Digital Lights

A Maths Starter of The Day

                     

A calculator uses seven small lights (or LEDs) to form the digits 0 to 9.

1. Which light is used most?

2. Which light is used least?

3. Which letters of the alphabet could be represented using this system?

4. How many different combinations of 'on' and 'off' can these seven lights make?

 

 

Starter of The Day Menu | Transum Software | Privacy Policy



Custom Search

Keywords: Starter | Calculator | Investigations | Mixed

  • ijince, Guildford, England
  • Monday, August 20, 2007
  • "I have just discovered this website and it looks very useful. When school starts again I will probably use the Starter of the day as my home page but I would also like to pick starters appopriate to a topic. A dilema as I might run into the same one twice! Also, I know it sounds lazy but are the answers available somewhere?"
  • Transum,
  • Wednesday, August 22, 2007
  • "Thanks for your comments. Most starters have the answers included at the bottom of the page."
  • Mrs o'Hagan's 2nd yr class, Holyrood RC Sec, Glasgow
  • Thursday, June 19, 2008
  • "E. Top, top left,middle, bottom left and bottom! and we know there are lots more!!!"
  • Mrs Hamilton,
  • Friday, June 20, 2008
  • "Letters=A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,J,L,O,P,S & U"
  • Y7 Mr Heeley's Krew, Rawthorpe High, Huddersfield
  • Friday, July 04, 2008
  • "We enjoyed this starter, it stimulated our great minds and "lighted" up our day!
    We have also recently got hooked on Fast Factors. Mr Heeley aka MC Protractor currently holds all the records. Try and beat me everybody - bring it on!!
    Keep it cushtie Transum xx"
  • Priory School form 8r2 , Shrewsbury
  • Friday, July 04, 2008
  • "We found Y can be done too."
  • Mr Peters, Uplands Junior School
  • Friday, July 04, 2008
  • "My year 4 top set made A B C D E F G H I J L N O P Q R S T U V Y and Z if you allow us a little imagination and some lower case letters"
  • Kate Alliston And 6A, Tyrrells Primary School
  • Thursday, October 08, 2009
  • "My class made W and M by turning the calculator on its side! Still stuck on K and X though."

How did you use this starter? Can you suggest how teachers could present or develop this resource? Do you have any comments? It is always useful to receive feedback and helps make this free resource even more useful for Maths teachers anywhere in the world. Click here to enter your comments.

If you don't have the time to provide feedback we'd really appreciate it if you could give this page a score! We are constantly improving and adding to these starters so it would be really helpful to know which ones are most useful. Simply click on a button below:
 
Excellent, I would like to see more like this
Good, achieved the results I required
Satisfactory
Didn't really capture the interest of the students
Not for me! I wouldn't use this type of activity.

This starter has scored a mean of 3.3 out of 5 based on 8 votes.
 

Previous Day | This starter is for 4 July | Next Day

Visit the Transum Online Shop

 

                            

                            

Answers:

1. The lower right light is 'on' for 9 of the digits 0-9

2. The lower left light is only 'on' for 4 of the digits 0-9

3. Here's a start:

A could be represented with all lights on except for the bottom light;

B could be all lights on (same as the digit 8);

C could be top, upper left, lower left and bottom;

(If anyone manages to complete this list please share your answers here)

4. There are 27 or 128 different combinations.