Financial math resources for grade 11s
Sites for Learning about and Comparing Services
- account comparison tool
- credit card comparison tool
- vehicle lease or buy calculator
Blogs about Budgeting and Saving
- You Need A Budget (they are selling an app, but lots of free advice too)
- Mr Money Mustache (how to save to retire early)
- Gail Vaz-Oxlade (the host of “Til Debt Do us Part“)
Financial Institutions (not a complete list)
Grocery store flyers/market information
Rental companies/search websites
Practice for EQAO
Working on representing math concepts
When we look at a visual pattern, we can analyse it in a few ways, and depending on how we view the pattern, we’ll have a different algebraic expression.
We are drawing more figures, and counting squares. We are watching how the pattern grows. Sometimes the numbers of squares increases by the same number each time. Sometimes the increase is not consistant each time.
Sometimes we look at how the parts of the pattern add up. Sometimes we look at what pieces have been subtracted.
We try, no matter what the method to relate the visual representation in terms of the figure number.
It’s very interesting that no matter how we express the original algebraic expression, each time they will simplify to the same expression in the end.

Learning about different Pathways
More patterning and making equations
We made linear patterns, where the growth is the same each time…

And some quadratic patterns which show growth that is not the same each time. He growth grows each time by the same amount.


We are working on making the colours help us with creating equations.
Here we have 2n^2+3n. We have two squares that have side length n, and then we have three segments that are n units long, arranged to make a T.
Here we have a n by n square in green, and two groups of n, in blue, and a constant of 1. He expression for this is n^2+2n+1
It’s pretty neat once you get the hang of colour coding the patterns.
Parabolas
We built a growing pattern of rectangles that had dimensions (n+1)(n+2)
Next we lined up all the squares contained in each figure.

And we noticed that the step pattern was not consistent. The increases were bigger each time. Each time the increase got bigger by 2.
We plotted the data on desmos

And then we plotted the equation we made to describe the area of the rectangle
Y= (x+1)(x+2)
Taking a break for kindness
Desmos
Here is a desmos graph of a banana.
I can’t embed the desmos screen which is too bad, because the interactivity would be nice, but you can open it up in a different browser.
We can see if we can model the shape of the banana with a parabola. Desmos has a lovely experimental approach, where you can write an equation and then manipulate sliders and watch how the graph changes.
See if you can find the perfect values for a, r, and s, and then see if you can figure out what those values do to the graph.
Here is a desmos graph of the water fountain. To add the equation of the parabola, use the “+” button at the top left, and add an expression. y=a(x-r)(x-s) and then you should see the slider option. Select ALL and then slide them around to see if you can match the water fountain too.
What other parabolas do you see in your daily life?
Someone in the class determined the parabola that could best model their chin.
Math Conference
Candle Question
We watched the following video
Act 1 video
And then we noticed and wondered some things.

We looked at the next part of the video
Act 2 video
And then we estimated and calculated how long it would take for the candle to burn down.


The next step is to look at the video and see how long it really took.
Act 3 video
We noticed that some of our estimations were pretty good. We also noticed how a graph would be a good tool to use.






