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) · HuffPost UK

Most Scientists Agree Alien Life Exists, Study Finds

However big you think the universe is, it’s almost certainly bigger. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is 100,000 light-years across (one light-year is about six trillion miles).And according to some estimates, there could be one to two billion galaxies in the universe. So perhaps it’s no wonder scientists have long wonder…

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Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The Milky Way is 100,000 light-years across. If one light-year is about six trillion miles, how many miles is that in total?

Your answer

If there are 1 to 2 billion galaxies in the universe, what is the range in standard form?

Your answer

The article says the universe is bigger than you think. If the Milky Way is 100,000 light-years across and there are 2 billion galaxies, roughly how many times bigger is the number of galaxies than the width of the Milky Way in light-years?

Your answer

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National (UK)

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

National (UK) · Metro

Erling Haaland tipped for stunning transfer after Manchester City guilty verdict

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland (Picture: Getty) Erling Haaland has been tipped for a sensational transfer move after Manchester City were found guilty of breaching well over 100 Premier League financial rules. Man City, the dominant force in English football over the last decade, were found guilty of 114 of …

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Manchester City were found guilty of 114 Premier League financial rules breaches. If they were found guilty of 114 out of 115 charges, what percentage of charges were they found guilty of? Give your answer to 1 decimal place.

Your answer

Erling Haaland is a striker for Manchester City. If he scored 36 Premier League goals in a season and Manchester City scored 96 goals in total, what fraction of the team's goals did he score? Simplify your answer.

Your answer

Manchester City were found guilty of breaching 'well over 100' Premier League financial rules. If 'well over 100' means at least 101, write an inequality for the number of rules breached, using n for the number of rules.

Your answer

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National (UK) · HuffPost UK

Chancellor Reveals 'Mentor' Gordon Brown's Rather Unique Style Of Communicating

Gordon Brown, United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education and former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, holds a news conference at UN headquarters, Sept. 16, 2016Gordon Brown has a very unique way of communicating his thoughts with the new Labour chancellor, according to a new interview.Brown – Tony Blair’s…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Gordon Brown is described as a former Prime Minister and UN Special Envoy. If a news report about him lasts 3 minutes and 30 seconds, how many seconds is that in total?

Your answer

The article mentions a news conference at UN headquarters on Sept. 16, 2016. If the conference started at 10:45 and lasted 1 hour 20 minutes, what time did it finish?

Your answer

The snippet says Brown has a 'very unique way of communicating'. If a student writes that 3 out of 12 interview paragraphs mention this style, what fraction of the paragraphs is that, in simplest form?

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 · BBC News — World

One dead as nor'easter storm pummels New York and New Jersey

Tens of millions of people from Maine to Virginia found themselves in the path of the powerful weather system.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

A nor'easter storm affected tens of millions of people from Maine to Virginia. If 'tens of millions' means at least 20 million, write this as a number in digits.

Your answer

One person died in the nor'easter storm. If the storm affected 30 million people, what is the death rate per million people? Give your answer to 2 decimal places.

Your answer

The storm affected people from Maine to Virginia. If Maine is the northernmost state and Virginia is the southernmost, and the distance between them is about 800 miles, how many kilometres is this? Use 1 mile ≈ 1.6 km.

Your answer

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Global · The Guardian — World

Mighty Sparrow, the Trinidad and Tobago singer known as the ‘calypso king of the world’, dies aged 91

Slinger Francisco, who performed as the Mighty Sparrow, died on Sunday surrounded by family in New YorkSlinger Francisco, known on stage as the Mighty Sparrow and dubbed the “calypso king of the world”, has died aged 91.Francisco, who got his breakthrough in calypso music with his 1956 hit song Jean and Dinah, died …

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Mighty Sparrow died aged 91. If he was born in 1935, in what year did he die?

Your answer

His breakthrough hit 'Jean and Dinah' was in 1956. How many years before his death in 2025 (if we assume the article was written then) was that?

Your answer

If Mighty Sparrow was 91 when he died and his hit song was 69 years earlier, how old was he when the song was released?

Your answer

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Global · The Guardian — World

Hurricane Nolo still threatens Hawaii as Mexico's Baja braces for major Hurricane Polo

Hurricane Nolo is moving away from Hawaiian islands but threat of heavy rain, flash floods and strong winds persistsHurricane Nolo was moving away from the Hawaiian islands on Sunday, but the threat of heavy rain, flash flooding and strong winds persisted in areas of the island chain still recovering from previous s…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Hurricane Nolo is moving away from Hawaii but heavy rain persists. If a weather warning covers 4 of the 8 main Hawaiian islands, what percentage of the main islands is that?

