Oh, just so close

1. How many metres did Ian Thorpe swim in the freestyle race in Hobart?
2. How long did he take him to swim that distance?
3. How many laps of a 50-metre pool would you have to swim to cover 400m?
4. How many laps of a 50-metre pool would you have to swim to cover 800m?
5. If Ian Thorpe swims 400m in 3m40.76s, how long would it take him to swim 800m? Does this time change if he swims faster or slower? Why?
6. How many uses of number are found in this article? List as many as you can.

Other Key Learning Areas

English Literacy -- Choose words like freestyle, record, mark, blocks, tactics, pace, tempo, and kick and ask the students to write a poem or creative writing piece which includes descriptive words from the article.

Music -- Tempo, rhythm (six-beat), beats, beats per minute.

(Written by Alex de Haan, BTeach student, University of Tasmania, 2001)

Where to next?

Newspaper article
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Index - Number
Main Index - Numeracy in the News