-mailing
the company with your question or concern. In the case
of this book and all other books in the series, any errors
discovered after publication will be noted and explained
on my website. I also offer free copies of my books to
anyone who catches and informs me of a major error.

THE BOOK’S POSITION ON CALCULATOR USE

As described in the first book, this book takes a realistic


and modern position on calculator use. Unless an exer-
cise in this book specifically states to not use a calculator,
you should feel free to use one unless you are studying
for an exam which does not allow their use.

All of your effort should be to master the concepts being


taught. If you do not fully understand a concept, not
only will the use of a calculator not help you, it will
almost certainly hinder you.

THE BOOK’S POSITION ON WORD PROBLEMS

As described in the first book, it is inefficient to prepare


for word problems on an exam by repeatedly reading
and solving a handful of sample word problems in a
book. The word problems you face on an exam will

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almost certainly be different, and changing even one


word can drastically alter an entire problem.

The only way to prepare for word problems is to make


sure that you have fully mastered all of the topics that
you will be tested on. Of course it is essential that you
become a skilled and careful reader, but that is some-
thing that cannot be learned from a book. That is some-
thing which simply has to develop over time. It is also
important to develop good test-taking skills in general
which is discussed in Chapter Twelve.

HOW TO GET MORE HELP ON A TOPIC

I maintain a free math website with extensive content


including the means for students to e-mail their math
questions. That will continue with the publication of this
series, although I'm working to redesign the website to
better align it with the series. The old content will still be
available, and new content will be added as students ask
questions or make comments about the books.

My goal is for the website to serve as an interactive


companion to the series so that students’ questions can
be addressed. The website and my question-answering
service will continue to be free for all. The address is
www.MathWithLarry.com.

14
CHAPTER ONE

Is Math Hard,
and If So, Why?

TAKING INVENTORY OF YOUR MATH HISTORY

If you are reading this book, you are probably of the


opinion that "math is hard." If you want math to start
being a bit easier, you will need to go through the
therapeutic exercise of taking inventory of your math
history. This has the potential to be a very painful
experience, and may bring up sensitive matters that you
have either repressed, or have never given much thought
to. This is a very personal exercise, and is no one's
business but your own unless you'd like to e-mail me
and share anything that is on your mind.

Try to recall your very earliest memories, and think


about how you felt about math at that time. Did you
watch children's learning programs on TV and have fun
counting along with the furry characters on the screen?
Do you remember arranging blocks or counters in

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various patterns? Did you have any strong feelings


about numbers or math at that time? Everyone will have
a different answer to these questions. Just think about
them and see what comes up for you.

Continue sifting through your memories to kindergarten


and the lower grades. What was math like at that time?
It is rare for a kindergartener to proclaim that "math is
hard." If anything, most say that "numbers are fun," but
that may not have been your experience.

See if you can get a clear picture of when exactly the


trouble started. When did you start scratching your head
in confusion, or first use the phrase, "I hate math!" or "I
don't get it?" When did you start getting lower grades
than you were hoping for? For many students the trouble
sets in at roughly the third grade, but everyone is differ-
ent. Just see what you come up with.

Some readers will know right away what the root of the
problem is. Perhaps you had an awful math teacher in
elementary school who either didn't know the material
him/herself, or didn't know how to convey it, or was
condescending to you. Perhaps you were the victim of
gender-based discrimination. Perhaps your family
presented math in a bad light because of their own

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I S M A T H H A R D , A N D I F S O , W HY ?

experiences with the subject. Perhaps none of those


things applied at all, or perhaps you're just not certain,
and all of your memories on the matter or a blur or
locked away in a place that you aren't willing to go to
just now. Just keep thinking about it as best as you can.

Doing this exercise will not magically make math any


easier for you. What it will do, though, is give you a
starting point from which to move forward. It is said that
you can't know where you are going if you don't know
where you have been. Once you have a better idea of
your personal history with math, it will be easier to make
goals for yourself since you will understand precisely
what struggles you are up against.

ASSESSING AND ACCEPTING YOUR CURRENT


MATH ABILITY LEVEL

Another aspect of overcoming the struggle with math is


the ability to assess and accept your current math ability
level. For most students this will come as a huge blow to
their ego. It is possible that you will take the assessment
pre-test in this book, and realize that you can barely
answer one question, let alone with complete confidence.
This will especially not sit well if you earned passing or
even high math grades throughout elementary and

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middle school, and cannot make sense of why you're


having so much trouble now.

What is important is to bring yourself to the point where


you can honestly assess and accept your current know-
ledge and ability level. There is no need to assign a
grade or a grade level to the matter. What is important is
to determine the appropriate starting point.

For most students, the appropriate starting point is at the


beginning. That is not at all to say that you must return
to the first grade and sit through twelve years of school-
ing. It just means that by starting your review of math at
the beginning, you can fill in all of the gaps in material
which were never addressed. As you do this, math will
slowly become easier and easier.

IS THE TIMETABLE FOR YOUR GOALS REALISTIC?

The most common e-mail that I get from prospective


tutoring clients is to the effect of, "I'm scheduled to take
my GED exam in two weeks, and I absolutely have to
pass it but I really suck at math. Can you fit me in for one
or two sessions before my exam?" As you may guess, I
do not take on such clients regardless of my availability
or how much money they are willing to pay me.

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I S M A T H H A R D , A N D I F S O , W HY ?

In order to end the pattern of struggling with math, it is


important to have a very realistic timetable for your
goals. Since every student is different, it is impossible to
offer any specific or personalized timetables on the
matter. However, a few points are worth mentioning.

First of all, if you are willing to study effectively and


diligently, it won't take you "years and years" to achieve
your math goals no matter how far behind you are or
think you are. There is very little material covered in a
typical school math lesson, and much of the material is
repeated and reviewed year after year. For most students
there is not an insurmountable material to learn.

With that said, if you are struggling with math, it is


preposterous to think that taking one or two last-minute
sessions with a tutor will somehow make any difference.
If anything, those sessions will only serve to confuse and
fluster you, because you will quickly realize the extent to
which you are unprepared for your exam.

Based on my experience, a typical secondary school or


adult student requires about six to twelve months of
dedicated study to "catch up" in math to the point where
they feel prepared for whatever exams or coursework
they are facing. If such a student wishes to work with a

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private tutor, the student must plan on taking at least


two sessions per week, with those sessions being used
for systemically progressing through a well-planned
roadmap of the material.

As mentioned, everyone is different. The point is that if


you do not have a realistic time table for your goals, you
will just end up wasting your time and money on
whatever help you may seek out, and you will become
very frustrated in the process.

Most people want to achieve their goals in a manner that


is fast, fun, and easy, but math just doesn't work like
that. At some level you probably accept that, otherwise
you would not still be reading this book. Try to come up
with a realistic timetable for your goals either on your
own or with the guidance of a tutor. It is unlikely that
your life is going to change that much if you postpone an
exam for a relatively short amount of time to ensure that
you get the help that you need to succeed on it.

DO YOU HAVE A REALISTIC STUDY PLAN?

To end the pattern of struggling with math, you will


need to have a realistic study plan, and you will need to
stick to it. One of the main reasons why I wrote this

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series of books is so that students will have an organized


and well-planned roadmap that they can follow on the
path to success with math. By systematically working
through the books, you will avoid the trap of studying in
a haphazard manner without filling in your gaps.

The concern, then, is making sure that you have the time,
energy, and environment necessary for effective study. If
you come home after a long, hard day of work to a noisy
and chaotic home with chores waiting for you, don't fool
yourself into thinking that you will be able to do exten-
sive work on your math. It just will not happen. Also
don't fool yourself into thinking that it will make a huge
difference if you sit for two or three minutes each day
flipping through the pages of this or any other book.

Everyone's life circumstances are different, but the last


thing you need is to allow math to frustrate you more
than it probably already does. Don't even attempt to
study unless you have a quiet environment, and some
minimal quality time and energy to devote to it.

21
Goal-Setting &
Assessment Self-Test

Take this self-test after you have read the first book, but
not immediately after. Use it to determine how much of
the material you are retaining, and what concepts you
haven't yet fully internalized. Don't be concerned about
how many questions you get right or wrong. Just make
sure that you understand why the right answers are right
and why the wrong answers are wrong.

After completing this test and checking your answers,


proceed with the exercises in this book with an emphasis
on the topics that you either forgot or had trouble with.
Refer back to the first book for review as needed.

1) Which basic operations are not commutative?


2) Find the product of 4 and 6
3) Find the sum of 7 and 8
4) List the first 10 multiples of 7
5) Compute 71 ÷ 9 in mixed number format
6) Is the number 791,350 even or odd?
7) What is the result of multiplying an even times an
odd number? (Even or Odd)

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8) Insert "<" or ">": 73,001 72,999


9) Evaluate 6 × [10 ÷ (4 + 1)]
10) Is 2 a composite number? Why?
11) Write "Nine billion, five hundred three million, forty
thousand seventeen" as a number
12) Round 27,815 to the nearest hundred
13) Round 139,501 to the nearest thousand
14) Evaluate: 121. Include both roots.
15) Write "Two hundred three and fifty-nine hun-
dredths" as a number
16) Insert "<" or ">": 5.99999 6.18
17) Insert "<" or ">": 0.29 0.2876
18) Convert to a fraction: 0.021
19) Convert 2/7 to a decimal (round to the nearest
hundredth)
20) Convert to a decimal by hand: 3/25
21) Convert to a decimal: 1/3
22) True/False: 0.7 = .7 = 0.70
23) True/False: 0.9 is a repeating decimal.
24) Insert "<" or ">" (no calculator): 6/25 251/500
25) Insert "<" or ">" (use calculator): 425/639 541/803
26) Multiply (no calculator): 7.23 × 1000
27) Divide (no calculator): 12.3 ÷ 10,000
28) Round 12.3456 to the nearest hundredth
29) Round 79.9912 to the nearest tenth
30) Express 1,234,000,000 in scientific notation

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GOAL-SETTING & ASSESSMENT SELF -TEST

31) Express 7.89 × 10−5 in standard notation


32) Convert 14% to a reduced fraction
33) Convert 107% to a decimal
34) Convert 0.567 to a percent
35) Convert 11/17 to a percent (round to nearest tenth)
36) Convert 3/50 to a percent (don't use calculator)
37) Convert 0.07% to a decimal
38) Compute the percent of change from 23 to 37 (round
to the nearest tenth of a percent)
39) How much money will you save on a $29.95 item
during a "30% Off" sale?
40) What will a person's monthly rent be after a 2.7%
increase if it is currently $817?
41) What is the cost including tax on a $195 item if the
tax rate is 8.25%?
42) What percent of 87 is 35? Round to the nearest tenth.
43) What is the reciprocal of 7/11?
44) Convert 7 ¼ to an improper fraction.
45) How is a millimeter related to a meter?
46) Apples are being sold at the rate of 34 apples for $19.
How much does one apple cost at that rate?
47) Convert 102 inches to feet
3 12
48) Solve for the unknown value: 7
= ?
3
49) Simplify to a single fraction: ( )/8
7
50) Find the mean of this list (rounded to the nearest
tenth): 27, 94, 85, 0, 62

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51) Find the median of this list: 36, 7, 7, 12, 12


52) Find the median of this list: 108, 92, 86, 84, 72, 61
53) Find the mode of this list: 17, 12, 38, 45, 12, 91, 38
54) Find the mode of this list: 1, 2, 7, 4, 5
55) Find the range of this list: 78, 50, 32, 19, 42
56) Find the probability of rolling a 5 or 6 on a single
roll of one standard die
57) Find the probability of rolling a 7 on a single roll of
one standard die
58) What are the chances that a flipped fair coin will
land on heads or tails?
59) If there is a 3/20 chance that it will rain tomorrow,
what is the chance that it will not rain?
60) In an experiment comprised of a coin toss followed
by a roll of a single die, what is the probability of
flipping heads and rolling a 3?
61) An urn has 3 red marbles and 5 blue marbles. Find
the probability of drawing a red marble followed by
a blue marble, with replacement.
62) An urn has 4 red marbles and 6 blue marbles. Find
the probability of drawing a blue marble followed
by a blue marble, without replacement.
63) A man has three shirts, four pairs of pants, and five
ties. How many different outfits comprised of a
shirt, a pair of pants, and a tie can he create?
64) Convert 17 to an equivalent fraction.

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GOAL-SETTING & ASSESSMENT SELF -TEST

65) What is the GCF of 4 and 6?


66) What is the LCM of 20 and 30?
67) Reduce 3/17 to lowest terms
2
68) Multiply: 4 × 85) Compute: 4 + (-7)
9
1 1
86) Compute: (-8) + (-6)
69) Add: 2
+3
87) Compute: 3 – 10
14 30 88) Compute: (-4) – 2
70) True/False: 21
= 45
11 13
89) Compute: (-5) – (-1)
71) True/False: =
12 14 90) Compute: (-9) × 6
−2 2 91) Compute (-5) × (-8)
72) True/False: =
−7 7
92) Compute: 20 ÷ (-5)
−3 3
73) True/False: = 93) Compute: (-8) ÷ (-2)
5 −5

74) Add:
5
+
7 94) Evaluate: (−4)2
13 13
95) Evaluate: −4
2 3
75) Multiply: 7
× 5 96) Evaluate: 34
4 5 97) Evaluate: |8|
76) Divide: 5
÷4
98) Evaluate: |(-3) – 4|
524 839
77) Multiply: 839
× 524 99) List the factors of 46

78) Compute 37 + 89 100) List the factors of 23


101) Is 27 prime? Why?
79) Compute 81 - 25
102) Compute: 0 ÷ 23
80) Define: Integer.
103) Compute: 2 ÷ 0
81) Evaluate 91
104) What is 3 squared?
82) Evaluate 64
105) What is 71% of 539?
83) Evaluate 3 + 4 × 2
(round to the near-
84) Evaluate 8 – 5 + 1
est whole number)

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CHAPTER TWO

The Foundation of Math:


Basic Skills in Arithmetic

ADDING SINGLE-DIGIT NUMBERS

1) When we add numbers, what do we call the result?


