Vault Times — Maths in the news

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Our pick of the day for numbers, data and context — the rest of the edition follows by section.

National (UK) · Metro

Zack Polanski loses bid to become MP and claim Keir Starmer’s old seat

Zack Polanski claps as by-election winner Sagal Abdi-Wali gives her victory speech (Picture: James Veysey/Shutterstock) Green Party leader Zack Polanski has failed in his bid to become an MP, with a narrow loss in the Holborn and St Pancras by-election. Voters in the seat, which was held by ex-PM Sir Keir Starmer be…

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Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Zack Polanski lost the Holborn and St Pancras by-election narrowly. If the winner got 12,000 votes and Polanski got 11,400, what was the percentage shortfall?

Your answer

The seat was previously held by ex-PM Sir Keir Starmer. If the by-election was called after he stood down, and the turnout was 40%, what fraction of the electorate voted?

Your answer

Polanski is Green Party leader. If the Green Party won 1 seat in a 650-seat parliament, what percentage of seats is that?

Your answer

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National (UK)

Headlines from UK-wide outlets: general news and analysis.

National (UK) · YouGov

Will Sephora boost M&S’s brand among younger shoppers?

Marks & Spencer and Sephora's collaboration could represent an opportunity for both brands, according to YouGov CEO Stephan Shakespeare.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

M&S and Sephora are collaborating. If the aim is to attract younger shoppers, what percentage of a hypothetical 400 shoppers would be younger if 25% are younger?

Your answer

YouGov CEO Stephan Shakespeare says the collaboration could be an opportunity for both brands. If a survey of 500 people found 60% thought it was a good idea, how many people is that?

Your answer

If M&S and Sephora each invest £2.5 million in the collaboration, what is the total investment?

Your answer

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National (UK) · YouGov

If the government decides to rejoin EU, Britons say there should be a referendum

This stance is held across all voting groups

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

A poll says 60% of Britons want a referendum if the government decides to rejoin the EU. If 1,200 people were surveyed, how many is that?

Your answer

The article says the stance is held across all voting groups. If 45% of Conservative voters, 70% of Labour voters and 80% of Lib Dem voters support a referendum, what is the mean percentage across these three groups?

Your answer

A news report claims 55% of Britons want a referendum. If the poll had a margin of error of ±3%, what is the range of possible values?

Your answer

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Statistics

Polling, surveys, trackers and data-led public opinion pieces.

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Global

International and world news.

Global · Positive News

What went right this week: the good news that matters

A pivotal moment for climate justice in Australia, the Nobel prize, and a promising drug for Parkinson’s, plus more The post What went right this week: the good news that matters appeared first on Positive News.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article mentions a promising drug for Parkinson’s. If a trial involved 200 patients and 75% showed improvement, how many patients improved?

Your answer

If the Nobel prize is awarded in three categories mentioned (climate justice, medicine, and another), and each prize is worth 10 million Swedish kronor, what is the total value?

Your answer

The article says 'a pivotal moment for climate justice in Australia'. If this moment led to a 15% increase in funding for climate projects from a base of £80 million, how much extra funding is that?

Your answer

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Global · The Guardian — World

Egyptian journalists plan weekend protest over detention of six colleagues

Matsadaash staff allege torture and forced confessions after being held on charges of working for Muslim BrotherhoodEgyptian journalists are planning a new protest in Cairo this weekend after six colleagues were charged with terrorism offences amid allegations they had been tortured in police detention.Last week, Eg…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Six Egyptian journalists were charged with terrorism offences. If each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years, what is the total maximum sentence across all six?

Your answer

The protest is planned for this weekend. If today is Wednesday, how many days until Saturday?

Your answer

The article says six colleagues were charged. If the group of journalists had 20 staff in total, what fraction were charged?

Your answer

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Global · The Guardian — World

How a plant selfie in Colombian jungle led to ‘jaw dropping’ giant waterlily find

Species with leaves large enough to be seen from space is already critically endangered – and plans are afoot to protect itA chance social media encounter has led to the race-against-time discovery of a new species of giant waterlily that has until now been hidden in the depths of Colombia’s jungle.But the plant, wh…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The giant waterlily has leaves large enough to be seen from space. If a leaf is 3 metres in diameter, what is its approximate area?

Your answer

The species is critically endangered. If there are only 50 known plants left and 10 are protected, what percentage is protected?

