#28 One can win!

01 April 2021

Skill Solid Numeracy

Winners Announced!

Thank you to everyone who entered our competition this week - and a very well done to everyone who did extra reading around the facts. It was great to see lots of extra information in your explanations. Our winners this time are...

reasoning_honeydew of Allerton High School, who really zoned in on the numbers to give reasons for their choices

and

spontaneous_maths of Michael Faraday School, whose explanations were clear and convincing

Great job!


For this week's competition, we would like you to think about some of the numbers that are in the news at the moment.

Look at the following facts that involve numbers in the news:

1) A 400m long ship called the Ever Given is stuck in a busy canal in Egypt, blocking any other ships from getting through

2) A petition arguing that the UK government should not introduce vaccine passports has reached 200,000 signatures

3) Over 18,000 people and thousands more animals have been evacuated from their homes after intense flash floods hit Australia

4) A Vincent Van Gogh painting that spent more than 100 years hidden away has sold for £11.2 million

Then answer the following questions:

1) Which fact do you find the most interesting? Why?

2) If the public could only be shown ONE of these facts, which would be the most important for them to know? Why?

Finding it hard to get going? Try using this sentence structure:

I think the most interesting fact is number 1/2/3/4 because... (insert reason here). I think the fact that is most important for people to know is number 1/2/3/4 because... (insert reason here).


The deadline for entries is Friday April 2nd at midday. PLEASE ENTER ONLY ONCE and make sure your work is your own. Good luck!

Comments (23)

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  • I think the most interesting fact was about the animals!From the photo, many animals need help or have been saved...
    In my opinion i think all people should have the right to look after animals!
    1.Animals are not toys
    2.they are the same(ish) as people
    3.we all have feelings , many more reasons...

    If you got hurt by someone, how would you feel. Animals have feelings too! If a dog came to you, would you just kick/hurt its? probly NOT! You dont have the right to do this or treat animals as if they are toys.What if you were called a toy? Wouldn't you defend yourself. What about you defend animal(s) from danger, animals...

    What do you mean about animals?
    I mean, as a animal you always have a sort of animal that eats you eat. (cats eat fish). If a wolf starts chasing a rabbit, wouldn't you just want to help?I would !
    Soooooooo, would you care about aniamls?
    What are you gonna do to help them?
    Is there something your gonna change?

    Thank you for reading
    terrific_raccoon! [:)]

    1. Very convincing, terrific_racoon. Could you have a go at answering the second question too to finish your competition entry?

      1. If your talking about tjis queition, "what are you gonna do to help animals"?

        Im gonna feed them at surten times and give them all the atencion they need /want... Even tho i dont have any pets, i could do that to neigboars, friends and family pets and that will make there day, but if you treet them badly they would want to start biting you and stuff, because there not happy, i hope i did it write (answered the right quetion)

  • I find fact 4 the most interesting fact because the person who bought the painting had bought it for such a whooping amount of money/ price and the fact that it was found over IOO years after is also shocking but the most important fact for me that people should know is fact 1 because the evergreen ship is blocking the way. The reason why I think this is an important and interesting fact that people should know is that fact 4 doesn't have an effect on most people but fact 1 does since they have to do trades for things like oil, fish, goods and so on...

  • I think the most interesting fact is number 2 because for those who did not want to have the vaccine but wanted to go somewhere they would not be able to go. I think the fact that is most important for people to know is number 1 because in Egypt, a lot of people's sewers lines go into the canal and around 50 ships pass through the canal everyday which means that the boats that pass in the sea would have to turn around and go back to where they came from and maybe go at a later date in time

  • eager_reflection here,
    I think that the most interesting fact is number 1 because it is the first time a large cargo ship blocked the Suez Canal, and in the future it could affect people's lives, as ships carrying goods cannot pass. This means that we could get a delay of these items. From what I have read from the article is that the Suez Canal is a vital waterway for big cargo ships to deliver goods around the world, not only in the present day, but also in the past. In a previous incident, where the canal was blocked, 15 ships were stranded in it for 8 years!
    I think that the most important fact was number 2. This is because in the present, we are still living in the pandemic, so vaccine passports are very important for us to ease the restrictions. On the other hand, at the moment, only half of the adults living in the UK have received their vaccine, and more people must be vaccinated to be given a vaccine passport to travel. Some people cannot have the vaccine so may not want to have a vaccine passport because they cannot have the vaccine. If people create fake ones, there could be arguments. Also if people do not have one but still want to travel, they will have to pay for coronavirus tests, which they may not want to.
    Thanks for reading.