2) Is addition commutative? Support with an example.
3) What happens when we add 0 to a number?

Practice adding single-digit numbers together until you


can do so easily. The best way to do this is by using
either store-bought or homemade flashcards. Here are
some exercises to quiz yourself.
4) 8 + 7 7) 5 + 0 10) 7 + 4
5) 6 + 6 8) 4 + 5 11) 1 + 9
6) 3 + 8 9) 2 + 8 12) 8 + 8

A "TRICK" FOR ADDING 9 TO A NUMBER

In the main book we learned that we can rearrange


addition problems by regrouping the items to be added.
For example, instead of computing 9 + 7, we can move

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one of the items from the second group into the first
group, thereby making the problem into 10 + 6 which is
equivalent and easier. Try using that technique for the
following addition problems.

13) 9 + 7 16) 9 + 0 19) 1 + 9


14) 6 + 9 17) 4 + 9 20) 9 + 9
15) 3 + 9 18) 2 + 9 21) 8 + 9

SUBTRACTING SINGLE-DIGIT NUMBERS

22) What is the answer called in a subtraction problem?


23) Is subtraction commutative? Support with an example.
24) What happens when we subtract 0 from a number?
25) Does the above trick about adding 9 to a number also
apply to subtraction? Why or why not?

As with addition, use homemade or store-bought flash-


cards to practice basic subtraction facts. For now we'll
stick to problems in which we don't subtract a larger
number from a smaller one. Here are some exercises to
practice and quiz yourself.

26) 9 – 7 29) 0 – 0 32) 8 – 7


27) 8 – 8 30) 6 – 5 33) 7 – 4
28) 7 – 5 31) 8 – 4 34) 9 – 0

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THE FOUNDATION OF MA TH: BASIC SKILLS IN ARITHMETI C

ADDITION AND SUBTRACTION ARE OPPOSITES

Remember: Addition and subtraction are inverse opera-


tions. This means is that they “undo” each other. When
computing a subtraction problem, it is sometimes best to
look at the problem in reverse, and ask yourself what
number you must add to the second number in order to
get back to the first number. For example, instead of
computing 8 – 5, you could ask yourself what number
you must add to 5 in order to get back to 8.

For practice, redo the previous exercises but compute the


related addition problem for each one as described.

MULTIPLYING SINGLE-DIGIT NUMBERS

35) What is the answer called in a multiplication problem?


36) Is multiplication commutative? Support with an example.
37) What is multiplication a shortcut for?
38) What do we get when we multiply a number times 0?
39) What do we get when we multiply a number times 1?
40) How do we compute the positive multiples of a number?

For practice, list the first 12 multiples of each number in


the following exercises. If you need help with the larger
numbers and larger multiples, see the section on two-
digit addition later in this chapter.

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Multiples of 1: ____________________________________
Multiples of 2: ____________________________________
Multiples of 3: ____________________________________
Multiples of 4: ____________________________________
Multiples of 5: ____________________________________
Multiples of 6: ____________________________________
Multiples of 7: ____________________________________
Multiples of 8: ____________________________________
Multiples of 9: ____________________________________
Multiples of 10: ____________________________________
Multiples of 11: ____________________________________
Multiples of 12: ____________________________________

Recall from the main book that the rows and columns of
the multiplication table contain the multiples of the
numbers that are in the row and column headers. For
practice, fill in the blank multiplication table on the next
page which should be quick and easy since you just
finished listing all of the required multiples.

After you have done that, try quizzing yourself by


finding the following products from memory. Of course
be sure to memorize the whole multiplication table.

41) 8 × 7 44) 5 × 11 47) 9 × 6


42) 9 × 4 45) 3 × 12 48) 6 × 7
43) 8 × 8 46) 7 × 9 49) 3 × 0

32
THE FOUNDATION OF MA TH: BASIC SKILLS IN ARITHMETI C

DIVISION IS THE INVERSE OF MULTIPLICATION

50) What is the answer called in a division problem?


51) Is division commutative? Support with an example.

Remember: Division is the inverse of multiplication, just


like subtraction is the inverse of addition. For example, if
we want to compute 24 ÷ 3, we can determine what
number must be multiplied by 3 to get back to 24.

For practice, perform these division exercises using the


method described above.

52) 49 ÷ 7 55) 99 ÷ 11 58) 40 ÷ 5


53) 24 ÷ 4 56) 56 ÷ 7 59) 12 ÷ 1
54) 8 ÷ 8 57) 72 ÷ 9 60) 21 ÷ 3

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DIVISION WITH A REMAINDER

Remember: Quantities don’t always divide evenly. For


example, think about the problem 27 ÷ 4. Using the
technique of looking at the problem in reverse, ask
yourself, “What number can I multiply 4 by so that I can
get as close to 27 as possible, but without actually going
over it?” The answer is 6. That gets us back to 24, but we
have 3 left over. For now, we can say that the answer to
the problem is “6 remainder 3,” (6 R 3). In Chapter Five
we’ll practice converting that remainder into a fraction.

Use the above method to find the quotients with re-


mainders in the practice exercises below.

61) 57 ÷ 8 64) 94 ÷ 11 67) 71 ÷ 5


62) 29 ÷ 6 65) 58 ÷ 7 68) 26 ÷ 4
63) 11 ÷ 7 66) 88 ÷ 10 69) 38 ÷ 3

TWO-DIGIT ADDITION WITH CARRYING

70) What are the first four place values called as we look
at a whole (non-decimal) number from right to left?
71) How must we line up numbers if we're adding
numbers that don't have the same quantity of digits?
72) When adding, do we make our way from leftmost
column to rightmost, or vice-versa?

34
THE FOUNDATION OF MA TH: BASIC SKILLS IN ARITHMETI C

Remember: If the sum of the ones place is more than 10,


the result must be broken up into ones and tens. The tens
must be "carried" into the tens column to be added in
when we get to that column. The procedure is the same
when adding other columns such as the tens place. We
always carry into the column on the left of our current
column, and we add our columns from right to left.

For practice, compute these addition problems:

73) 42 + 79 76) 86 + 45 79) 62 + 88


74) 99 + 99 77) 27 + 85 80) 94 + 59
75) 32 + 85 78) 15 + 55 81) 83 + 17

TWO-DIGIT SUBTRACTION WITH BORROWING

Remember: When subtracting, line up the numbers by


place value just like when adding. Subtract the columns
working from right to left, just like with addition.

Remember: If a column requires you to


subtract a larger number from a smaller
number such as 3 – 5, it is totally wrong to
just reverse the digits into 5 – 3. Instead,
we must "borrow" from the column on the
left. In the example at left, we borrowed 10 from the top
number, turning the 7 into a 6. We then "returned" the
10 in the form of 10 ones, making the 2 into 12.

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For practice, compute these subtraction problems.

82) 87 – 19 85) 71 – 28 88) 83 – 26


83) 56 – 47 86) 64 – 38 89) 35 – 15
84) 99 – 59 87) 52 – 7 90) 40 – 19

TWO-DIGIT BY ONE-DIGIT MULTIPLICATION

Review the main book for details about multiplying a


two-digit number by a one-digit number.

Remember: We perform our multiplication


in stages, essentially "distributing" the
second number over the columns of the first.
In the example at left, the 8 multiplies the 9
giving us 72 which is 2 ones and 7 tens. The
2 goes in the ones place of the answer, and
the 7 gets carried into the tens place to remind us that we
must later add 7 tens (or 70) to our answer.

Remember: Even though the next step in the example is


for the 8 to multiply the 3 in the first number, the 3 is
really worth 30 because of its place. We get 240, which
equals 24 tens. We must add in the 7 tens that we carried,
giving us 31 tens which is really 1 ten and 3 hundreds.
We can write 1 in the tens place of our answer, and we
can just write the 3 hundred next to it in the answer.

36
THE FOUNDATION OF MA TH: BASIC SKILLS IN ARITHMETI C

For practice, compute these multiplication problems.

91) 99 × 9 94) 53 × 8 97) 50 × 8


92) 85 × 6 95) 87 × 6 98) 46 × 9
93) 49 × 7 96) 76 × 2 99) 96 × 0

SO NOW WHAT?

Please refer to the main book for an explanation of why


computations like multi-digit multiplication and long
division have been omitted from the series. In the
unlikely case that you are taking an exam which requires
you to do such computations by hand, please contact me
and I'll guide you to sources of free help on the matter.

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is essential that


you fully understand all of the concepts in this one. Take
time to review the material. See the last page of the book
for the companion website that you can use to contact me
for additional information or help.

37
CHAPTER THREE

Basic Math Topics


and Operations

WHAT IS AN INTEGER?

1) What is an integer?
2) List some integers which support the definition.
3) List two examples of values that are not integers.

EVEN AND ODD NUMBERS

4) How do we know if a number is even?


5) How do we know if a number is odd?

Use small, simple numbers such as 1 or 2 to determine


whether the following computations will result in an
even or odd answer.

6) Even + Even 9) Even × Even


7) Even + Odd 10) Even × Odd
8) Odd + Odd 11) Odd × Odd

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GREATER THAN AND LESS THAN

Insert the appropriate symbol (<) or (>) in each of these


comparisons:

12) 635 97 13) 205 1,999 14) 799 913

INTRODUCING EXPONENTS (POWERS)

15) What is the significance of an exponent (or power)?

For practice, evaluate these bases which have been raised


to various powers. Use a calculator if you need to since
the most important thing is to understand the concept,
but don't use the exponent key if your calculator has one.

16) 34 18) 16 20) 28


17) 45 19) 010 21) 97

SQUARE, CUBE, AND OTHER SPECIAL POWERS

22) How do we usually read an exponent of 2?


23) What does an exponent of 2 mean?
24) How do we usually read an exponent of 3?
25) What does an exponent of 3 mean?
26) What does an exponent of 1 mean?
27) What is any number (other than 0) to the power of 0?

40
BASIC MATH TOPICS AND OPERATIONS

For practice, evaluate these bases which have been raised


to powers of either 0, 1, 2, or 3.

28) 72 31) 152 34) 10


29) 130 32) 33 35) 23
30) 91 33) 53 36) 122

WHAT IS A PERFECT SQUARE?

37) Explain the concept of "perfect square."

It’s very important to memorize the perfect squares


between 1 and at least 144 since they come up so often in
math. When you see a number in that range, you should
be able to instantly recognize if it is a perfect square, and
if so, what number it is the square of.

For practice, fill in the perfect squares in the chart below,


ideally without using a calculator, and without referring
to the chart in the main book.

12 = 52 = 92 = 132 = 252 =

22 = 62 = 102 = 142 = 302 =


32 = 72 = 112 = 152 = 402 =
42 = 82 = 122 = 202 = 502 =

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THE SQUARE ROOT OF A NUMBER

38) Explain the concept of "square root."


39) What symbol is used for the square root operation?
40) What is the relationship between squaring and
"square rooting?"
41) When we evaluate a typical square root, do we
sometimes use the squaring or square root notation
in the answer?

For practice, fill in the square roots in the chart below


without using a calculator or referring to any charts:

1= 36 = 121 = 400 =

4= 49 = 144 = 625 =
9= 64 = 169 = 900 =

16 = 81 = 196 = 1600 =

25 = 100 = 225 = 2500 =

ORDER OF OPERATIONS (PEMDAS)

42) What do the letters of PEMDAS stand for?


43) How do we handle the case of nested parentheses or
brackets in a PEMDAS problem?
44) What do we do if a problem has more than one pair
of parentheses which aren't nested?

42
BASIC MATH TOPICS AND OPERATIONS

45) Do we always handle multiplication before division


since M comes before D? Why?
46) Do we always handle addition before subtraction
because A comes before S? Why?
47) Do we always handle multiplication before addition
even if addition appears first in an expression? Why?

For practice, use PEMDAS to evaluate the expressions


below. Use a separate sheet of paper to carefully simplify
each expression one step at a time.

48) 10 – 2 + 1 51) 1 + 2 × 1000 54) 100 + 0 × 7


49) 6 × (4 + 3) 52) 50 ÷ 5 × 2 55) 12 + 3 × 4 ÷ 6
50) 3 + 52 × 2 53) 10 + [7×(3+1)] 56) 14 – 49 + 7

WHAT IS A FACTOR?

57) How do we find the factors of a number?


58) What number has only one factor?
59) What numbers are guaranteed factors of any number?

For practice, list the factors of these numbers. Make sure


that this is a task you can do quickly and easily.

60) 36 63) 48
61) 100 64) 41
62) 2 65) 27

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PRIME AND COMPOSITE NUMBERS

66) What does "prime" mean?


67) What does "composite" mean?
68) Are there any even prime numbers? Elaborate.
69) Is 1 a prime or a composite number? Why?

For practice, state if these numbers are prime or composite:


70) 23 73) 2 76) 13
71) 41 74) 1 77) 27
72) One Million 75) 791,354 78) Ninety-Nine

THE PLACE VALUE CHART UP TO BILLIONS

79) What are the first ten place values called as we look
at a whole (non-decimal) number from right to left?
80) Where is the "zillions" place?
81) How are commas used when writing large numbers?

READING LARGE NUMBERS WRITTEN IN WORDS

Review the main book for instruction on reading and


writing large numbers with words. For practice, convert
these written numbers to their numeric form:

82) Three hundred four thousand:


83) One hundred one:
84) Twenty-seven million, thirty:
85) Two billion, forty-eight thousand :

44
BASIC MATH TOPICS AND OPERATIONS

ROUNDING NUMBERS TO VARIOUS PLACES

86) List some times when we round a number.


87) If we are asked to round a number to a given place,
what place will we actually examine?
88) What digits in that place tell us to round up?
89) What digits in that place tell us to round down?

For practice, round these numbers to the specified places.


Refer to the main book for a detailed instructions.

90) 23,552 to the nearest hundred:


91) 4,567,890 to the nearest ten thousand:
92) 6,357,498,765 to the nearest million:
93) 9,700,000,000 to the nearest billion:

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is essential that


you fully understand all of the concepts in this one. Take
time to review the material. See the last page of the book
for the companion website that you can use to contact me
for additional information or help.