Your answer

The article mentions Hurricane Nolo and Hurricane Polo. If Nolo is moving away from Hawaii and Polo is heading towards Mexico's Baja, how many named hurricanes are mentioned in the summary?

Your answer

If a rainfall total of 12 inches is forecast over 3 days, what is the average daily rainfall?

Your answer

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Politics

UK and Westminster politics, policy and elections.

Politics · Politics.co.uk

‘That ship has sailed’: Wes Streeting bids farewell to leadership ambitions

Wes Streeting has appeared to rule out ever standing to become leader of the Labour Party in the future, saying it is “quite a liberating position to be in.” Speaking at a Fabian Society fringe event at Labour conference, the defence secretary said he was, for the first time in his political life, not angling […] Th…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Wes Streeting said he is not angling to become leader of the Labour Party. If there are 5 potential leadership candidates and one is chosen at random, what is the probability that Wes Streeting is chosen? Give your answer as a fraction.

Your answer

Wes Streeting is the defence secretary. If the Labour Party has 400 MPs and 200 of them are women, what percentage of Labour MPs are women?

Your answer

Wes Streeting spoke at a Fabian Society fringe event at Labour conference. If the event started at 6:30 pm and lasted 45 minutes, what time did it end?

Your answer

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Politics · The Guardian — Politics

MPs, you told us clearly that end-of-life care in the UK is broken. So now we need you to fix it | Jane Turner

During the assisted dying debate, most politicians agreed on one thing – palliative care reform is urgent. Patients and those of us who care for them are waitingJane Turner is chief nurse at the palliative support charity Sue RyderThe UK government is discussing the country’s biggest challenges at the Labour party c…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article says palliative care reform is urgent. If 70% of MPs agreed in a debate, how many MPs is that out of 650?

Your answer

If the government is discussing the country’s biggest challenges, and palliative care is one of them, what fraction of the top 5 challenges is that?

Your answer

Jane Turner is chief nurse at Sue Ryder. If Sue Ryder cares for 10,000 patients a year and 25% need palliative care reform, how many patients is that?

Your answer

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Politics · The Guardian — Politics

Andy Burnham shows his emotional side – podcast

Andy Burnham will make his first speech at Labour conference as prime minister on Tuesday. Ahead of that, he has been talking to Pippa Crerar about why he is in the job and what changes he wants to make. Pippa and Kiran Stacey discuss his comments and the feeling behind the scenes at this year’s conferenceYou can re…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Andy Burnham will make his first speech as prime minister at Labour conference on Tuesday. If the conference starts on Monday and Tuesday is the second day, what day of the week is the speech?

Your answer

The podcast features Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discussing Andy Burnham. If the podcast lasts 45 minutes and they spend 15 minutes on Burnham's comments, what fraction of the podcast is that?

Your answer

If Andy Burnham's speech is scheduled for 2:00 pm and lasts 35 minutes, what time does it end?

Your answer

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Environment & science

Climate, nature, energy and science stories.

Environment & science · BBC — Science & environment

Getting river pollution investigated like 'pulling teeth'

Bristol residents say an oil-like substance has been bubbling up for years and killing wildlife.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Bristol residents say an oil-like substance has been bubbling up for years. If 'years' means at least 3 years, how many months is that?

Your answer

Residents say the pollution has been killing wildlife. If 15 fish and 8 birds were killed, what is the ratio of fish to birds killed? Simplify your answer.

Your answer

Getting river pollution investigated is like 'pulling teeth'. If it took 4 years to get an investigation, how many days is that? Use 1 year = 365 days.

Your answer

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Environment & science · The Guardian — Environment

‘You can taste the land’: the Somerset farmer bringing wildflowers back to cheddar

Tom Calver has sacrificed milk yields to give his cows a more varied diet of plants and believes the result is better cheese and richer farmlandIn the rolling hills of Somerset, hundreds of thousands of cows placidly munch lush green grass to produce milk for cheddar.But six fields stand out. Rather than uniform gra…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Tom Calver has six fields with wildflowers. If each field is 5 hectares, what is the total area?

Your answer

If he sacrificed 10% of milk yields to give cows a varied diet, and his original yield was 1,000 litres per cow per year, what is the new yield?

Your answer

The article says 'you can taste the land'. If a cheese maker uses milk from these cows and sells cheese at £15 per kilogram, how much would 2.5 kg cost?

