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My Five Cents: What is opportunity cost?

What is the true cost of buying something? Gen Fricker explains that it's more than just money. Learn about opportunity cost - what it is, why it's a helpful tool and when to use it. Simple! Then test yourself with ASIC MoneySmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

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Mystery man Pythagoras meets his match

What do you know about Pythagoras? Join Vi Hart as she not only explains his theorem but raises some legends about his dark past! Follow Vi's timeline of famous mathematicians to find out in which century Pythagoras lived. See how Vi shows a proof of his theorem and raises what was a big dilemma for Pythagoras: the irrational ...

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BTN: Bank loans

When we need to buy a house we usually have to take out a loan from the bank. We have to pay back that loan with interest. A $350,000 loan can mean paying back $869,000! Listen to Nathan Bazley explain why a small change in interest rates can mean a big difference to the total amount you repay. This clip provides a context ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 5: Measure a tree without using a ladder

What do you do when you need to measure a length, height or distance but don't have a ruler or some other measuring instrument? You can compute linear measurements with surprising accuracy using indirect measurements, proportions and estimations. Learn a nifty trick to measure a tree from a distance.

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Spiral away with Fibonacci

Do you know the Fibonacci sequence? Learn how to draw a cool spiral as Vi Hart shows you an easy way. See how a spiral is an example of Fibonacci numbers. Vi shows examples of spirals from nature. You might be surprised at some of her examples! This is the first in a series.

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Catalyst: Magical maths

At first glance, maths and magic might not appear to have much in common, but did you know that you can use maths and logic to come up with solutions to problems that can seem magical? Learn one such maths trick in this video from ABC Catalyst. What is the probability of the letter not being 'e'?

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Mixed Up Maths, Ep 1: Monumental measurement mess ups

Did you know that in Australia we use a metric system for measurement? See if you know the units of measurement for length, mass and volume. Find out what system the United States uses. You guessed it - they don't use the metric system! See how a mix up of these units can cause all kinds of mess ups.

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MathXplosion, Ep 17: Develop mathematical mind-reading skills

Amaze your friends with your super mind-reading skills. Here’s a brain game you can play by asking a few questions and substituting letters for numbers! Learn to follow a specific sequence of arithmetical steps to always arrive at the same answer.

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Catalyst: Take the Phi Golden challenge

The golden ratio, Phi: fact or fallacy? What about the Fibonacci sequence? We are told this ratio and its cousin Fibonacci occur everywhere in nature. Let's see which of these claims stacks up when put to the test.

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Maths inside bees and beehives

Bees are necessary for assisting many plants to produce the food we eat, including meat and milk. Colony collapse disorder, which describes the disappearance of beehives, could have catastrophic effects on food production. Australian scientists are applying their maths and science knowledge to build up a picture of a healthy ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 22: How to communicate numbers with Roman numerals

Explore an alternative way to communicate numbers using the anchor numbers 5 and 10 and the ancient Roman counting system based on letters. Roman numerals were used throughout Europe well into the middle ages and still appear in the names of monarchs, the production year of films, on buildings and on timepieces.

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My Five Cents: Why borrowing can cost you more

Think credit cards are basically free money? Gen Fricker will make you think again. Learn how interest rates and fees affect the money you borrow, and why they may be more expensive in the long run. Oh dear! Then test yourself with ASIC MoneySmart's "Things to think about" classroom exercises.  

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BTN: Calculating area using locust plagues

How many locusts in a plague? Find out just how big the threat of locusts can be and how farmers try to prevent the plagues from getting out of control. This clip provides context for a combination of area, area units and rate problems.

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What skills are important for programming robots?

Listen as David McKinnon from UNSW describes some of the skills that are useful to have if you want to program robots. David explains an activity that exercises problem solving skills. Why don't you try doing it? Look at a map and find some towns that are close to yours. Use the scale on the map to work out the distances ...

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Mixed Up Maths, Ep 12: Super Cyril's circus supplies

Do you know how to draw up a budget? Find out how it's done. In our example our host is throwing a circus party and has $100 to spend. See how he plans to spend the money. Throw in a few discounts of 10% and 50% and look what he can afford. Does he mange to stick to his budget?

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MathXplosion, Ep 30: How many combinations can you get?

How many combinations can you get from 6 shirts and 4 pairs of pants? Determine the number of different outfits using the concept of possibilities (possible outcomes) and combinations.

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Catalyst: Prime number keys

Have you ever wondered how modern day encryption works? How are messages and financial transactions kept hidden from cyber criminals and hackers? Listen to reporter Ruben Meerman and mathematician Simon Pampena discuss the largest prime number ever found and how prime numbers are used to encrypt electronic information.

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The Milky Way

What do you know about the Milky Way? Did you know that there are hundreds of billions of stars in it? Before you embark on your stargazing expedition, watch this video to learn how you can use just your hands and a compass to locate stars in the sky! What is the unit of measurement used when you're measuring distances ...

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MathXplosion, Ep 20: Crack an ancient Roman code

Decrypt the ancient cipher box used by Julius Caesar over 2,000 years ago! By shifting the alphabet or replacing one letter for another further down the alphabetical sequence, you can crack a coded message. The secret to a cipher is one special piece of shared information, known as a key. This shared key is required for ...

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Odd and even numbers

Do you know what makes an odd number and what makes an even number? There are a few ways to test whether a number is odd or even. Find out about one method in this video, then see if you can discover at least one other method.