45
CHAPTER FOUR

Working with
Negative Numbers

WHAT IS A NEGATIVE NUMBER?

1) Using money as an analogy, how should we think


about positive and negative numbers (according to
the main book)?

ADDING SIGNED NUMBERS

2) When we add a positive plus a positive, what sign is


the answer? How should we think about this using
money as an analogy (according to the main book)?

3) When we add a positive plus a negative (or vice-


versa), how can we determine the sign of the answer?
How do we determine the numeric portion of the an-
swer? How should we think about this using money
as an analogy (according to the main book)?

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4) When we add a negative plus a negative, what sign


is the answer? How do we determine the numeric
portion of the answer? How should we think about
this using money as an analogy (according to the
main book)?

For practice, compute these addition problems involving


adding signed numbers:

5) 7 + (-4) 8) (-5) + 6 11) (-7) + (-8)


6) (-9) + (-5) 9) (-17) + (-2) 12) (-3) + (-3)
7) (-8) + 3 10) 10 + (-10) 13) (-6) + 6

SUBTRACTING SIGNED NUMBERS (AN OVERVIEW)

14) (True/False): The problem 2 – 5 cannot be done.


15) (True/False): The problem 2 – 5 should be converted
to 5 – 2 to get an answer of 3.
16) Use a number line and your knowledge of how
subtraction works to compute 2 – 5.

Remember: The main book asserted that it is best to


convert signed number subtraction problems into
equivalent addition problems. Once that is done, we can
follow the addition procedures that you just practiced.

48
W ORKING W ITH NEGATIVE NUMBE RS

HOW TO SUBTRACT TWO SIGNED NUMBERS

Remember: The main book presented a four-step proce-


dure for signed number subtraction problems. It's best to
use this procedure even for "double-negative" problems
such as (4) – (-3) which are associated with a "shortcut."

Step 1 of 4: Leave the first number alone. Don’t touch it.

Step 2 of 4: Change the subtraction (minus) sign to an


addition (plus) sign. This does not involve changing the
sign of either number. It involves changing the actual
operation of the problem from subtraction to addition.

Step 3 of 4: Change the sign of the second number to its


opposite. If it was negative, make it positive. If it was
positive, make it negative.

Step 4 of 4: You have converted the subtraction problem


into an equivalent addition problem which you can solve
as previously described and practiced.

For practice, compute these signed number subtraction


problems by following the four-step procedure above:

17) (-4) – (-5) 20) (-4) – 3 23) (-10) – (-6)


18) (-6) – 6 21) (-5) – 7 24) 7 – (-9)
19) 5 – 7 22) 10 – (-10) 25) 0 – 3

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MULTIPLYING SIGNED NUMBERS

26) What is the sign of a positive times a positive?


27) What is the sign of a positive times a negative?
28) What is the sign of a negative times a positive?
29) What is the sign of a negative times a negative?
30) Does anything else affect the sign of the answer?
31) According the main book, what analogy can you use
to help remember these rules?

For practice, compute these signed number multiplica-


tion problems by following the above rules:

32) 7 × -8 35) -2 × -15 38) 1 × -1


33) -6 × -7 36) -7 × 0 39) 9 × -8
34) -9 × -10 37) -3 × -1 40) -2 × -2

DIVIDING SIGNED NUMBERS

41) What is the sign of a positive divided by a positive?


42) What is the sign of a positive divided by a negative?
43) What is the sign of a negative divided by a positive?
44) What is the sign of a negative divided by a negative?
45) Does anything else affect the sign of the answer?
46) What operation follows these exact same rules?

For practice, compute these signed number division


problems by following the above rules:

50
W ORKING W ITH NEGATIVE NUMBE RS

47) -24 ÷ 6 49) -10 ÷ -2 51) 18 ÷ -9


48) 21 ÷ -7 50) 50 ÷ -5 52) -32 ÷ -32

THE SQUARE OF A NEGATIVE NUMBER

Remember: When we square a negative number in


parentheses, we get a positive answer since we really
have a negative times a negative which is positive. When
we square a number that is not in parentheses but has a
negative sign to the left of it, we must apply the squaring
operation first, and then make the answer negative.

(−8)2 = −8 × (−8) = 64
−82 = −(82 ) = −64
THE SQUARE ROOT OF A NEGATIVE NUMBER

53) What is the square root of a negative number? Why?

POSITIVE NUMBERS HAVE TWO SQUARE ROOTS

54) What are two valid ways to evaluate 16? Why?


55) How do we typically write and say such an answer?
56) How do we answer a square root problem "by
default," and what do we call such an answer?

ABSOLUTE VALUE

57) What is the significance of absolute value? What is


always the sign of the answer in such problems?

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58) What symbol(s) do we use to represent the absolute


value operation?

For practice, evaluate these expressions and single terms


which involve the absolute value operation.

59) |18| = 61) |(-3) – 2| = 63) |(-9) – (-9)| =


60) |-27| = 62) |-56 ÷ -7| = 64) |2 – 5| =

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is absolutely


essential that you fully understand all of the concepts in
this one. If you do not fully master how to perform the
four basic arithmetic operations with signed numbers,
you will run into endless difficulty with all of the math
that you will study from this point forward. None of this
is “busy” or “baby” work. It is the foundation of math.

Take as much time as you need to review the material in


this chapter, and return to it as often as necessary until
all of it becomes second nature to you, and you are no
longer confused or intimidated by the sight of a negative
number. See the last page of the book for the companion
website that you can use to contact me for additional
information or help.

52
CHAPTER FIVE

Basic Operations
with Fractions (+, –, ×, ÷)

WHAT IS A FRACTION?

1) Define or explain what a fraction is.


2) (True/False): Sometimes a basic fraction problem can
become a matter of, “What if my pizza pie was bigger
than yours in the first place.”
3) (True/False): Sometimes a basic fraction problem can
become a matter of “What if the pie wasn’t cut even-
ly, and my slice was bigger than yours.”
4) What do we call the top part of a fraction?
5) Define or explain its significance.
6) What do we call the bottom part of a fraction?
7) Define or explain its significance.
8) (True/False): a/b is another way of representing 𝑏𝑎 .

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THE EFFECT OF INCREASING / DECREASING THE


NUMERATOR / DENOMINATOR OF A FRACTION

9) As the numerator of a fraction increases, what


happens to the the value of the fraction?
10) As the numerator of a fraction decreases, what
happens to the value of the fraction?
11) As the denominator of a fraction increases, what
happens to the value of the fraction?
12) As the denominator of a fraction decreases, what
happens to the value of the fraction?

Review the main book for a detailed explanation of why


this is the case, and be sure that it makes sense to you.

ADDING AND SUBTRACTING FRACTIONS WITH


LIKE (MATCHING) DENOMINATORS

13) Describe how we add and subtract fractions with like


(matching) denominators.

For practice, add/subtract these fractions with like


denominators. For now, don't worry about reducing the
answers to lowest terms which we'll practice later.

2 7 17 9 1 1 1
14) + 15 16) − 21 18) 3
+3+3
15 21

7 2 8 8 10 28
15) − 51 17) 9
−9 19) 39
+ 39
51

54
BASIC OPERATIONS WITH FRACTIONS (+, –, ×, ÷)

MULTIPLYING A FRACTION TIMES A FRACTION

20) Describe how we multiply fractions. Does it matter


whether or not the denominators match?

For practice, multiply these fractions. For now, don't


worry about any "cross cancelling" or reducing the
answers to lowest terms which we'll practice later.

1 1 3 3 4 5
21) × 23) ×8 25) ×4
2 3 8 5

5 2 6 1 10 6
22) 7
×9 24) 15
×2 26) 10
×7

WHAT IS A RECIPROCAL?

27) Define or explain what a reciprocal is.


28) When will a fraction and its reciprocal be equal?

For practice, write the reciprocal of each fraction:

29) 7/2 30) -5/6 31) 17/17

DIVIDING A FRACTION BY A FRACTION

Remember: We have a four-step procedure to follow for


dividing a fraction by a fraction.

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Step 1 of 4: Leave the first fraction alone


Step 2 of 4: Change the division to multiplication
Step 3 of 4: “Flip” the second fraction to its reciprocal
Step 4 of 4: Multiply as previously described

For practice, compute these fraction division problems.


For now, don't worry about reducing the answers to
lowest terms which we'll practice later.

1 1 5 5 1 1
32) ÷ 34) ÷6 36) ÷
2 3 6 3 2

7 8 3 2 2 3
33) ÷7 35) 17
÷7 37) ÷4
8 5

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is essential that


you fully understand all of the concepts in this one. The
next chapter introduces more advanced fraction topics. If
you don’t fully understand this chapter, the next one will
probably be confusing and difficult.

Be sure to also study the multiplication table from


Chapter Two since that will play a large role in the
upcoming material. See the last page of the book for the
companion website that you can use to contact me for
additional information or help.

56
CHAPTER SIX

More About Fractions

A FRACTION IS ACTUALLY A DIVISION PROBLEM

1) Describe how a fraction is really a division problem,


and the significance of the horizontal line.

CONVERTING AN INTEGER TO A FRACTION

2) How do we convert an integer into a fraction?


3) Why is there no harm in doing such a thing?
4) Under what circumstances might we do that?

MULTIPLYING AN INTEGER TIMES A FRACTION

5) When multiplying an integer times a fraction such as


2 × 37 what is the mistake that is commonly made?
6) Why is it a mistake?
7) What is the actual procedure for multiplying an
integer times a fraction?

For practice, compute these problems involving an


integer times a fraction. Don't worry about reducing the
answers to lowest terms which we'll practice later.

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2 3 2
8) 3 × 5 = 10) 2 × 10 = 12) 1 × =
3

4 4 9
9) 7 × 7 = 11) 4 × = 13) 2 × 18 =
5

FRACTIONS WITHIN FRACTIONS

Remember: A fraction is just a value divided by a value.


Sometimes the values in question may be fractions
themselves. Since a fraction can be thought of and
rewritten as “top divided by bottom,” we can rewrite the
"fraction of fractions" in the more conventional form as
shown below, and then evaluate it as you learned.

3
4 3 8 3 9 3 × 9 27
8 = ÷ = × = =
9
4 9 4 8 4 × 8 32
For practice, convert these "fractions of fractions" into
fraction division problems like the ones we worked with.
Then follow the four-step procedure for converting a
fraction division problem into a multiplication problem,
and then multiply the fractions as you've learned. Don't
worry about reducing the fractions to lowest terms
which we'll practice later.

8 2 6
9 5 13
14) 10 15) 7 16) 1
11 9 2

58
MORE ABOUT FRACTIONS

DIVIDING AN INTEGER BY A FRACTION

Remember: Sometimes a fraction is comprised of an


integer over a fraction, or vice-versa. To simplify such a
fraction, rewrite it as a "top divided by bottom" division
problem, remembering to put the integer over 1 so that it
will be in fraction format. Then proceed as you did with
the previous practice problems. Study the sample
problems below, and then simplify the ones presented.
Don't worry about reducing the fractions to lowest terms
which we'll practice later.

2 3 2 3 2 4 2×4 8
3 =2÷ = ÷ = × = =
4
4 1 4 1 3 1×3 3

2
3 2 2 5 2 1 2×1 2
= ÷5= ÷ = × = =
5 3 3 1 3 5 3 × 5 15

3 8
17) 4 11
19)
5 5
1 1
7 20) 3
18)
6 4

FRACTIONS THAT ARE EQUAL TO 1

21) Under what circumstances is a fraction equal to 1?

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FINDING THE GREATEST COMMON FACTOR (GCF)

22) Define or explain "greatest common factor (GCF)".


23) When do we often use the GCF?

Remember: The main book listed four steps for finding


the greatest common factor (GCF) of two numbers:

Step 1: List all of the factors of the first number


Step 2: List all of the factors of the second number
Step 3: Take note of the factors that appear on both lists
Step 4: Choose the largest of those common factors

For practice, follow the given four steps to compute the


GCF for each pair of numbers below:

24) 2, 4 27) 1, 12 30) 36, 70


25) 24, 36 28) 14, 21 31) 40, 80
26) 1, 100 29) 20, 100 32) 17, 23

REDUCING (SIMPLIFYING) FRACTIONS

Remember: To reduce (simplify) a fraction to lowest


terms, divide both numerator and denominator by their
GCF. When we reduce (simplify) a fraction, we do not
actually change its value. We just convert the fraction
into an equivalent one which does not have any common

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MORE ABOUT FRACTIONS

factors that can be "pulled out." A common and simple


example is reducing 4/8 to the equivalent 1/2.

33) How do we know when a fraction is fully reduced?

For practice, reduce these fractions to lowest terms by


dividing numerator and denominator by the GCF:

34) 14/21 37) 3/17 40) 5/24


35) 1/682 38) 24/24 41) 12/18
36) 32/64 39) 33/88 42) 80/100

MULTIPLES VERSUS FACTORS

43) How do the positive multiples of a number compare in


size to the number (less than, greater than, equal to, etc.)?
44) How do the factors of a number compare in size to
the number (less than, greater than, equal to, etc.)?

COMPUTING THE LEAST COMMON MULTIPLE /


LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR (LCM / LCD)

45) Define or explain "least common multiple (LCM)".


46) When do we often use the LCM?
47) What is the relationship between LCM and LCD?

Remember: To add or subtract two fractions with unlike


(non-matching denominators), we must compute the
least common multiple (LCM) of the two unlike denomi-

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nators. We then “convert” each fraction so that each one


has the LCM as its common denominator, thereby
allowing us to add or subtract them as we’ve learned
how to do. This is practiced in the next section.

ADDING AND SUBTRACTING FRACTIONS WITH


UNLIKE (NON-MATCHING) DENOMINATORS

Remember: We cannot directly add/subtract fractions


with unlike denominators such as 2/3 + 1/4. We must
"convert" the fractions so they have a common denomi-
nator. We compute the least common multiple (LCM) of
the two denominators, and use that as our lowest com-
mon denominator (LCD). The main book outlined a four-
step procedure for computing the LCM of two numbers:

Step 1: List the first few multiples of the first number


Step 2: List the first few multiples of the second number
Step 3: Note the multiplies that appear on both lists
Step 4: Choose the smallest of the common multiples

If necessary, extend the lists in Steps 1 and 2 until you find the
first common multiple.

