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Olympic Mathematics - Streamer/Straw Javelin for Year 4-6

Story:


Unfortunately, there was a nasty accident during the warm-up for the Olympic javelin event (use your imagination). So, the umpires have changed what the athletes are throwing. Instead of javelins, you have been given streamers/drinking straws. Don't worry - if your arm strength is still the strongest, you will still come out on top. Good luck (and watch out when you cross athletics fields in the future).



Tools

  • Streamers or drinking straws.

  • Measuring tapes.

  • Estimation benchmarking tools (1m rulers, 30cm rulers, base-10 MAB blocks for 10cm).


Main event


1. Toss your modified javelin.


2. Estimate the length of your throw.


An estimate is a thinking guess - it should not be accurate. If it is always spot on, chances are you are cheating!


Pro tip: Use estimation tools to help you visualise. This includes a 1m ruler (don't lay it down, just use it to try to imagine how many 1m rulers you need to reach your throw). Also try using 10cm sticks (MAB/base-10 block tens or similar). A 30cm ruler is also a brilliant benchmark tool, as you have been using a ruler for quite some time at school and might be able to visualise it.


3. Measure your throw and consider how close your estimate was. Do you tend to overestimate, underestimate, or it is pretty reasonable?


4. Record the distance in metric units in multiple ways:


  • metres and centimetres: 10m 5cm


  • metres: 10.05m


  • centimetres: 1005cm (because 1m = 100cm, so 10m = 1000cm, then an extra 5cm)

  • as a decimal fraction (wholes and parts out of 100):




  • simplified fraction:




Pro tip: Remember that 1m = 100cm. Record the metres and centimetres first (10m 5cm format), which is the most helpful format, but remember, 10m 50cm is different to 10m 5cm - one is written as 10.5m and the other as 10.05m.


Support: Focus on estimating whether the throw is more or less than 1 metre, or more/less than 5m, or 10m.


Extension 1: Work out the difference between your and your teammate's throw, or your throw and the world record for javelin.


Extension 2: Convert the distance to other metric units (metres, kilometres).

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