17 February 2024

Exam Skills – Maths Questions

Learning outcomes Numeracy Objective
I will be able to:
Calculate the mean Ensure graphs and tables have titles
and units.
And give answers to the correct number of
significant figures REMEMBER: units are put into
And complete calculations which involve standard brackets.
form
Literacy Objective
Presentation reminders BfL reminders
Correct tense and verb agreement.
 Underline titles and  Reminder about You must use the correct version of
dates. phones/headphones given the verb to match the tense.
at start of lesson. If phones E.g. I see / I saw. I do / I did.
 Include full date out after, the teacher will
annotation. confiscate until the end of Main errors are:
the lesson. We was..... Correct to: We were.....
 Use a pencil and ruler
 Maintain a calm, learning
where appropriate for
environment.
diagrams and tables.
 No eating, drinking or
shouting out.
 Averages/Means
In science we very rarely use the
median or the mode so when we say
average we mean.. The MEAN

You add and

divide for
the mean

30 + 10 + 9 + 11 = 60
60 ÷ 4 = 15
15 per minute
 Averages/Means
WARNING:
If you type
30 + 10 + 9 + 11 ÷ 4 = 51.75
A simple check to know
WRONG if you are probably
right…

You MUST either use brackets Your answer should be

in between the highest
and lowest values you
(30 + 10 + 9 + 11) ÷ 4 = 15 added up.

51.75 is not in between

Or do it separately 30 and 9 so is definitely
wrong
30 + 10 + 9 + 11 = 60 15 is between 30 and 9
Then 60 ÷ 4 = 15 so is probably right
 Averages/Means
WARNING:
Do not use anomalous results in your mean calculation.
They might warn you about anomalous results (more likely
on foundation paper)

or they might not

(more likely on
higher paper)

Did you spot the

mistake in the
example?
10 + 9 + 11 = 30
30 ÷ 3 = 10
10 per minute
Averages/Means
Averages/Means
Averages/Means
Averages/Means
Averages/Means
Averages/Means
Averages/Means
Averages/Means
Significant Figures

Did anyone know what to do for this?

 Significant Figures

When we round to significant figures, we start

counting as soon as we reach a number that is
not zero
Round 17.46789 to 2 significant figures

1 significant figure 2 significant figures, this

will stay a 7 or go to All the numbers after
a 8 depending on will become zero
what the next
number is

Round 17.46789 to 2 significant figures= 17.00000

or just 17
 Significant Figures

Round to 1 sf

0
43 7 8
0 5
0 3
0 7
0
Look at the next number
It’s more than 4 so we round up!
 Significant Figures

Round to 3 sf

37 8 4
0 3
0 7
0
Look at the next number
It’s less than 5 so we round down!
 Significant Figures

Round to 2 sf

0 . 0 0 2 98 9
Look at the next number
It’s more than 4 so we round up!
 Significant Figures

Round to 3 sf

0 . 0 0 2 0 98 7
Look at the next number
It’s more than 4 so we round up!
 Significant Figures
Round-

0.23 to 1 s.f
A) 0.3 B) 2

C) 0.2 D) 3
 Significant Figures

Round-

0.045 to 1 s.f
A) 0.04 B) 0.1

C) 0.0 D) 0.05
 Significant Figures

Round-

623 to 1 s.f
A) 600 B) 620

C) 630 D) 700
 Significant Figures
Round-

5328 to 1 s.f
A) 5300 B) 5000

C) 5330 D) 6000
 Significant Figures

Round-

0.005136 to 2 s.f
A) 0.01 B) 0.0050

C) 0.00514 D) 0.0051
 Significant Figures
Round-

426.213 to 2 s.f
A) 426.21 B) 430

C) 400.00 D) 420
 Significant Figures
Round-

3002.01 to 3 s.f
A) 300 B) 3000

C) 3010 D) 3002.0
 Significant Figures
Round-

983.4 to 1 s.f
A) 100 B) 900

C) 980 D) 1000
 Significant Figures
Round-

0.00456 to 2 s.f
A) 0.0045 B) 0.004

C) 0.0046 D) 0.00
 Significant Figures

Round-

36345.3 to 3 s.f
A) 36300 B) 4000

C) 36000 D) 45300
 Significant Figures
Add the values below then write the answer to the appropriate number of significant figures
Total to correct sig
Value 1 Value 2 Value 3 Total Value figs
51.4 1.67 3.23
7146 –32.54 12.8
20.8 18.72 0.851
1.4693 10.18 –1.062
9.07 0.56 3.14
739762 26017 2.058