Your answer

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Environment & science · BBC — Science & environment

Shipwreck found on Nantucket beach during storm

The so-called nor'easter storm has washed up what may be a shipwreck from the 19th century in Massachusetts, local media says.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

A shipwreck from the 19th century is found on a Nantucket beach. If the 19th century means the 1800s, in which year did that century begin?

Your answer

The nor'easter storm washed up the possible shipwreck. If the storm caused 3.5 inches of rain and then another 1.75 inches, what was the total rainfall?

Your answer

If the shipwreck is estimated to be 150 years old and it is now 2026, in what year was it likely built?

Your answer

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Sport

Sport news (including football).

Sport · The Guardian — Sport

Alexander Zverev clinches Laver Cup for Team Europe with victory over Learner Tien

Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli win doubles 7-5, 6-3Andre Agassi goads Alexander Zverev at ceremonyTeam Europe reclaimed their Laver Cup title with a dominant 13-5 victory against Team World on the final day of competition at the O2 Arena.The contest had been finely poised after two days, with Team Europe holding a …

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Team Europe won the Laver Cup with a score of 13-5 against Team World. What was the total number of points scored in the match?

Your answer

Jakub Mensik and Flavio Cobolli won their doubles match 7-5, 6-3. How many games did they win in total?

Your answer

Team Europe won 13-5. What fraction of the total points did Team Europe win? Simplify your answer.

Your answer

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Sport · The Guardian — Sport

NFL roundup: Ravens grab last-gasp win over Cowboys in Rio; Commanders stun Seahawks

Cincinnati’s unbeaten start ends in PittsburghDrake Maye’s turnover woes continue for PatsLamar Jackson completed a 27-yard pass to Zay Flowers and alertly called a timeout with one second left, setting up Tyler Loop’s 56-yard field goal to cap a stunning seven-second drive that gave the Baltimore Ravens (2-1) victo…

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The Ravens won with a 56-yard field goal. If 1 yard = 0.9144 metres, how many metres is that?

Your answer

The Ravens are now 2-1. What is their win percentage?

Your answer

The drive took seven seconds and covered 27 yards. What was the average speed in yards per second?

Your answer

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Sport · BBC Sport

US complete thrilling comeback to retain Presidents Cup

The United States complete a thrilling comeback on the final day to beat the Internationals and win an 11th successive Presidents Cup.

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The United States won an 11th successive Presidents Cup. If they win the next one too, how many successive wins would that be?

Your answer

The US completed a thrilling comeback on the final day. If they were behind by 3 points and then won 5 points, what was their net gain?

Your answer

If the Presidents Cup is held every 2 years, how many years is 11 successive wins?

Your answer

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Local & regional

City and regional papers across the UK.

Local & regional · Manchester Evening News

The beautiful woodland walk ending with a tearoom near Manchester you have to do this autumn

Make the most of the beautiful autumn colours with this woodland walk which features historic mining remains, incredible views and ends with a tearoom

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The woodland walk ends with a tearoom near Manchester. If the walk is 5 km long and you walk at 4 km/h, how long will the walk take in hours and minutes?

Your answer

The walk features historic mining remains. If there are 12 mining remains and you spend 5 minutes at each, how long do you spend in total? Give your answer in hours and minutes.

Your answer

The walk is recommended for autumn. If autumn lasts from September to November, how many months is that?

Your answer

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Local & regional · WalesOnline

Study explains truth about puzzles, ageing and cognitive decline

Researchers asked three groups of people to make simple changes - including 'brain training' puzzles

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

Researchers asked three groups to make simple changes. If each group had 50 people, how many people took part in total?

Your answer

If one group did 'brain training' puzzles for 30 minutes a day for 4 weeks, how many minutes is that in total?

Your answer

If the study found a 15% improvement in cognitive decline for the puzzle group, and the original score was 80, what is the new score?

Your answer

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Local & regional · WalesOnline

Wales breaking news plus weather and traffic updates (Monday, September 28)

All of the latest news from across Wales and further afield

Classroom maths questions Tailored prompts

The article is about Wales breaking news on Monday, September 28. If the news updates run from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm, how many hours is that?

Your answer

If there are 12 traffic updates and 8 weather updates in the live blog, what fraction of the updates are weather updates?

Your answer

The summary says 'All of the latest news from across Wales and further afield'. If a student reads 5 news items from Wales and 3 from further afield, what is the ratio of Welsh to non-Welsh items in simplest form?

Your answer

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