This mathematical activity provides students with the opportunity to solve a realistic animal care problem and become active problem-solvers. Students are encouraged to make a mathematical model of a real-life situation, identifying and incorporating relevant factors, obtain information relevant to the problem,...

This resource provides examples of solving problems using Fermi Estimates. These examples are similar to the ones covered in the resource "Estimates From Limited Data". The tasks may be suitable for group and internet access may be beneficial.

This resource contains a short presentation which introduces three problems where approximate solutions can be calculated.

The first activity asks students to use Fermi estimation to calculate the quantity of tea used in China in a three month period. Students are also invited to calculate an estimate of the...

A Fermi problem involves making estimates and using mathematics to answer a question, in more colloquial language they might be termed ‘back of envelope’ calculations.

Many of the questions don’t have clear cut answers, and sometimes alternative paths to solutions are possible.

The level of...

‘A secret of bees’ is a series of 7 problems that looks at an interesting feature of the family tree for bees. The series shows how to take a complicated problem and break it down into manageable parts. It is recommended that the sheets are given to students one at a time.

Initially a family tree for bees is...

‘Ball bouncing’ is a series of 7 problems that looks at what happens if you put a tennis ball on top of a basketball and then drop them both. This is done through mathematical modelling. The series shows how to take a complicated problem and break it down into manageable parts. It is recommended that the sheets are...

This problem serves as an introduction to the ideas of Fermi problems. The question posed is ‘how many dump trucks would you need to move Mount Fuji, a major mountain in Japan?’
The topics required to complete this problem are calculating the volume of a pyramid, working out mass from density and volume, and...

This question asks us to consider a person opening a burger bar, doing all of the cooking themselves, and then estimate how much space should they rent?

The main topics required are rates (number of burgers per hour that one person could cook, number of customers per hour), and areas. 

This Mathematics Matters case study looks at how mathematicians are aiding the fight against viruses. Many viruses have a symmetrical structure made from basic building blocks, and biologists have struggled to explain some of the more detailed shapes. Now mathematicians are using complex theories of symmetry to...

In this resource from CensusAtSchool, students are asked to apply their knowledge of the Poisson distribution to real life data in the context of a school problem. This resource is good at contextualising and reinforcing understanding of the Poisson distribution, it requires students to consider developing a...

Sarah is a finance manager for the Arcadia Group, she discusses her role in this video. Sarah is responsible for cash flow forecasts and finance reporting. Sarah always liked maths at school and completed a degree in economics at the University of Bath during which she participated in a...

This Core Maths resource package involves students completing a financially-themed project. Students are given the task of promoting, manufacturing and delivering a new mobile phone for the best possible price. Students complete annual reports on monthly income and expenditure, explore interest rates, exchange...

Produced by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS), this case study looks at the themes of embedding functional skills, numeracy and financial capability. It describes a project that is being piloted at Hull College.

The project aims to improve the financial awareness of its entry and level one...

This collection of Nuffield Maths resources explores Financial Calculations. The demand is roughly equivalent to that in Higher Level GCSE and Level 2 Functional Mathematics.

The collection contains the following resources:

Pay as you earn   Students work out how much income...