For practice, find the LCM of these pairs of numbers:

48) 4, 6 51) 5, 10 54) 3, 21


49) 1, 7 52) 2, 23 55) 12, 18
50) 7, 11 53) 6, 8 56) 2, 4

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MORE ABOUT FRACTIONS

Remember: We use the LCM as the “target” number for


each denominator. We must “convert” each fraction to
an equivalent fraction with the LCM as its denominator.
We do that using this four-step procedure:

Step 1 of 4: Multiply the denominator of the first fraction


by whatever number is necessary so it be-
comes the “target” denominator (the LCD).
Step 2 of 4: Multiply the numerator of the first fraction by
same number that you used to multiply the
denominator. Remember that whatever we do
to the bottom, we must also do to the top.
Step 3 of 4: Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the second fraction.
You will multiply top and bottom by a num-
ber other than the one used for the first frac-
tion, but you must still end up with the same
“target” denominator.
Step 4 of 4: You now have two fractions with like (match-
ing) denominators. Add (or subtract) them as
you practiced in the previous chapter.

2 3 2 × 𝟕 3 × 𝟓 14 15 29
+ = + = + =
5 7 5 × 𝟕 7 × 𝟓 35 35 35
For practice, add/subtract these fractions with unlike
denominators, and reduce your answers.

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1 1 2 2 2 3
57) + = 59) − = 61) +8=
2 3 3 21 5

5 1 3 1 7 5
58) 6
−4= 60) 4
−8= 62) 8
+6=

63) What happens if you choose a common denominator


that is larger than the LCM?

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is essential that


you fully understand all of the concepts in this one. The
next chapter introduces some more advanced fraction
topics that are very important. If you don’t fully under-
stand this chapter, the next chapter will probably be very
confusing and difficult for you. Take time to review the
material. See the last page of the book for the companion
website that you can use to contact me for additional
information or help.

64
CHAPTER SEVEN

Other Topics in Fractions

MIXED NUMBERS AND IMPROPER FRACTIONS

1) Define or explain what an improper fraction is.


2) Define or explain what a mixed number is.
3) In a mixed number such as 5 ½, what operation is
implied between the two values?

CONVERTING MIXED NUMBERS TO IMPROPER


FRACTIONS

Remember: When we have to do mathematical opera-


tions involving mixed numbers, it is usually best to
convert them into improper fractions. The main book
outlined a five-step procedure for doing this which in
practice is much simpler than it sounds.

Step 1 of 5: Put a plus sign between the integer and


fractional components of the mixed number.
Step 2 of 5: Convert the integer to a fraction by putting it
over a denominator of 1.

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Step 3 of 5: Note that the LCM of the two denominators


involved will be the denominator of the
second fraction, since the first fraction has a
denominator of 1.
Step 4 of 5: Multiply top and bottom of the first fraction
by the LCM (i.e., the denominator of the
second fraction) so that the fractions will
have a common denominator.
Step 5 of 5: Add the fractions as previously described

2 3 2 3 × 𝟓 2 15 2 17
3+ = + = + = + =
5 1 5 1×𝟓 5 5 5 5
For practice, convert these mixed numbers to improper
fractions:
1 3 1
4) 4 7 = 6) 9 8 = 8) 1 8 =
2 1 8
5) 3 5 = 7) 11 2 = 9) 2 9 =

Recall that the main book explained a shortcut formula


for this process which is equivalent to the five-step
procedure you just practiced. The shortcut tells us to take
the denominator of the fraction, and multiply it by the
integer. Add the numerator of the fraction to that, and
that result becomes the numerator of the improper
fraction. That numerator it placed over the denominator
of fractional part of the mixed number.

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OTHER TOPICS IN FRACTIONS

For practice, repeat the previous exercises using the


shortcut, and convince yourself that it works.

𝑏 (𝑎 × 𝑐) + 𝑏
𝑎+ =
𝑐 𝑐
CONVERTING IMPROPER FRACTIONS INTO MIXED
NUMBERS

Remember: To convert an improper fraction (or division


problem) into a mixed number, we perform the five-step
procedure in reverse, but again there is a shortcut.
Remember that a fraction is a division problem—top
divided by bottom. To convert an improper fraction to a
mixed number, perform this division. Note the number
of times the denominator "goes into" the numerator. That
becomes the integer part of the mixed number. The
remainder is placed over the denominator of the original
fraction which becomes the fractional part of the mixed
number. Review the main book for more details.

For practice, convert these improper fractions into mixed


numbers. As an example 38/5 = 38 ÷ 5 = 7 ⅗.

10) 11/8 12) 37/5 14) 44/3


11) 23/7 13) 79/6 15) 31/4

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WORKING WITH EQUIVALENT FRACTIONS

16) How can we use the process of simplifying ("reduc-


ing") to determine if two fractions are equivalent?

17) How can we use the concept of "cross products" to


determine if two fractions are equivalent?

18) What is the difference, if any, between "cross multip-


lying" and "multiplying across"?

“CROSS CANCELING” BEFORE MULTIPLYING


FRACTIONS TO AVOID REDUCING THE PRODUCT

Remember: Before multiplying two fractions, we can do


what is informally referred to as “cross canceling” in an
effort to simplify the arithmetic. We can optionally “pull
out” a common factor from the tops and bottoms of the
two involved fractions so we won't later have to reduce
the answer after multiplying. Two examples from the
main book are shown below:

Remember: Do not utilize this shortcut when dividing a


fraction by another fraction. Recall that to divide two

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OTHER TOPICS IN FRACTIONS

fractions, we must do several steps to convert the prob-


lem into multiplication. Do not do any type of “cross
canceling” prior to that step, no matter how tempting the
numbers might make it seem.

For practice, compute the products and quotients below


using the "cross-canceling" shortcut where appropriate.
Reduce your answers to lowest terms.

1 2 3 4 4 5
19) ÷ 21) ×9 23) ÷4
2 7 8 5

5 12 1 3 3 15
20) 6
÷ 13 22) 2
÷4 24) 10
× 16

NEGATIVE FRACTIONS

25) Is the statement below true or false?

–3 3 3
= =–
4 –4 4

26) Is the statement below true or false?

–3 3
≠–
–4 4

27) Is the statement below true or false?

–3 3
=
–4 4

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DIVISION PROBLEMS INVOLVING 0

28) What is 0 divided by any number (except 0)?


29) What is any number divided by 0?

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is absolutely


essential that you fully understand all of the concepts in
this one. The next chapter introduces some new topics
involving fractions. If you don’t fully understand this
chapter, the next chapter will probably be confusing and
difficult for you.

Take time to review the material. See the last page of the
book for the companion website that you can use to
contact me for additional information or help.

70
CHAPTER EIGHT

The Metric System, Unit


Conversion, Proportions,
Rates, Ratios, Scale
COMMON UNITS OF MEASURE IN THE CUSTOMARY
OR IMPERIAL SYSTEM

If an exam or coursework requires you to memorize facts


about measurements in the customary/imperial system,
quiz yourself on the questions below, reviewing the
corresponding chapter in the main book if necessary.

1) How many inches are in a foot?


2) How many feet are in a yard?
3) How many feet are in a mile?
4) How many ounces are in a pound?
5) How many pounds are in a (US) ton?
6) How many fluid ounces are in a cup?
7) How many cups are in a pint?
8) How many pints are in a quart?
9) How many quarts are in a gallon?

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PROBLEMS INVOLVING TIME SPANS

If an exam or coursework requires you to memorize facts


about time measurement, quiz yourself on the questions
below, reviewing the main book if necessary.

What fraction of an hour is represented by each of these


durations of time?

10) 5 minutes 14) 20 minutes 18) 45 minutes


11) 10 minutes 15) 25 minutes 19) 50 minutes
12) 12 minutes 16) 30 minutes 20) 60 minutes
13) 15 minutes 17) 36 minutes 21) 30 seconds

COMMON UNITS OF MEASURE IN THE


METRIC SYSTEM

If an exam or coursework requires you to work with and


memorize facts about measurement in the Metric System,
quiz yourself on the questions below, reviewing the
corresponding chapter in the main book if necessary.

22) What is the basic Metric unit of length? What custo-


mary measurement is it roughly equal to?
23) What is the basic Metric unit of volume (capacity)?
What customary measurement is it roughly equal to?
24) What is the basic Metric unit of mass (weight)? What
fraction of an ounce is that unit roughly equal to?

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THE METRI C SYSTEM, UNIT CONVERSION,
PROPORTIONS, RATES, RATIOS, SCALE

COMMON METRIC SYSTEM PREFIXES

25) What does the prefix "kilo-" mean?


26) What does the prefix "milli-" mean?
27) What does the prefix "centi-" mean?

If required for exams or coursework:

28) A kilogram is equal to roughly how many pounds?


29) About how many drops of water fill a milliliter?
30) About how many inches is a centimeter?

THREE DIFFERENT WAYS OF WRITING A RATIO

31) Define or explain what a ratio is.


32) What are the three different ways that we can express
the ratio of some quantity a to some quantity b?

WORKING WITH UNIT RATIOS AND RATES

Remember: A rate is basically the same as a ratio, but it


involves the comparison of two quantities that have
different units. We often “reduce” ratios and rates so that
the denominator (or second value) is 1. We use the word
“unit” to describe such ratios and rates since they are
based on one single unit of whatever is being compared.

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For practice, convert these ratios and rates into unit


ratios and rates so that the denominators or second
values are equal to 1:

33) 1768 students to 52 teachers 34) 21:3 35) 30/5

COMPUTING THE COST PER UNIT

A common problem on the topic of unit rates is to


compute the cost of one unit of something when we are
provided with the total cost of many such items. All we
do is divide the dollar amount by the number of items.
Refer to the main book for a more detailed explanation.

In each of the problems below, compute the cost of one


item based on the cost of many of each item:

36) 34 apples cost $27.


37) $8 is the cost of 5 apples.
38) Apples are on sale for $5 for 6.

CONVERTING MEASUREMENTS WITH UNIT RATIOS

Remember: Unit ratios such as 3 ft. / 1 yd. make it easy


for us to convert measurements from one unit to another
such as feet to inches, or milliliters to liters. The general
idea is that we multiply the given value by a unit ratio

74
THE METRI C SYSTEM, UNIT CONVERSION,
PROPORTIONS, RATES, RATIOS, SCALE

such that the unit we are converting from will be “can-


celed out,” and we will be left with the unit to which we
want to convert. Study the examples below, and review
the main book for details if necessary.

17 𝑓𝑡. 1 𝑦𝑑. 17 2
17 𝑓𝑡. = × = 𝑦𝑑𝑠. = 5 3 𝑦𝑑𝑠.
1 3 𝑓𝑡. 3

2500 𝑚𝑔 1𝑔 2500
2500 𝑚𝑔 = × = 𝑔 = 2.5 𝑔
1 1000 𝑚𝑔 1000

For practice, multiply each of the measurements below


by a unit ratio to convert to the unit indicated:

39) How many inches are in 6 feet?


40) Convert 15 feet to yards.
41) How many centimeters are in 7 meters?
42) Convert 9500 kilometers to meters.

INTRODUCTION TO PROPORTIONS

Remember: A proportion is a way of showing that two


ratios (effectively fractions) are equivalent. Many propor-
tion problems involve solving for an unknown value.
Recall from the main book that in a proportion problem
such as 1/4 = 5/?, we can get the answer of 20 by noting

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that the denominator of the first fraction is 4 times the


size of the numerator. We can also get the answer by
noting that the numerator of the second fraction is 5
times the size of the numerator of the first fraction.

For practice, use one of those techniques to solve each of


the basic proportion problems below:

2 ? 1 10 5 ?
43) = 45) = 47) =
5 30 3 ? 100 20
1 7 7 ? 1 13
44) = 46) = 48) =
6 ? 8 24 2 ?

Remember: Some proportion problems come in the form


of words or diagrams. Read or examine such problems
very carefully, and convert them into a proportion like
the ones above. You’ll need to determine what piece of
information is missing.

Remember: Any comparisons that we do between


numbers in a proportion must be done by way of multip-
lication or division, and not by addition or subtraction.
For example, 5/6 ≠ (does not equal) 7/8.

Remember: Many proportion problems are not as simple


as the ones that we’ve been working with. The numbers
may not be such that the problem can be solved using

76
THE METRI C SYSTEM, UNIT CONVERSION,
PROPORTIONS, RATES, RATIOS, SCALE

basic computation, and the missing piece of information


may end up being a decimal number. Such problems
must be solved using basic algebra techniques which you
will learn about in later math, and in the next main book
in this series on basic algebra and geometry. For now just
be sure to understand the general concept. Many exam
questions are based on nothing more than that.

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is absolutely


essential that you fully understand all of the concepts in
this one and in the previous chapters on fractions. In
later math such as algebra you will do much more work
with fractions, but the problems will be abstract in
nature. This means that you must fully understand all of
the concepts at this point while we are still working with
simple numbers.

The next chapter introduces the concept of decimals


which are very much related to fractions. If you don’t
fully understand fractions, the next chapter will probably
be confusing and difficult for you.

77
CHAPTER NINE

Working with Decimals

EXTENDING THE PLACE VALUE CHART TO


DECIMAL PLACES

1) Define or explain what a decimal number is.


2) As we move to the right in the place value chart
(including the decimal places), what is the value of
each place relative to the place on its left?
3) What is the significance of a decimal point?
4) As we move from left to right, what are the names of
the first three places to the right of the decimal point?
5) Where is the "oneths" place?
6) What letters do all decimal place names end in?

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DECIMAL VALUES

7) What is the difference between 2.3 and 2.03? Why?


8) What is the difference between 2.3 and 2.30? Why?
9) What is the difference between .5 and 0.5? Why?
10) What is the difference between 2 and 2.0? Why?