  • I think fact 1 is the most interesting because it’s actually in the middle of a man-made canal that connects the northern and southern hemisphere and if they don’t remove the Ever given soon other ships will have to go around the whole continent of Africa and it takes up to 10 days longer. I think the most important fact for the people to know will be, again, fact 1 because people like my uncle will have to work really hard to navigate ways for other ships to get around.
    From buzzing_grapefruit

  • I feel like the most interesting fact to know is 4. This is because its not everyday that you see a painting being sold for 11 million. It's also interesting to know that that painting had been hidden away and lost for 100 years and it was made by a world famous artist hundreds of years ago. But, the most important fact is number 1 in my opinion. This is because it could delay imports and exports globally, which will affect trade, delivery services and cause customer dissatisfaction within the company that needs the supplies which could even make businesses collapse, as all their needed supplies may be onboard that ship, or the ships stuck in the queue.

  • I find fact one the most interesting because the busiest port, which is carrying food, drinks and clothing is being blocked off and people need those resources to survive the in the world. If it stays like this, people will starve to death and countries will have poor economys. This is because nations earn money by trading. If the trading ports are blocked, nobody will be able to get to the money. Therefore, I think this fact shall be the most important.

  • I think that the most interesting fact is number 3 because I feel very concerned about the safety of 18,000 people and animals, and I also feel sympathetic towards them as they have been forced by the floods to evacuate their homes with little warning. However, I think that if the public can only be shown one of these facts I think the most important is number 2. I think this because 200,000 is a much bigger number than 18,000, so it therefore concerns more people than number 3. Also, all these 200,000 people will want to know about this as it could be a very important petition for them, and so very important for them to see it on the news.

  • I think the most interesting fact is number 3 because it is saying that this has been a massive flood and thousands were in danger of it. Also, it shows that humans can save animals if they decide to. However, I think the fact that is most important for the public to hear about is number 1 as it will alert people that there could be a loss of supplies for some countries and also to ask people who may be living on the canal not to go down it whilst the situation is going on.

  • I think the most interesting fact is number 4 because Vincent Van Gogh was a very famous person so someone being able to hide something that important is very hard. I think the fact that is most important for people to know is number 3 because if you live in Austrailia or near there you might need to leave to, and, the others were just interesting things that people could just read for fun.

  • Hi there,
    I think the most important fact is number 2. I think this because it is important that vaccine passports be introduced, in order to be able to travel. Also so the people checking your vaccine passports can keep track of the last time you had a vaccine, and the next time you are to receive one. People ought to know this fact (specifically in the UK) more than any other fact, especially ones that are talking about other countries they may never be able to visit BECAUSE they don't have a vaccine passport. I, from experience, am pretty sure EVERYONE (and absolutely EVERYONE) is tired of the lockdowns and want to travel again. Still with them knowing, and keeping in mind the safety measures required and needed for them to take, in order to be able to travel again.

  • I think the most interesting fact is number 4 because it is interesting that Van Gogh's painting was hidden for 100 years and now it is sold for so much money. I am interested to see that painting.
    I think the fact that is most important for people to know is number 2 because it is about Coronavirus and many people wants to know the news about Coronavirus and it is about UK.

  • In my opinion 2) is the most interesting because its the most relevant to the world right now.
    But I think if the public could only be shown one it should be 3), so they can help the animals in Australia survive.
    Animals are important in everyone's life since most of us eat them to help us survive.

  • I think that the most interesting fact is number 3 because it talks about people's and animal's lives in danger and it helps us know what is happening all around the world. Animals are important because they help us survive. I think that people should know about fact number 2 because it is important for us humans to know what the government are planning for the country. If we didn't know about this then we won't be able to find out what is best for our country.

