That Makes Census

Friday, April 16, was the last official day to return the census form to the Census Bureau. The census is a way for the government to keep track of how many people live in each city, town, and state. The data is used for many purposes, including distributing federal funding to states. It's very important that one person in every household fills out the census form. That way, money can be given where it's needed in an area: schools, hospitals, and more! The census also determines how many representatives each state has in the House of Representatives. According to the 2000 census, Texas had a population of 20,851,820. The total U.S. population was 281,421,906. About what percent of the population lived in Texas? (Round to the nearest tenth.)

For more information on the 2010 census, see pages 10-11 of the March 29/April 12 issue of MATH.

Extra Calories, Extra Cost

Would you still eat junk food if it cost more money? Some states have been trying out pizza and soda tax to encourage people to eat healthier. Researchers estimate that an 18% tax on these foods could reduce calorie intake by 56 calories per person per day. This would result in weight loss of about 5 pounds per person per year. Let's say someone buys a $2 slice of pizza and $1 soda once a week. How much more would that person spend per year on just those two items after the 18% tax?

ON YOUR OWN: Now think about how much junk food you buy. If you paid 18% more for it, would you buy less?

He Stood and Delivered

Jaime Escalante taught advanced math to low-income minority students at a time when nobody believed it could be done. He was such an extraordinary teacher that he inspired the hit 1988 movie Stand and Deliver (available on DVD). Escalante's death last week was a major loss for the math community, but his impact lives on.

Here is a fun trick from Escalante, just one of the ways he brought math to life. Write the numbers 1 to 10 down the side of a piece of paper. Multiply each number by 9 and write down the products so they form a column (all the ones digits and tens digits lined up). What pattern do you notice in the ones and tens digits?

Fearless Felix's Fast Fall!

They call him Fearless Felix, and the name fits. For years, Felix Baumgartner has been making spectacular sky dives (jumps with a parachute). He has jumped off the world's tallest buildings, across the English Channel, into a 600-foot cave, and more. Now, Baumgartner plans to become the first skydiver to break the speed of sound!

Sometime later this year, he will jump out of a helium balloon at least 120,000 feet above Earth. He will "free fall" for about 5 minutes, then open his parachute, then take another 10 minutes to reach the ground. What will Fearless Felix's average speed be, in miles per hour, for the entire 15-minute fall? (Round to the nearest whole number.) 

ON YOUR OWN: Baumgartner's speed will be much faster before he opens the parachute. Thirty seconds into the jump, he will break the speed of sound. Research, online or in the library, how fast the speed of sound is.

March Madness Math!

The 2010 NCAA men's college basketball tournament began on March 18. There are 64 teams in the tournament. In the first round, 32 teams play a game against the other 32 teams. The winning teams move on the second round, and so on, until there is one remaining team: the national champion. How many total games are in the tournament?