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WRITING AND SAYING DECIMAL NUMBERS

Review the main book for details on reading and writing


decimal numbers with words. For practice, convert these
written numbers to their numeric form:

11) Twelve and three tenths.


12) Seven hundred one and seven hundredths.
13) Two hundred seventeen thousandths.
14) Five hundred sixty-two and one thousandth.

COMPARING DECIMAL NUMBERS

Review the main book for details on how to compare


decimals. For practice, insert a "<" or ">" symbol into each
statement below to indicate which value is greater:

15) 0.003 0.0004 17) 0.9876 1.002 19) 0.2349 0.238


16) 4.2 3.99999 18) 12.3 4.9999 20) 0.7391 0.739

CONVERTING DECIMAL NUMBERS TO FRACTIONS

Remember: To convert a decimal to a fraction, look to


see how far to the right the decimal digits reach, and use
that place to represent the fraction's denominator. The
decimal digits themselves become the numerator of the
fraction. For example, 0.89 = 89/100, and 0.306 = 306/1000.

80
W ORKING W ITH DECIMALS

For practice, convert these decimals into fractions, and


reduce the fractions to lowest terms:

21) 0.24 24) 0.101 27) 0.09


22) 0.007 25) 0.004 28) 0.06
23) 0.3 26) 0.5 29) 0.018

CONVERTING FRACTIONS TO DECIMAL NUMBERS

Remember: To convert a fraction to a decimal, just


compute what a fraction literally means—top divided by
bottom. This book assumes you do most of your compu-
tations on a calculator. Be careful to enter the numbers in
the proper order. The top number must be keyed in first.

For practice, convert these fractions into decimals.


Round your answers to the nearest hundredth. Refer to
the next chapter if you need help with rounding.

30) 7/11 32) 5/24 34) 1/2


31) 12/13 33) 1/7 35) 9/21

ANOTHER METHOD FOR CONVERTING FRACTIONS


TO DECIMALS

Remember: We can always multiply the top or bottom of


a fraction by a chosen number as long we do the same
thing to the other part of the fraction. If we can multiply
both parts of a fraction so that its denominator is a power

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of 10 (10, 100, 1000, etc.), it will be very easy to convert it


to a fraction without doing any division as described
above. Of course it is even easier if the fraction started
out with such a denominator.

For example, 92/1000 already has a denominator which is


a power of 10. We can convert it to a decimal by writing
92 such that it extends to the thousandths place, that is to
say 0.092. To convert the fraction 8/25 to a decimal, we
could multiply top and bottom by 4 to get the equivalent
32/100, which then becomes 0.32.

For practice, convert these fractions into decimals by


multiplying top and bottom by the same value such that
the denominator is a power of 10 if it isn't already:

36) 7/500 38) 3/250 40) 11/20


37) 13/1000 39) 2/5 41) 9/50

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is absolutely


essential that you fully understand all of the concepts in
this one. The next chapter introduces some more ad-
vanced decimal topics that are very important. If you
don’t fully understand this chapter, the next chapter will
probably be confusing and difficult for you.

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CHAPTER NINE
AND FIVE-TENTHS

More Topics in Decimals

REPEATING DECIMAL NUMBERS

Remember: When we convert a fraction to a decimal by


computing top divided by bottom, we sometimes end up
with a repeating decimal.

1) What is a common example of a fraction which is


equivalent to a repeating decimal?
2) (True/False): Repeating decimal digits stop repeating
when the calculator display runs out of room.
3) (True/False): If your calculator computes 2 ÷ 3 as
0.66666667, it means that the 6 doesn't repeat forever.
4) What notation do we usually use to represent a
repeating decimal?
5) (True/False): Repeating decimals can sometimes have
many digits which repeat.
6) (True/False): 0.101001000100001... is an example of a
repeating decimal.

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For practice, convert these fractions into repeating


decimals using the bar notation as appropriate.

7) 2/3 10) 5/9 13) 123/999


8) 4/7 11) 7/11 14) 7/33
9) 8/15 12) 37/99 15) 12/39

TERMINATING DECIMALS

Remember: Many decimal numbers just stop. If we were


to keep computing more digits using long division, all
we would get is more and more zeroes. For example,
we’ve seen that 0.7 is the same as 0.70, 0.700, 0.7000, and
so on, so we could say that the decimal number termi-
nates at the 7. We say that 0.7 is a terminating decimal.

For practice, indicate if each fraction below is equivalent


to a repeating or a terminating decimal:

16) 9/13 18) 7/100 20) 1234/10000


17) 3/8 19) 1/6 21) 17/300

NON-REPEATING DECIMALS

Remember: A third type of decimal is known as a non-


repeating decimal. Some decimal numbers don't termi-
nate, but they don't have any digits which repeat in a
pattern like the examples we’ve seen.

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COMPARISONS USING REFERENCE FRACTIONS

Remember: When comparing two fractions to determine


which is larger, we sometimes must convert the fractions
into decimals. But, in some cases we can determine
which of two fractions is larger by using common
reference fractions such as ½ or ¼ as guideposts. Review
the main book for a detailed explanation if necessary.

For practice, insert the "<" and ">" symbols as appropriate


in each comparison below. Do this exercise "visually"
based on reference fractions. Avoid doing any computa-
tions on a calculator or by hand.

22) 12/26 21/40 24) 11/100 6/70 26) 20/81 16/60


23) 2/7 461/899 25) 142/199 7/8 27) 34/100 9/30

ARRANGING “NON-OBVIOUS” FRACTIONS IN


ORDER FROM LEAST TO GREATEST

Remember: Some fractions seem so close in value that


using reference fractions to compare them doesn’t help.
In these cases we must examine their decimal equiva-
lents to accurately compare them. We compare decimal
values by starting the comparison in the tenths place and
moving to the right as needed in order to “break ties.”

For practice, insert the "<" and ">" symbols as appropriate


in each comparison below. Do this exercise by using a

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calculator to convert each fraction into a decimal by


computing top divided by bottom. Then compare the
decimals as practiced in the last chapter.

28) 4/7 30/52 30) 74/99 261/532 32) 9/91 29/293


29) 9/13 55/79 31) 31/39 307/987 33) 27/68 71/179

SHORTCUT FOR MULTIPLYING BY POWERS OF 10

Remember: To multiply a number times 10, move the


decimal point one place to the right, remembering that
whole numbers have an “invisible” decimal point on the
right. Tack on zeroes as needed to hold places. To
multiply by 100, move the decimal point two places to
the right. The pattern continues for higher powers of 10.

For practice, compute all of the products in the following


exercise using the shortcut.

34) 12.34 × 1000 36) 53 × 10,000 38) 1.0001 × 10


35) 0.0043 × 100 37) 27.1234 × 10 39) 0.00009 × 100

SHORTCUT FOR DIVIDING BY POWERS OF 10

Remember: To divide a number times 10, move the


decimal point one place to the left, remembering that
whole numbers have an “invisible” decimal point on the
right. Tack on zeroes as needed to hold places. To
multiply by 100, move the decimal point two places to
the left. The pattern continues for higher powers of 10.

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MORE TOPICS IN DECI MA LS

For practice, compute all of the quotients in the following


exercise using the shortcut.
40) 495 ÷ 1000 42) 94 ÷ 10 44) 41.0003 ÷ 10
41) 23.45 ÷ 10,000 43) 0.0004 ÷ 100 45) 7 ÷ 100

ROUNDING DECIMAL NUMBERS

In Chapter Three we practiced rounding whole numbers


to various places. Review that section if you don’t fully
remember the procedure. Rounding decimal numbers
works in exactly the same way, but review the corres-
ponding section in the main book if you need to.

For practice, round these numbers to the specified places,


making sure to read the place value name carefully.

46) 123.495 to the nearest hundredth


47) 456.7891 to the nearest thousandth
48) 9876.1234 to the nearest ten
49) 12345.678912 to the nearest ten thousandth
50) 3952.46317 to the nearest tenth

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION

Remember: Scientific notation format (𝑎 × 10𝑏 ) is used


to represent numbers that are either extremely large or
extremely small. The “a” portion is a value that is greater
than or equal to 1, but less than 10. It contains the signifi-

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cant (non-zero) digits of the very large or very small


number that we are representing. The value of a is
multiplied by the 10 raised to a given power, which we’ll
denote “b.” The exponent “b” can either be positive or
negative. It tells us how many places to move the decim-
al point in the value a. If b is positive, we move the
decimal the given number of spaces to the right, and if
it’s negative we move it to the left.

As an example, 3,850,000,000 is represented in scientific


notation as 3.85 × 109 , and 0.00000006401 can be written
in scientific notation as 6.401 × 10−8 .

For practice, convert the scientific notation numbers


below into standard notation, and convert the standard
notation numbers into scientific notation:

51) 67,800,000,000 53) 2.17 × 10−5 55) 95,340,000


52) 4.3 × 107 54) 0.0000023 56) 9.843 × 10−6

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is essential that


you fully understand all of the concepts in this one. The
next chapter introduces percents which are yet another
form that fractions and decimals can take. If you don’t
fully understand this chapter, the next chapter will
probably be very confusing and difficult for you.

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CHAPTER TEN

Working with
Percents

WHAT IS A PERCENT?

1) How are percents, decimals, and fractions related?


2) What does the % symbol literally mean?
3) When we do a computation involving a percent,
what do we usually first convert the percent into?
4) How do we convert from a percent to a fraction?
5) How do we convert from a percent to a decimal?
6) How do we convert from a decimal to a percent?

CONVERTING FROM A PERCENT TO A FRACTION

For practice, convert these percents to reduced fractions:

7) 14% 9) 7% 11) 0.4%


8) 25% 10) 200% 12) 0.09%

CONVERTING FROM A PERCENT TO A DECIMAL

For practice, convert these percents to decimals:

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13) 87% 15) 0.5% 17) 6%


14) 150% 16) 0.04% 18) 99.44%

CONVERTING FROM A DECIMAL TO A PERCENT

For practice, convert these decimals to percents:

19) 0.27 21) 0.0034 23) 0.5


20) 0.06 22) 1.5 24) 2.0

CONVERTING FROM A FRACTION TO A PERCENT

25) How do we convert from a fraction to a percent if the


denominator can easily be "converted" into 100?

For practice, convert these fractions to percents in the


manner that you described above:

26) 4/25 28) 13/50 30) 230/1000


27) 17/20 29) 7/200 31) 7/10

32) How do we convert from a fraction to a percent if the


denominator cannot easily be "converted" into 100?

For practice, convert each of these fractions to a percent.


Round your answers to the nearest tenth of a percent.
You may use a calculator unless your coursework or
exam requires otherwise.

33) 35/94 35) 7/598 37) 41/99


34) 284/107 36) 92/1234 38) 2/3

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WORKING WITH PERCENTS

IS IT A DECIMAL OR A PERCENT?

39) Is 0.5% a decimal or a percent? Why? Elaborate on


what that value actually represents.
40) Is there such a thing as 110%? Why or why not?

COMPUTING PERCENT OF INCREASE/DECREASE

Remember: The main book outlined a three-step proce-


dure for computing the percent of increase/decrease
when an item goes up/down in price. Review the main
book for a more detailed explanation and examples.

Step 1: Compute the change in price.


Step 2: Divide it by the original price, regardless of
whether the price increased or decreased.
Step 3: Convert the resulting decimal into a percent.

For practice, compute the percent of increase or decrease


for each of the following price changes. Round your
answers to the nearest tenth of a percent:

41) $37  $42 43) $195  $136 45) $7  $21


42) $205  $317 44) $4  $8 46) $95  $94

EQUIVALENT PERCENTS / DECIMALS / FRACTIONS

There are some percents that occur very frequently. It’s


best if you can memorize their decimal and reduced

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fractional equivalents. For practice, complete the follow-


ing chart using the techniques you have been practicing:

Percent Dec. Fract. Percent Dec. Fract.


0% 25%
0.5% 33 ⅓%
1% 50%
2% 66 ⅔%
5% 75%
10% 100%
12 ½% 150%
20% 200%

PROBLEMS INVOLVING “PERCENT OF”

Remember: Many word problems involve computing a


“percent of” or a “percent off” a number. These two
things are not at all the same, although they look and
sound very similar.

47) What operation does the word "of" translate into


when it appears in between two values?
48) To review, what should we do with a percent when-
ever it is involved in a computation?

For practice, compute the following problems in which


we must calculate a percent of a value. Try to estimate
your answers to see if they are reasonable. Round your
answers to the nearest hundredth.

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WORKING WITH PERCENTS

49) 51% of 417 51) 27% of 3093 53) 0.01% of 500


50) 100% of 53 52) 6.2% of 87 54) 0.5% of 200

PROBLEMS INVOLVING “PERCENT OFF”

Remember: Problems involving “percent off” usually


involve computing a discount or price reduction. It is
important to read such problems carefully to determine
if you are being asked to compute the amount of the
discount, or the price after the discount has been de-
ducted. In problems that involve money, we typically
round our answers to the nearest cent (hundredth).

55) If a $599 item is on sale for "38% Off," what percent of


the original price will you actually pay?
56) How much money will you save on the above item
during the sale?
57) How much will the item actually cost during the sale?

For practice, use any method to compute what you will


pay for the items below at the specified discounts.

58) A $395 item on sale for 50% off


59) A $27 item on sale for 5% off
60) A $4995 item on sale for 20% off
61) A $6 item on sale for 40% off

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INCREASING/DECREASING VALUES BY A PERCENT

Remember: Sometimes instead of being asked to com-


pute the percent increase or decrease between two values
like we practiced earlier, we are instead given an amount
and a percent, and are told to increase or decrease the
given amount by the given percent. A typical problem
might be to compute the results of a rent increase.

Remember: First compute the amount of increase, and


then add that increase to the original amount to get the
new amount including the increase. For example, to
increase $1250 by 4.5%, compute the increase as 0.045 ×
$1250 to get $56.25, then add that to the original amount
to get $1306.25. Review the main book for more details.

Remember: For problems involving a percent decrease,


we subtract the amount of decrease instead of adding it,
but we compute the amount of decrease in the same way.