  • Hi busy_chicken here,
    I think that number 3 is most important to me because, well my love for animals made me choose this because, all animals and creatures should be treated the same no matter what.It was excellent of those people evacuating the 18,000 animals and humans to safety right before the flood.( to be honest,I'm very happy about this.It just brought me joy.)
    Thank you for reading!!!

  • Hi, I think that an amazing fact involving numbers is that more than 100, 000 people are campaigning for Climate Change in London. This is important because it means that a lot of people are trying to cure the Planet and stop Climate Change. It also means that Greta Thumberg and other Climate campaigners are really putting a lot of effort into getting people to join into campaigns.

  • I think the most interesting number is 2 because you should want to have vaccine passports so we can travel while being safe .
    I think people should know about number 3 because they might be worrying about people in Australia and if the flood might come to were they live.

  • 1) I think that the Vincent Van Gogh painting may be the most important because it is sdlling for a whopping price of 11.2m which is alot of money for some people and the picture can look very boring but it will always have a meaning behind it. I also think that the vaccine passport is very important as people will want to travel again since it was nearly a whole year since people could go and fly to other countried.

    2) I think people would need to know only about the vaccine passport as alot of people like going to fly to different countries since people find that fun. But I also think people need to know this so when they want to go on a flight, lets say they wanted to go to Japan, they might think that they can't go because they haven't seen the rule yet and this is why i think the vaccine passport if mostly important to know. I do understand that the other things are INTERESTING but they dont really need to know about it as importantly as the vaccine passport.

  • I find the 4th fact the most interesting because 11.2 million is a lot and a painting was hidden for 100 years which is a lot of time and where did he hide it.If a news should be shown to the public,I think it should be the 2nd fact.This is because it is talking about something that has happened currently and not years ago(like the painting and Egypt one) and is relevant.The 3rd one is important but not that important that we show it to everyone.I think it is the 2nd one because corona is important and the topic ‘Vaccines’ is a very important topic so it should be shown to the public.

  • Question 1: I think number 1 is the most interesting fact is number 1 as it has affected the world economy largely and has stopped manufactured goods from being transported and has affected the flow of oil, chemicals and iron ore. The European economy is ver dependent on the Seuz link but other countries such as the USA will still be affected if it cannot soon be cleared. The Suez Canal is worth of 30% of the Worlds daily shipping container freight which means if it cannot be cleared soon it will affect the economy largley.

    Question 2: I personally think that number 2 is the most important as we are currently in a pandemic and a Covid passport is very useful to prevent an outbreak of Covid-19. However, if you have refused to take the vaccine you may not be able to visit certain places or go on holiday without taking a test before.

  • I find fact 4 the most interesting as it has been hidden for over 100 years [ very shocking ] and is made by a very famous artist, Vincent Van Gough! Now, that painting is going to make someone really happy! I think the most important fact is fact 1 because the evergreen ship is blocking the way in for ships so obviously it is blocking the way out for ships. I think this also a problem because people usually transfer/deliver valuable goods for trading.

  • Q1:I think that fact 4 is the most interesting because a painting that was 100 years old managed to sell at an auction for 11.2 million. I think it sold for so much as it was really old( it counts as vintage) and if something is over 50 years old it is apparently history. I also think it sold for loads because it was a Vincent Van Gough painting, which are worth lots of money and so are really expensive.
    Q2: I think that everybody should know about fact 1 because it is was stopping ships and vessels containing transported goods to continue their journeys freely, which is bad as these are necessary items that could effect Egypt and the destination badly.
    Over all, I think if I could only choose one news story for the public to know about fact 1 because it is very important, fact 2 because it is something that everyone should be informed about, fact 3 because many people would like to know about and finally fact 4 because it is very interesting and would intrigue the reader well but over fact 1 for the reasons I have noted.
    Thanks emotonal_night

  • I think the most interesting fact is number 4 because you don’t find people discovering a rare painting of a famous painter worth more than £10,000,000 everyday. In addition, the fact that makes it even more interesting is that it’s been hidden away for over 100 years which is very shocking and it also makes the price even more expensive so £11.2 million is a lot of money for whoever owns it. I think the most important fact people should know is number 2 because maybe some people that have had the vaccine want to travel for an important reason, e.g. funeral, wedding, relatives and other important occasions.