Multiply the values below then write the answer to the appropriate number of significant
figures
Value 1 Value 2 Total Value Total to correct sig figs
0.91 1.23
8.764 7.63
2.6 31.7
937 40.01
0.722 634.23
 Significant Figures
For each value state how many significant figures it is stated to.
Value Sig Figs Value Sig Figs Value Sig Figs Value Sig Figs
2.863 689671.49 100000 6.4981 x 107
100 356865 8.5 x 10-3 7.85
24.92 13 6400 17.99
5.18 x 1027 182.15 875.4 3.189 x 106
2.8 4.267 94 0.053
2.9970 0.02 94.0 0.422
 Standard Form

For each value state how many significant figures it is stated to.
Value Sig Figs Value Sig Figs Value Sig Figs Value Sig Figs
2.863 689671.49 100000 6.4981 x 107
100 356865 8.5 x 10-3 7.85
24.92 13 6400 17.99
5.18 x 1027 182.15 875.4 3.189 x 106
2.8 4.267 94 0.053
2.9970 0.02 94.0 0.422

What about these values?

They are written in standard form

 Standard Form

Example
The Jurassic Age began

199600000 years ago.

Write this in standard form.
 Standard Form

Example
The Jurassic Age began

199600000 years ago.

Write this in standard form.
8
1.996 x 10
 Standard Form

Question 1
The Earth is 93 000 000 miles from
the Sun.

Write this in standard form.

Ans:
7
9.3 x 10 miles
 Standard Form
Question 2
The average bucket of sand contains
3 180 000 000 grains of sand.

Write this in standard form.

Ans:
9
3.18 x 10 grains
 Standard Form
Converting from standard
form to normal form

Example
Anglesey has rock that is
2.6 × 109 years old.
Write this number out in full.
Ans:
2.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
= 2 600 000 000
 Standard Form
Question 3
Light travels at 3 x 108 m/s

Write this in normal form.

Ans:
300 000 000 m/s
 Standard Form
Question 4
Worldwide sales of Wii Sports have
reached 8.19 x 107
Write this sales figure out in full.

Ans:
81 900 000
Standard Form and Calculators

If you need to use standard form in a

calculations then you will need to be
able to type it into your calculator

EXAMPLE
3x108

Type
3
Your calculator
may be different.
x10x You MUST get
your own
8 calculator so you
can get used to it
 Standard Form
1. Convert these numbers into normal form.

a) 5.239 x 103 b) 4.543 x 104 c) 9.382 x 102 d) 6.665 x 106

e) 1.951 x 102 f) 1.905 x 105 g) 6.005 x 103

2. Convert these numbers into standard form.

a) 65345 b) 28748 c) 548454 d) 486856

e) 70241 f) 65865758 g) 765

3. Convert these numbers into normal form.

a) 8.34  10-3 b) 2.541  10-8 c) 1.01  10-5

d) 8.88  10-1 e) 9  10-2 f) 5.05  10-9

4. Convert these numbers to standard form.

a) 0.000567 b) 0.987 c) 0.0052

d) 0.0000605 e) 0.008 f) 0.0040302

5. Calculate, giving answers in standard form,

a) (3.45  10-5 + 9.5  10-6)  0.0024

b) (2.31  105  3.98  10-3) + 0.0013

Standard Form
Standard Form

Hint: v = f x λ
Standard Form

Hint: v = f x λ