For practice, compute the results of the given percent


increase/decrease in each problem below.

62) A person's $845 monthly rent has increased by 2.3%.


What is the person's new monthly rent?
63) A person's $249 monthly social security benefits have
been decreased by 6.93%. What is the person's new
monthly benefit?

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WORKING WITH PERCENTS

64) A person's $307 monthly health care premium has


increased by 19%. What is the new premium?

Remember: Sometimes a problem will ask us to only


compute what the increase/decrease will be based on a
given percent change. For such a problem it is wrong to
add/subtract the percent change to/from the original
amount. Always read problems carefully.

Remember: In this section we practiced solving prob-


lems in which we were given a value and a percent, and
were asked to increase or decrease the amount by that
percent. That is different than the problems that we
practiced earlier in the chapter in which we were given
two values, and were asked to compute the percent of
change between them.

PROBLEMS INVOLVING SALES TAX

Remember: Problems involving sales tax are solved in


exactly the same way as any problem involving a percent
increase. The inclusion of sales tax is just a percent
increase on an amount. Just follow the steps in the
previous section. Always read problems carefully to
determine if you are being asked to compute an item's
price including sales tax, or just the sales tax itself.

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For practice, solve the sales tax problems below

65) What is the tax on a $2000 item if the tax rate is 7.5%?
66) What is the price, including tax, of a $29.95 item
taxed at 6.75%?
67) What is the tax on a $795 item if the tax rate is 8.875%?
68) What is the final price of a 99¢ item taxed at 5%?

A COMMON MODEL OF WORD PROBLEMS


INVOLVING PERCENTS

Remember: A typical word problem involving percents


is of the form, “61 is what percent of 80?” That problem
could also be stated equivalently as, “What percent of 80
is 61?” Instead of being given a particular percent, we are
asked to compute one. This problem is effectively asking
us to do a comparison of 61 and 80 by division. It wants
us to determine what portion of 80 is represented by 61.

Remember: To solve problems of this form, we must


arrange the given numbers into a fraction. It’s easy to
then convert that fraction into a decimal and then into a
percent, both of which we practiced. In this problem, we
must arrange the given values into 61/80 to do our
comparison. Remember that a fraction is really a division
problem (top divided by bottom). We must compute 61 ÷
80 to get 0.76 (rounded). Move the decimal two places to
the right to convert that to 76% which is our answer.

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WORKING WITH PERCENTS

“x is what percent of y?” 𝑥


 or x÷y
“What percent of y is x?” 𝑦
For practice, solve the percentage problems below, being
very careful in determining the values which correspond
to x and y in the chart above. Round your answers to the
nearest hundredth of a percent:

69) 17 is what percent of 67?


70) What percent of 421 is 3?
71) 60 is what percent of 30?
72) What percent of 489 is 489?

SO NOW WHAT?

Before progressing to the next chapter, it is absolutely


essential that you fully understand all of the concepts
presented up to this point. They form the foundation of
all the math that you will study from this point forward.
If you don’t fully understand everything that has been
presented, your study of later math including algebra
will probably be very confusing and difficult for you.

The next chapter introduces basic concepts in probability


and statistics. Most students find those topics to be fun
and interesting, but most standardized exams only
include a few token questions on those topics, instead
favoring the material presented in the earlier chapters.

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CHAPTER ELEVEN

Basic Probability
and Statistics

COMPUTING THE MEAN (AVERAGE)

1) Define or explain the term "mean."


2) (True/False) When computing the mean of a list of
scores, zeroes don't count because they're just 0.
3) What is the actual formula for computing the mean?

For practice, compute the average (mean) of each of these


lists of values. Round to the nearest tenth.
4) 17, 34, 0, 45, 109, 98 6) 81, 78, 82, 83, 0
5) 98, 98, 98, 98, 98 7) 59, 71, 63, 105, 68

COMPUTING THE MEDIAN

8) Define or explain the term "median."


9) (True/False) When computing the median of a list of
values, the order of the entries doesn't matter.
10) How does the procedure to find the median change if
a list has an even number of values?

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For practice, compute the median of these lists of values.


Round to the nearest tenth.

11) 103, 46, 53, 64, 77 13) 87, 35, 43, 99, 55, 55
12) 98, 98, 98, 98, 98 14) 0, 30, 20, 40, 50, 999

MEAN VERSUS MEDIAN

15) Give an example of when it makes more sense to find


the median of a list of values instead of the mean.

FINDING THE MODE

16) Define or explain the term "mode."


17) (True/False): A list could have no mode. Why?
18) (True/False): A list could have several modes. Why?
19) (True/False): When computing the mode of a list of
values, the order of the entries doesn't matter.

For practice, compute the mode of these lists of values:

20) 17, 34, 0, 45, 109, 98 22) 54, 74, 36, 54, 46, 63
21) 98, 98, 98, 98, 98 23) 43, 64, 999, 64, 43

FINDING THE RANGE OF A LIST OF NUMBERS

24) Define "range" as it applies to a list of values. Then


compute the range of these lists:

25) 17, 34, 45, 109, 98 26) 98, 98, 98, 98, 98

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BASIC PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS

BASIC CONCEPTS IN PROBABILITY

27) What is the probability of an "impossible" event?


Can your answer be expressed in another way?
28) What is the probability of a "guaranteed" event? Can
you answer be expressed in another way?
29) What is the probability of an event that is equally
likely to occur as it is to not occur? Can your answer
be expressed in another way?
30) Define or explain the general probability formula.

For practice, compute the probabilities of these events:

31) Rolling 8 on a single roll of one die.


32) Rolling a prime number on a single roll of one die.
33) Drawing a red or a blue marble from an urn that only
contains red and blue marbles.
34) A fair coin landing on heads.

THE CHANCE OF SOMETHING NOT HAPPENING

Remember: We determine the chance of an event not


happening by computing 100% (or 1) minus the chance
of it happening. We usually express the chance of an
event not happening using the form presented in the
problem (fraction, decimal, percent). For practice, com-
pute the probabilities of these events NOT happening:

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35) There is a 2/5 chance of rain.


36) There is a 72.9% chance of rain.
37) There is a 0.41 chance of rain.
38) There is a 0. 3 chance of rain.

TRICK QUESTIONS AND PROBABILITY MYTHS

39) What does it mean if a probability problem includes


the word "fair"?
40) (True/False): If a fair coin lands on heads 3 times in a
row, the chances of it landing on heads the next time
are good because heads are coming up frequently.
41) (True/False): If a fair coin lands on heads 5 times in a
row, the chances of it landing on tails the next time
are quite good because tails are overdue.

THE PROBABILITY OF COMPOUND INDEPENDENT


EVENTS

42) What does it mean if two events are independent?


43) What operation do we use when solving the proba-
bility of independent events occurring together?

For practice, compute the probabilities of these com-


pound independent events:

44) A coin landing on heads, and a single die landing on


either 1 or 2.

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BASIC PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS

45) A coin landing on heads, followed by the same coin


landing on heads on the next flip.
46) Three flipped coins all landing on tails.
47) A red die landing on an even number, and a blue die
landing on 4.

PROBABILITY WITH AND WITHOUT REPLACEMENT

48) What does it mean if a probability problem includes


the term "with replacement?"
49) What does it mean if a probability problem includes
the term "without replacement?
50) An urn has 6 red marbles and 7 blue marbles. What
is the probability of drawing a red marble followed
by a blue marble, with replacement?
51) An urn has 8 red marbles and 11 blue marbles. What
is the probability of drawing a blue marble followed
by a blue marble, without replacement?

PROBLEMS OF THE FORM “HOW MANY WAYS...?”

Remember: If a problem asks you for the number of


combinations that can be made by choosing items from
different categories, just multiply the numbers involved.
Read the problem carefully to ensure that you are not
being tricked in any way. For practice, compute the
number of combinations for each of these problems:

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52) An ice cream sundae is comprised of a scoop of ice


cream, a wet topping, and a dry topping. How many
possible sundae combinations can be made if cus-
tomers can choose from fourteen flavors of ice cream,
twelve wet toppings, and twenty dry toppings?
53) A man has 4 shirts, 5 pairs of pants, 6 cats, and 7 ties.
How many possible outfits comprised of a shirt, a
pair of pants, and a tie can he create?

SO NOW WHAT?

Be certain to always read probability questions slowly


and carefully. Misreading one word can totally change
the entire problem, and of course most probability
questions are in the form of word problems.

By far, your time is best spent ensuring that you are fully
comfortable with the material on basic arithmetic, as well
as fractions, decimals, and percents. You will work with
those topics again and again as you progress to more
advanced math such as algebra. If you don’t master
those topics now, you will simply have to master them
later when you are busy with other work.

104
End-of-Book Self-Test
Take this self-test after you've worked through the
exercises in this book, but not immediately after. Use it to
determine how much of the material you're retaining,
and what concepts you haven't fully internalized. Don't
be concerned about how many questions you get right or
wrong. Just make sure you understand why the right
answers are right and the wrong answers are wrong.

After completing this test and checking your answers,


review the exercises in this book with an emphasis on the
topics that you either forgot or had trouble with. If you
have questions or need help, contact me via my website.

3 −3 4
1) Multiply: 7 × 27 8) Multiply: 8
×7
2 3 −3 7
2) Add: + 9) Divide: ÷
5 7 7 −3
2 10 −17 39
3) True/False: 3
= 19 10) Multiply: × −17
39
101 19
4) True/False: 102
= 20 11) Compute 58 + 99
−3 12 12) Compute 72 - 35
5) True/False: −8
= 32
13) Define: Integer
6) True/False:
−9
= −4
9 14) Evaluate (−8)1
4
−7 5
15) Evaluate 81
7) Add: + 11
11 16) Evaluate 7 + 5 × 3

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17) Evaluate -18 – 5 + 1 29) Evaluate 45


18) Compute: 5 + (-2) 30) Evaluate: |-13|
19) Compute: (-1) + (-5) 31) Evaluate: |(-5) – 9|
20) Compute: 2 – 11 32) List the factors of 56
21) Compute: (-7) – 3 33) List the factors of 29
22) Compute: (-9) – (-5) 34) Is 8 prime? Why?
23) Compute: (-8) × 7 35) Compute: 0 ÷ -1
24) Compute (-2) × (-13) 36) Compute: -1 ÷ 0
25) Compute: 55 ÷ (-11) 37) What is 12 squared?
26) Compute: (-8) ÷ (-4) 38) What is 62% of 482?
2
27) Evaluate: (−7) (round to the near-
28) Evaluate: −143 est whole number)

39) Which basic operations are commutative?


40) Find the product of -3 and -7
41) Find the sum of 7 and -8
42) List the first ten multiples of 9
43) Compute 61 ÷ 11 in mixed number format
44) Is the number 682,403 even or odd?
45) What is the result of adding an even plus an odd
number? (Even or Odd)
46) Insert "<" or ">": 630,001 99,999
47) Evaluate -7 × [-40 ÷ (-4 + 2)]
48) Is 4 a composite number? Why?
49) Write "Seven million, fifty-five thousand, seventeen"
as a number

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END-OF-BOOK SELF-TEST

50) Round 35,012 to the nearest ten thousand


51) Round 986,749 to the nearest hundred
52) Evaluate: 4. Include both roots
53) Write "Three thousand twenty-four and eighteen
hundredths" as a number
54) Insert "<" or ">": 4.09999 4.13
55) Insert "<" or ">": 0.375 0.37499
56) Convert to a fraction: 0.0087
57) Convert 3/11 to a decimal (round to the nearest
hundredth):
58) Convert to a decimal (no calculator): 13/50
59) Convert to a decimal: 2/3
60) True/False: 0.8 = .8 = 0.080
61) True/False: 0. 1750 is a repeating decimal
62) Insert "<" or ">" (no calculator): 31/99 24/47
63) Insert "<" or ">" (use calculator): 498/998 349/701
64) Multiply (no calculator): 37.194 × 10,000
65) Divide (no calculator): 23.4 ÷ 100,000
66) Round 784.1234 to the nearest ten
67) Round 61.23495 to the nearest ten thousandth
68) Express 7,890,000,000 in scientific notation
69) Express 2.123 × 10−7 in standard notation
70) Convert 22% to a reduced fraction
71) Convert 209% to a decimal
72) Convert 0.1234 to a percent
73) Convert 13/21 to a percent (round to nearest tenth)

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74) Convert 9/25 to a percent (no calculator)


75) Convert 0.005% to a decimal
76) Compute the percent of change from 69 to 61 (round
to the nearest tenth of a percent)
77) How much money will you save on a $139.95 item
during a "25% Off" sale?
78) What will a person's monthly rent be after a 1.95%
increase if it is currently $1043?
79) What is the cost including tax on a $275.95 item if
the tax rate is 7.5%?
80) What percent of 23 is 8.2? Round to nearest tenth.
81) What is the reciprocal of -5/13?
82) Convert 8 ⅔ to an improper fraction
83) How is a kilogram related to a gram?
84) Apples are being sold at the rate of 72 apples for
$39.95. How much does one apple cost at that rate?
85) Convert 275 centimeters to meters
1 ?
86) Solve for the unknown value: 7
= 56
2
87) Simplify to a single fraction: ( )/9
7
88) Find the mean of this list (rounded to the nearest
integer): 237, 0, 391, 0, 62, 93
89) Find the median of this list: 36, 7, 52, 247, 12
90) Find the median of this list: 2, 8, 3, 6, 7, 1
91) Find the mode of this list: 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4
92) Find the mode of this list: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1

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END-OF-BOOK SELF-TEST

93) Find the range of this list: 64, 49, 21, 20, 43, 29
94) Find the probability of rolling a 2 or 5 on a single
roll of one standard die
95) Find the probability of rolling an 8 on a single roll of
one standard die
96) What is the chance that a fair coin will land on heads
after having landed on heads three times in a row?
97) If there is an 82.1% chance that it will rain tomor-
row, what is the chance that it will not rain?
98) In an experiment comprised of a coin toss followed
by a roll of a single die, what is the probability of
flipping tails and rolling either 3 or 6?
99) An urn has 4 red marbles and 7 blue marbles. Find
the probability of drawing a red marble followed by
a blue marble, with replacement.
100) An urn has 5 red marbles and 8 blue marbles. Find
the probability of drawing a blue marble followed
by a blue marble, without replacement.
101) A woman has four blouses, five skirts, and six hats.
How many different outfits comprised of a blouse, a
skirt, and a hat can she create?
102) Convert -29 to a fraction
103) What is the GCF of 12 and 24?
104) What is the LCM of 1 and 7?
105) Reduce 4/21 to lowest terms

109
CHAPTER TWELVE

How to Study and Learn


Math, and Improve
Scores on Exams
This chapter is intended to review and supplement the
material presented in the corresponding chapter in the
main book. Be sure to read or review that material first.
This chapter offers some practical exercises which will
hopefully allow you to study math more efficiently and
perform better on exams.