Your answer

A chance social media encounter led to the discovery. If the plant was found 200 km from the nearest city and the team travelled at 50 km/h, how long did the journey take?

Your answer

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Politics

UK and Westminster politics, policy and elections.

Politics · Politics.co.uk

Labour holds Holborn and St Pancras as Polanski finishes second

Labour has won the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, with Camden Council leader Sagal Abdi-Wali beating Green leader Zack Polanski into second place. Abdi-Wali won 12,292 (45.1%) votes to Polanski’s 8,928 (32.8%), a majority of 3,364. The by-election was triggered by Keir Starmer’s resignation as MP for the seat. …

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

In the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, Labour won 12,292 votes and the Green Party won 8,928 votes. What was the majority?

Your answer

What percentage of the votes did Labour win, given as 45.1%? If the total number of votes was 27,260, how many votes did Labour get?

Your answer

If the by-election was triggered by Keir Starmer’s resignation, and he had been MP for 9 years, how many months is that?

Your answer

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Politics · The Guardian — Politics

British households would be £5,000 richer if we were more innovative. Let’s unleash our talents | Gordon Brown

We have a deep reservoir of assets, but struggle to turn small companies into global success stories. Innovation needs to be at the heart of government policyGordon Brown was UK prime minister from 2007 to 2010The coming 10 years are almost certain to be the decade that sees the greatest scientific breakthroughs in …

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Gordon Brown says British households would be £5,000 richer if we were more innovative. If there are 28 million households, what is the total gain?

Your answer

If the £5,000 gain is spread evenly over 10 years, how much extra per household per year is that?

Your answer

The article says innovation needs to be at the heart of government policy. If a government invests £2 billion in innovation and it returns £5,000 per household for 28 million households, what is the net gain?

Your answer

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Politics · Politics.co.uk

Adrian Ramsay: ‘I have no intention’ of leaving Green Party over Zionism motion

Adrian Ramsay has said he has “no intention of leaving the Green Party” after the party’s conference passed a motion declaring Zionism a form of racism. Ramsay, who served as co-leader of the Greens from 2021 to 2025, publicly opposed the motion, which passed at the party’s conference in Brighton last week by 1,022 …

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The Zionism motion passed by 1,022 votes. If 1,500 people voted in total, what percentage voted in favour?

Your answer

Adrian Ramsay served as co-leader from 2021 to 2025. How many years is that?

Your answer

The motion passed at the party’s conference in Brighton. If the conference lasted 3 days and had 12 sessions per day, how many sessions were there in total?

Your answer

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Environment & science

Climate, nature, energy and science stories.

Environment & science · The Guardian — Environment

Comebacks for wild tigers, tuna and sea turtles prove nature loss can be reversed, scientists say

A landmark report reveals that the world must change the way it produces food to avoid a biodiversity collapseConservation comebacks for wild tigers, tuna and green sea turtles prove that global nature loss can be reversed, scientists have said. But a report warns food production must be the next “positive tippi…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article mentions comebacks for wild tigers, tuna and green sea turtles. If there are 3 species and each has increased by 20% from a base of 500, what is the new total?

Your answer

A report warns food production must change. If global food production needs to be reduced by 30% to avoid biodiversity collapse, and current production is 100 units, what is the target?

Your answer

If conservation efforts cost £5 million per species and there are 3 species mentioned, what is the total cost?

Your answer

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Environment & science · The Guardian — Environment

Meet Japan’s mythical beast who appears in bolts of lightning

Raijū is normally docile but gets agitated in storms and leaps up to run among the clouds, according to folkloreThe Japanese raijū (thunder beast) is said to fall to Earth in a bolt of lightning. It is generally described as looking like a weasel, but is also compared to a cat, a wolf or a badger.According to folklo…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The raijū is said to fall to Earth in a bolt of lightning. If lightning travels at 300,000,000 m/s and a bolt lasts 0.0002 seconds, how far does it travel?

Your answer

The raijū is described as looking like a weasel, but also compared to a cat, a wolf or a badger. If there are 4 possible animal forms, how many ways can it appear?

Your answer

According to folklore, the raijū leaps up to run among the clouds. If it leaps 1,500 metres into the air and then falls back to Earth, what is the total distance travelled?

Your answer

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Environment & science · BBC — Science & environment

Why are more roofs not made of solar tiles?

Solar tiles were touted as an attractive alternative to solar panels - why have they not taken off?

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Solar tiles are an alternative to solar panels. If a roof needs 20 tiles and each tile costs £15, what is the total cost?

Your answer

If solar tiles are 10% more efficient than panels, and a panel produces 300 W, how much would a tile produce?

Your answer

A house has a roof area of 40 m². If solar tiles cover 25% of the roof, what area is covered?

Your answer

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Sport

Sport news (including football).

Sport · The Guardian — Sport

Pat Cummins unfazed by prospect of Khawaja book raising sandpaper scandal: ‘Tell your story’

Former Test opener is writing a new book released next monthAustralia captain Cummins confirms conversation with Khawaja Pat Cummins has suggested he is unfazed by the prospect of the sandpaper scandal being raised in Usman Khawaja’s autobiography, which will be the first from any Australian player who played in tha…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Pat Cummins is unfazed by Usman Khawaja’s book. If the book is released next month and today is 15th March, what date might it be released?

Your answer

The sandpaper scandal occurred in 2018. If the book is released in 2025, how many years later is that?

Your answer

If Khawaja’s autobiography is 320 pages long and he writes 20 pages per day, how many days will it take to write?

Your answer

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Sport · The Guardian — Sport

Premier League: 10 things to look out for this weekend

Michael Carrick is wary of ‘Dr Tottenham’, Oliver Glasner returns to Selhurst Park and will Manchester City summon a siege mentality at Anfield?Premier League top scorers | View the league tableDeclan Rice’s future role in England’s midfield was questioned by Gary Lineker after Alex Scott’s impressive first senior i…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

In a Premier League match, Manchester City score 2 goals at Anfield. If they had 8 shots on target, what is their conversion rate?

Your answer

Michael Carrick is wary of ‘Dr Tottenham’. If Tottenham have won 3 of their last 5 away games, what is their win percentage?

Your answer

Oliver Glasner returns to Selhurst Park. If Crystal Palace have scored 12 goals in 10 home games, what is their average goals per home game?

Your answer

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Sport · BBC Sport

Spurs' Simons enrols at iconic university Harvard

Tottenham's Xavi Simons enrols at prestigious American university Harvard as he continues his recovery from a long-term injury.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Xavi Simons enrols at Harvard. If he studies for 4 years and starts in 2025, in what year will he graduate?

Your answer

Simons is recovering from a long-term injury. If he is expected to be out for 6 months and has already been out for 2 months, what fraction of his recovery is complete?

Your answer

Harvard is in the USA. If Simons travels from London to Boston, a distance of about 5,000 km, and the flight takes 7 hours, what is his average speed?

Your answer

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Local & regional

City and regional papers across the UK.

Local & regional · Birmingham Mail

Andy Burnham confirms three new perks for UK households with £95 boost

Government confirmed on Thursday (October 8) that near-real-time petrol and diesel prices are included on Google Maps for the first time.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Andy Burnham confirms three new perks for UK households with a £95 boost. If there are 3 perks, what is the average value per perk?

Your answer

Near-real-time petrol and diesel prices are on Google Maps. If petrol is £1.50 per litre and diesel is £1.60 per litre, what is the total cost for 40 litres of each?

Your answer

If the £95 boost is given to 2 million households, what is the total cost?

Your answer

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Local & regional · Manchester Evening News

M62 shut LIVE as motorway closed after crash - updates

The M62 motorway has been closed off this morning for j22

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The M62 is closed at junction 22. If the motorway has junctions 20 to 25, how many junctions are affected if the closure is only at 22?

Your answer

If the M62 is closed for 4 hours and 30 minutes, how many minutes is that in total?

Your answer

A driver normally travels 60 miles on the M62. If the closure adds 15 miles to their journey, what is the percentage increase?

Your answer

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Local & regional · WalesOnline

Wales breaking news plus weather and traffic updates (Friday, October 9)

All of the latest news from across Wales and further afield

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article is about Wales breaking news on Friday, October 9. If the article was published at 08:00 and updated at 17:00, how many hours later was the update?

Your answer

If the article covers weather and traffic updates across Wales, and Wales has 22 local authority areas, what fraction of these are mentioned if 11 are covered?

Your answer

If the article has 15 news items and 3 are about weather, what percentage are about weather?

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