PREPARING FOR “WHAT-IF” SCENARIOS

There is a fine line between attempting to outguess what


will be on an exam, and being outright obsessive. If you
have started studying for an exam well in advance, make
it a point to do at least some preparation for "what-if"
exam scenarios, as long as you are not making yourself
nervous in the process. Try to think realistically about
what type of problems are likely to be on your exam, and

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make sure that you know how to solve them. Don't


approach your exam with the attitude of, "Well, I just
hope that there won't be any negative numbers involved,
and if there are, I'll just get those questions wrong and
hope to get the others right, and I'll probably still pass."

With all of that said, if you have left your studying for
the last minute, just utilize your remaining time to
remain calm and focused. Any last minute studying or
worrying about "what-if" scenarios will almost certainly
do more harm than good.

AVOIDING A “PASS OR FAIL” MINDSET

When preparing for an exam, make it a point to com-


pletely remove the words "pass" and "fail" from your
vocabulary. If you believe that you will fail, you proba-
bly will, even if just to self-fulfill your own prophecy. If
your goal is to just barely pass, you will probably either
fail by just a few points, or you will pass by the "skin of
your teeth," resulting in stress during your exam and
while you are waiting for the results.

Always aim for a perfect score. The point is not whether


you achieve it, or whether it is necessary to do so. Even
without studying any additional math, your scores will
improve if you maintain a positive attitude, and set

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A N D I M P R O V E S C O R E S O N E XA M S

higher goals for yourself. Remember, there is no such


thing as over-studying for an exam as long as you are not
making yourself anxious in the process.

PRACTICING MEDITATION TO CULTIVATE THE


OPTIMAL MINDSET FOR TAKING EXAMS

Meditation is just the practice of placing your mind on a


single object of focus, as opposed to what we usually do
which is try to think about countless things all at the
same time. In moments of silence we can become aware
of the endless chatter that we usually have in our heads.

Practicing meditation can help you cultivate a relaxed


yet alert mindset that is optimal for taking math exams.
It is the complete opposite of being "in a trance," al-
though an onlooker might not be able to make the
distinction. Sit in a position that is comfortable but that
will not result in slouching or dozing off. Pick something
to be the object of your focus, and just practice keeping
your focus on that object. The object can be something
tangible, or a meaningful phrase, or even what is taking
place in your own mind. If you lose focus, just practicing
bringing your focus back to the task at hand without
analyzing or being concerned about why you lost focus.

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Over time, this skill will carry over into all facets of your
life, including taking exams. Certainly it is important to
maintain focus throughout an exam. If you lose focus,
you want to be aware of such as quickly as possible, and
be able to bring your focus back to the exam without
getting flustered. This skill is precisely what is developed
during meditation. Any time that you invest in practic-
ing meditation will be returned to you many times over
in the form of a more relaxed and alert existence.

MORE PRACTICAL TIPS FOR REDUCING ANXIETY

Try to avoid interacting with other students before an


exam who will only serve to wind you up in various
ways. Instead, use that time to get into the state of mind
that you've been practicing. Avoid last minute studying
which is much more likely to make you nervous and
discouraged than help you. By far you are better of using
your pre-exam time to breathe deeply and relax.

During the exam itself, just place all of your focus on the
exam. If you are relaxed and alert you should have no
trouble determining when you have lost focus, and it
should be easy to bring your focus back. If at any time
you are feeling flustered or overwhelmed, look up from
your exam, take a slow deep breath, and then refocus

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yourself. The few moments that you lose while taking a


deep breath will be returned to you in the form of a more
relaxed and focused mind for the remainder of your
exam time.

LEARNING TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS

Make an agreement with yourself to not lose any points


on exams due to a simple lack of following instructions.
Remember, some instructions may be applicable to the
entire test such as where and how to write your answers,
and some may apply to individual problems or sets of
problems. Read every word on the page slowly and
carefully, and don't make any assumptions about any-
thing. Even if some instructions seem generic, read them
carefully anyway. Don’t approach any written words on
the page with the attitude of, "Yeah, yeah, whatever."

CHECKING ANSWERS FOR REASONABLENESS

Plan ahead of time to handle each question by first


estimating the answer, and then checking to see if the
answer that you get is reasonable. For some problems
this will not be practical or applicable so just do the best
you can with this tip. Just don't lose points by submitting
an answer that couldn't possibly be right.

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CAN YOU TEACH THE TOPICS TO SOMEONE ELSE?

The best way to know if you are prepared for an exam is


to see if you can teach the topics to someone else. Ideally
this should be done in a study group, but if no one is
around you could even try teaching an imaginary
person, even if doing so is effectively talking to yourself.

The point is that if you can effectively explain a concept


to someone else, you should be able to demonstrate
mastery of that concept on your exam. That is all exams
are actually designed to do. They just check to see the
extent to which you have internalized the various
concepts that are being tested.

BASIC LOGISTICAL ISSUES OF TAKING EXAMS

Make a conscious effort to not lose points due to logistic-


al test-taking issues. Make sure that you have extra pens
and pencils. Wear a watch so you can keep track of the
time. Make sure that your calculator has batteries and
that you know how to use it. If you are going to a special
testing location that you haven't been to before, plan
your trip in advance, and allow extra travel time.

Make sure you're not overly hungry or thirsty, but don't


nervously eat or drink to the point where you'll have to

116
HOW TO STUDY AND LEARN MATH,
A N D I M P R O V E S C O R E S O N E XA M S

worry about using the bathroom. If any ID or special


pass is required to take an exam, be sure that you have it.

Don't bring any items to your test that are going to be a


point of a concern such as a large or unusual bag, or any
type of electronic device that could result in you being
suspected of cheating. Certainly don't cheat or do any-
thing that appears as though it could involve cheating.
This might include making unusual noises or gestures.

THE FINAL WORD

Just the fact that you even purchased this book proves
that you want to achieve your math goals, and that at
least at some level, you believe that you can. You proba-
bly already read through the first book in the series, and
recognized the importance of getting additional practice
with the material presented.

I truly believe that virtually everyone can succeed in


their math goals. You can achieve whatever math goals
you have set for yourself, but doing so will certainly take
time and effort. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Contact me via my website if you have questions about


the material, or would like to discuss your academic
situation. Study hard and believe in yourself! ☺

117
Answers to Exercises
and Self-Tests
Please read the section in the Introduction on typos and
errors. Remember that you can contact me with any
questions, and visit my website for help and information.
On request, I can provide additional practice exercises
for any topic, although you should also try making up
your own practice exercises.

Make sure that you understand why your right answers


are right, and why your wrong answers are wrong.

Answers involving words do not need to match these


answers exactly as long as you understand the concept.

ASSESSMENT SELF-TEST

8
1) Subtraction, 5) 7
9
Division 6) Even
2) 24 7) Even
3) 15 8) 73,001 > 72,999
4) 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 9) 12
49, 56, 63, 70

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10) No. It is prime. It 34) 56.7%


has two unique fac- 35) 64.7%
tors: 1 and itself. 36) 6%
11) 9,503,040,017 37) 0.0007
12) 27,800 38) 60.9%
13) 140,000 39) $8.99
14) ±11 40) $839.06
15) 203.59 41) $211.09
16) 5.99999 < 6.18 42) 40.2%
17) 0.29 > 0.2876 43) 11/7
18) 21/1000 44) 29/4
19) 0.29 45) It is one-thousandth
20) 0.12 the size
21) 0. 3 46) 56¢ or $0.56
22) True 47) 8.5 or 8 ½ feet
23) False: It terminates. 48) 28
24) 6/25 < 251/500 49) 3/56
25) 425/639 < 541/803 50) 53.6
26) 7230 51) 12
27) 0.00123 52) 85
28) 12.35 53) 12
29) 80.0 54) No mode
9
30) 1.234 × 10 55) 59
31) 0.0000789 56) 2/6 or 1/3
32) 7/50 57) 0 or 0%
33) 1.07 58) 1 or 100%

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A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

59) 17/20 82) 8


60) 1/12 83) 11
61) 15/64 84) 4
62) 1/3 85) -3
63) 60 86) -14
64) 17/1 87) -7
65) 2 88) -6
66) 60 89) -4
67) 3/17 90) -54
68) 8/9 91) 40
69) 5/6 92) -4
70) True 93) 4
71) False 94) 16
72) True 95) Undefined
73) True 96) 81
74) 12/13 97) 8
75) 6/35 98) 7
76) 16/25 99) 1, 2, 24, 46
77) 1 100) 1, 23
78) 126 101) No. It has factors
79) 56 besides 1 and itself.
80) A whole number 102) 0
that is positive, 103) Undefined
negative, or zero. 104) 9
81) 9 105) 383

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CHAPTER TWO

1) Sum 24) Nothing. It says the


2) Yes. 3 + 5 = 5 + 3 same.
3) Nothing. It says the 25) No. We're not com-
same. bining groups.
4) 15 26) 2
5) 12 27) 0
6) 11 28) 2
7) 5 29) 0
8) 9 30) 1
9) 10 31) 4
10) 11 32) 1
11) 10 33) 3
12) 16 34) 9
13) 16 35) Product
14) 15 36) Yes. 8 × 7 = 7 × 8
15) 12 37) Repeated addition
16) 9 38) 0
17) 13 39) The number itself
18) 11 40) Multiply the num-
19) 10 ber times 1, times 2,
20) 18 times 3, etc.
21) 17 41) 56
22) Difference 42) 36
23) No. 5 – 3 ≠ 3 – 5 43) 64

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A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

Below is a completed 12 by 12 multiplication table. The


exercise of listing the first 12 multiples of each number can be
checked by reading across each row.

44) 55 54) 1
45) 36 55) 9
46) 63 56) 8
47) 54 57) 8
48) 42 58) 8
49) 0 59) 12
50) Quotient 60) 7
51) No. 10 ÷ 1 ≠ 1 ÷ 10 61) 7 R 1
52) 7 62) 4 R 5
53) 6 63) 1 R 4

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64) 8 R 6 81) 100


65) 8 R 2 82) 68
66) 8 R 8 83) 9
67) 7 R 1 84) 40
68) 6 R 2 85) 43
69) 12 R 2 86) 26
70) Ones, Tens, Hun- 87) 45
dreds, Thousands 88) 57
71) Each place value 89) 20
must be aligned. 90) 21
72) Right to left. 91) 891
73) 121 92) 510
74) 198 93) 343
75) 117 94) 424
76) 131 95) 522
77) 112 96) 152
78) 70 97) 400
79) 150 98) 414
80) 153 99) 0

CHAPTER THREE

1) A whole number: 4) Its rightmost digit


Positive, negative, or 0 ends with 0, 2, 4, 6, or 8
2) Ex. 17, 0, -3 5) Its rightmost digit
3) Ex. ½, 0.7 ends with 1,3, 5, 7, or 9

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A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

6) Even 22) Squared


7) Odd 23) Base × Base
8) Even 24) Cubed
9) Even 25) Base × Base × Base
10) Even 26) Just the base itself
11) Odd 27) 1
12) > 28) 49
13) < 29) 1
14) < 30) 9
15) The number of times 31) 225
to multiply the base 32) 27
times itself 33) 125
16) 81 34) 1
17) 1024 35) 8
18) 1 36) 144
19) 0 37) Product of a whole
20) 256 number times itself
21) 4,782,969

Below are the completed charts of squares and square roots.

12 = 1 52 = 25 92 = 81 132 = 169 252 = 625


22 = 4 62 = 36 102 = 100 142 = 196 302 = 900
32 = 9 72 = 49 112 = 121 152 = 225 402 = 1600

42 = 16 82 = 64 122 = 144 202 = 400 502 = 2500

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1=1 36 = 6 121 = 11 400 = 20


4=2 49 = 7 144 = 12 625 = 25
9=3 64 = 8 169 = 13 900 = 30
16 = 4 81 = 9 196 = 14 1600 = 40

25 = 5 100 = 10 225 = 15 2500 = 50

38) A number which 48) 9


when squared equals 49) 42
the number under 50) 53
the symbol 51) 2001
39) 52) 20
40) They're inverse ops. 53) 38
41) No, e.g., 16 = 4. 54) 100
Just plain 4. 55) 14
42) Parentheses, Expo- 56) 14
nents, ×, ÷, +, – 57) Determine the num-
43) Work inner to outer bers which divide
44) Evaluate the pairs into that number
from left to right evenly
45) No. Handle × and ÷ 58) 1
in order from L to R 59) 1 and itself
46) No. Handle + and – 60) 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 12, 18, 36
in order from L to R 61) 1, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 25,
47) Yes. × and ÷ have 50, 100
priority over + and – 62) 1, 2

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A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

63) 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 79) Ones, tens, hundreds,


24, 48 thousands, ten thou-
64) 1, 41 sands, hundred thou-
65) 1, 3, 9, 27 sands, millions, ten
66) A number that has millions, hundred mil-
two unique factors: 1 lions, billions
and itself 80) No such thing
67) A number that has 81) We use a comma to
other factors besides the left of every third
1 and itself place starting on the
68) Only the number 2. right.
Any other even num- 82) 304,000
ber has 2 as a factor so 83) 101
it can't be prime 84) 27,000,030
69) Neither. It's a special 85) 2,000,048,000
case because 1 and 86) To estimate, to stop a
itself are not unique. repeating decimal,
70) Prime when dealing with $.
71) Prime 87) The place on its right
72) Composite 88) 5 to 9
73) Prime 89) 0 to 4
74) Neither 90) 23,600
75) Composite 91) 4,570,000
76) Prime 92) 6,357,000
77) Composite 93) 10,000,000,000
78) Composite

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CHAPTER FOUR

1) Think of positives as 16) -3


assets and negatives 17) 1
as debts 18) -12
2) Positive. You are 19) -2
adding your assets. 20) -7
3) Do you have more 21) -12
than you owe? 22) 20
Compute the differ- 23) -4
ence between them. 24) 16
4) Negative. Just add 25) -3
the involved num- 26) Positive
bers. You're adding 27) Negative
your debts. 28) Negative
5) 3 29) Positive
6) -14 30) No
7) -5 31) Matching is good
8) 1 (positive). Mismatched
9) -19 is bad (negative).
10) 0 32) -56
11) -15 33) 42
12) -6 34) 90
13) 0 35) 30
14) False 36) 0
15) False 37) 3

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A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

38) -1 54) +4 or -4. Squaring


39) -72 either yields 16.
40) 4 55) ±4. Plus or minus 4.
41) Positive 56) We give the positive
42) Negative version (principal root.
43) Negative 57) It tells us a number's
44) Positive distance from 0 which
45) No is always positive.
46) Multiplication 58) Vertical bars: | |
47) -4 59) 18
48) -3 60) 27
49) 5 61) 5
50) -10 62) 8
51) -2 63) 0
52) 1 64) 3
53) Undefined. We can't
square a number and
get a negative result.

CHAPTER FIVE

1) Part of a whole 5) How many parts are


2) False of concern
3) False 6) Denominator
4) Numerator 7) How many parts we
have in total

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8) False (upside-down) 21) 1/6


9) Increases 22) 10/63
10) Decreases 23) 9/64
11) Decreases 24) 6/30
12) Increases 25) 20/20
13) Just add the numera- 26) 60/70
tors and keep the 27) A fraction "flipped"
denominator "upside-down"
14) 9/15 28) When the numerator
15) 5/51 and denom. are equal
16) 8/21 29) 2/7
17) 0 30) 6/(-5)
18) 1 31) 17/17
19) 38/39 32) 3/2
20) Multiply the top 33) 49/64
straight across and the 34) 30/30
bottom straight across. 35) 21/34
It doesn’t matter if the 36) 2/3
denominators match. 37) 8/15

CHAPTER SIX

1) The horizontal line 2) Put it over a deno-


means division: top minator of 1
divided by bottom 3) Anything divided by
1 equals itself

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4) If an integer is part 22) The largest number


of a fraction problem that divides evenly into
5) Multiplying both top the given numbers
and bottom by the 23) When simplifying
integer fractions
6) The integer is really 24) 2
over 1 25) 12
7) Place the integer over 26) 1
1 and multiply. The 27) 1
integer only multiplies 28) 7
the numerator. 29) 20
8) 6/5 30) 2
9) 28/7 31) 40
10) 6/10 32) 1
11) 16/5 33) When the GCF of top
12) 2/3 and bottom is 1
13) 18/18 34) 2/3
14) 88/90 35) 1/682
15) 18/35 36) 1/2
16) 12/13 37) 3/17
17) 15/4 38) 1
18) 1/42 39) 3/8
19) 8/55 40) 5/24
20) 4/3 41) 2/3
21) When numerator and 42) 4/5
denom. are equal

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43) Greater than or 50) 77


equal to 51) 10
44) Less than or equal to 52) 46
45) The smallest number 53) 24
that appears in the 54) 21
lists of all the given 55) 36
numbers. 56) 4
46) When we need to 57) 5/6
add/subtract frac- 58) 7/12
tions with unlike 59) 4/7
denominators 60) 5/8
47) For the above, we 61) 31/40
use the LCM as our 62) 41/24
LCD 63) It will just take some
48) 12 extra steps to reduce
49) 7 your answer

CHAPTER SEVEN

1) A fraction whose 3) Addition


numerator is greater 4) 29/7
than or equal to its 5) 17/5
denominator 6) 75/8
2) A value comprised 7) 23/2
of an integer plus a 8) 9/8
fraction 9) 26/9

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3
10) 1 8
"cross multiply" in or-
2 der to compare cross
11) 3
7
2 products
12) 75
19) 7/4
1
13) 13 6 20) 65/72
2
14) 14 21) 1/6
3
3
15) 7 22) 2/3
4
16) See if the reduced 23) 16/25
fractions are equal 24) 9/32
17) See if the cross 25) True
products are equal 26) True
18) "Multiply across" to 27) True
multiply fractions, and

CHAPTER EIGHT

1) 12 11) 1/6
2) 3 12) 1/5
3) 5280 13) 1/4
4) 16 14) 1/3
5) 2000 15) 5/12
6) 8 16) 1/2
7) 2 17) 3/5
8) 2 18) 3/4
9) 4 19) 5/6
10) 1/12 20) 1

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21) 1/120 34) 7:1


22) Meter. Yard. 35) 6/1
23) Liter. Quart. 36) $0.79
24) Gram. 3/100 oz. 37) $1.60
25) 1000 times as big 38) $0.83
26) 1/1000 the size 39) 72 in.
27) 1/100 the size 40) 5 yds.
28) 2.2 41) 700 cm.
29) 20 42) 9,500,000 m.
30) 0.4 43) 12
31) A comparison of two 44) 42
values using division 45) 30
32) a:b, a to b, a/b 46) 21
33) 34 students to 1 47) 1
teacher 48) 26

CHAPTER NINE

1) A number with a 5) There isn't any


fractional component 6) "-ths"
2) One-tenth the value 7) The first number is
3) It separates the bigger. The 3 is in
whole and fractional the tenths place and
place values not the hundredths.
4) Tenths, hundredths,
thousandths

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A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

8) They're equal. The 0 at 22) 7/1000


the end doesn't change 23) 3/10
the value. 24) 101/1000
9) They are equal. Both 25) 1/250
have no wholes and 26) 1/2
five tenths. 27) 9/100
10) They are equal. Both 28) 3/50
have 2 wholes and no 29) 9/500
fractional component. 30) 0.63
11) 12.3 31) 0.92
12) 701.07 32) 0.21
13) 0.217 33) 0.14
14) 562.001 34) 0.5
15) > 35) 0.43
16) > 36) 0.014
17) < 37) 0.013
18) > 38) 0.012
19) < 39) 0.4
20) > 40) 0.55
21) 6/25 41) 0.18

CHAPTER NINE AND FIVE-TENTHS

1) Ex. ⅓ 4) A bar over the


2) False repeating digits
3) False 5) True

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6) False 32) <


7) 0. 6 33) >
8) 0. 571428 34) 12,340
9) 0.53 35) 0.43
10) 0. 5 36) 530,000
11) 0. 63 37) 271.234
12) 0. 37
38) 10.001
13) 0. 123
39) 0.009
14) 0. 21
40) 0.495
15) 0. 307692
41) 0.002345
16) Repeating
42) 9.4
17) Terminating
43) 0.000004
18) Terminating
44) 4.10003
19) Repeating
45) 0.07
20) Terminating
46) 123.50
21) Repeating
47) 456.789
22) <
48) 9880
23) <
49) 12345.6789
24) >
50) 3952.5
25) <
51) 6.78 × 1010
26) <
52) 43,000,000
27) >
53) 0.0000217
28) <
54) 2.3 × 10−6
29) <
55) 9.534 × 107
30) >
56) 0.000009843
31) >

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A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

CHAPTER TEN

1) They're all ways of 19) 27%


representing part of 20) 6%
a whole 21) 0.34%
2) Out of 100 22) 150%
3) A decimal 23) 50%
4) Drop the % sign, put 24) 200%
the value over 100 25) Multiply or divide top
5) Drop the % sign and and bottom by the
move the decimal same value to make
two places to the left the denominator 100.
6) Move the decimal Take the numerator
two places to the and add a % sign.
right, add a % sign 26) 16%
7) 7/50 27) 85%
8) 1/4 28) 26%
9) 7/100 29) 3.5%
10) 2/1 or 2 30) 23%
11) 1/250 31) 70%
12) 9/10000 32) Compute numerator
13) 0.87 divided by denomi-
14) 1.5 nator, multiply by
15) 0.005 100, add a % sign
16) 0.0004 33) 37.2%
17) 0.06 34) 265.4%
18) 0.9944 35) 1.2%

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36) 7.5% in price-increase prob-


37) 41.4% lems.
38) 60.7% 41) 13.5%
39) It is a % because it 42) 54.6%
has a % sign. It is 43) 30.3%
half of 1% or 1/200. 44) 100%
40) It represents greater 45) 200%
than a whole, common 46) 1.1%

Below is the chart of equivalent percents, decimals, and fractions

Percent Dec. Fract. Percent Dec. Fract.


0% 0 0 25% 0.25 1/4
0.5% 0.005 1/200 33 ⅓% 0.333 1/3
1% 0.01 1/100 50% 0.5 1/2
2% 0.02 1/50 66 ⅔% 0.666 2/3
5% 0.05 1/20 75% 0.75 3/4
10% 0.1 1/10 100% 1 1
12 ½% 0.125 1/8 150% 1.5 3/2
20% 0.2 1/5 200% 2 2

47) Multiplication 54) 1.0


48) Convert to a decimal 55) 62%
49) 212.7 56) $227.62
50) 53.0 57) $371.38
51) 835.1 58) $197.50
52) 5.4 59) $25.65
53) 0.05 60) $3996

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A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

61) $3.60 67) $70.56


62) $864.44 68) $1.04
63) $231.74 69) 25.37%
64) $365.33 70) 0.71%
65) $150 71) 200%
66) $31.97 72) 100%

CHAPTER ELEVEN

1) A value representing 13) 55


the balance point of 14) 35
a list of values 15) Reporting the income
2) False of a town's residents
3) Mean = (Sum of 16) The value that occurs
values) ÷ (# of values) the most frequently in
4) 50.5 a list of values.
5) 98 17) True, if no value
6) 64.8 occurs more fre-
7) 73.2 quently than others
8) The middlemost val- 18) True, if more than 1
ue in a sorted list value is tied for most
9) False frequently occurring
10) The median is the 19) True
mean of the two 20) No mode
middlemost values 21) 98
11) 64 22) 54
12) 98 23) 43 and 64

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MATH MADE A BIT EASIER W ORKBOOK:
P R A C T I C E E XE R C I S E S , S E L F - T E S T S , A N D R E V I E W

24) The difference be- 38) 0. 6


tween the largest 39) No tricks or biases
and smallest values 40) False
25) 92 41) False
26) 0 42) The outcome of one
27) 0 or 0% event doesn't affect
28) 1 or 100% the other
29) ½ or 50% or 0.5 43) Multiplication
30) The probability of an 44) 1/6
event equals the # of 45) 1/4
favorable outcomes 46) 1/8
divided by the total 47) 1/12
# of outcomes 48) Drawn items are put
31) 0 or 0% back after each draw
32) ½ or 50% 49) Drawn items are not
33) 1 or 100% put back.
34) ½ or 50% 50) 42/169
35) 3/5 51) 110/342 or 55/171
36) 27.1% 52) 3360
37) 0.59 53) 140

END-OF-BOOK SELF-TEST

1) 21/27 5) True
2) 29/35 6) True
3) False 7) -2/11
4) False 8) -3/14

140
A N S W E R S T O E XE R C I S E S A N D S E L F - T E S T S

9) 9/49 33) 1, 29
10) 1 34) No. It has factors
11) 157 other than 1 & itself.
12) 37 35) 0
13) A whole number: 36) Undefined
Positive, negative, 37) 144
or 0 38) 299
14) -8 39) Addition, Multipli-
15) 9 cation
16) 22 40) 21
17) -22 41) -1
18) 3 42) 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 54,
19) -6 63, 72, 81, 90
6
20) -9 43) 5
11
21) -10 44) Odd
22) -4 45) Odd
23) -56 46) >
24) 26 47) -140
25) -5 48) Yes. It has a factor
26) 2 besides 1 & itself.
27) 49 49) 7,053,017
28) Undefined 50) 40,000
29) 1024 51) 986,700
30) 13 52) ±2
31) 14 53) 3024.18
32) 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 14, 28, 56 54) <

141
MATH MADE A BIT EASIER W ORKBOOK:
P R A C T I C E E XE R C I S E S , S E L F - T E S T S , A N D R E V I E W

55) > 81) 13/-5


56) 87/10000 82) 26/3
57) 0.2727 83) It is 1000 times the
58) 0.26 mass
59) 0. 6 84) 55¢
60) False 85) 2.75 m
61) True 86) 8
62) < 87) 2/63
63) > 88) 131
64) 371,940 89) 36
65) 0.000234 90) 4.5
66) 780 91) 1 and 2
67) 61.2350 92) 1
9
68) 7.89 × 10 93) 44
69) 0.0000002123 94) 2/6 or 1/3
70) 11/50 95) 0 or 0%
71) 2.09 96) ½
72) 12.34% 97) 17.9%
73) 61.9% 98) 1/6
74) 36% 99) 28/121
75) 0.00005 100) 14/39
76) 11.6% decrease 101) 120
77) $34.99 102) -29/1
78) $1063.34 103) 12
79) $296.65 104) 7
80) 35.7% 105) 4/21

142
About the Author
Larry Zafran was born and raised in
Queens, NY where he tutored and
taught math in public and private
schools. He has a Bachelors Degree in
Computer Science from Queens
College where he graduated with
highest honors, and has earned most of the credits
toward a Masters Degree in Secondary Math Education.

He is a dedicated student of the piano, and the leader of


a large and active group of board game players which
focuses on abstract strategy games from Europe.

He presently lives in Cary, NC where he works as an


independent math tutor, writer, and webmaster.

Companion Website
for More Help
For free support related to this or any of the author's
math books, please visit the companion website below.

www.MathWithLarry.com

143

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