Mathematical teaching apparatus and method
DC
First Claim
1. A method for teaching mathematical division, said method comprising:
- providing several physical elements, each element containing ten lesser physical elements;
providing instructions to divide the elements into a number of piles;
distributing the elements, one in each pile, as long as each pile contains an equal number of elements;
when any elements remain that cannot be distributed equally to each pile, opening those elements to obtain the contained ten lesser elements;
then, distributing the lesser elements equally to each pile until there remains only a remaining number of lesser elements that cannot be distributed equally to each pile;
when further division is desired, opening each of the remaining number of lesser elements to obtain ten even lesser elements from each one, and distributing the contents of the lesser elements evenly into the piles until only a remainder number of such even lesser elements cannot be evenly divided into the piles;
wherein each of the remainder number can be opened to obtain ten even smaller elements and the opening and distributing steps can be repeated until the desired degree of division is obtained; and
identifying any remaining number of whole elements as the remainder.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mathematical teaching apparatus comprising block elements that fit inside a block element container. The block element container will not close until the proper number of block elements are inserted. For teaching counting and addition concepts for a number base, such as base ten, a user will quickly grasp the concepts of grouping an arbitrary number of block elements into units, such as ones, tens and hundreds. A container for holding block element containers is also provided. The block elements and containers have the same shape, and maintain a proportional ratio with each other. All block elements and containers are counted and grouped using counting devices which provide an indication of the number of units of each type present. The counting devices also signal when ten block elements or ten block element containers are inserted, signaling to a user that the block elements or containers should be inserted into a next-larger size container. A method of teaching using the mathematical apparatus is also presented. The mathematical teaching apparatus allows children to learn the concepts of number magnitude, addition and subtraction, including carrying and borrowing. A computer program implementing these ideas can also be used to present the mathematical concepts.
33 Citations
3 Claims
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1. A method for teaching mathematical division, said method comprising:
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providing several physical elements, each element containing ten lesser physical elements;
providing instructions to divide the elements into a number of piles;
distributing the elements, one in each pile, as long as each pile contains an equal number of elements;
when any elements remain that cannot be distributed equally to each pile, opening those elements to obtain the contained ten lesser elements;
then, distributing the lesser elements equally to each pile until there remains only a remaining number of lesser elements that cannot be distributed equally to each pile;
when further division is desired, opening each of the remaining number of lesser elements to obtain ten even lesser elements from each one, and distributing the contents of the lesser elements evenly into the piles until only a remainder number of such even lesser elements cannot be evenly divided into the piles;
wherein each of the remainder number can be opened to obtain ten even smaller elements and the opening and distributing steps can be repeated until the desired degree of division is obtained; and
identifying any remaining number of whole elements as the remainder. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method for teaching mathematical division, said method comprising:
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providing several physical elements, each element containing ten lesser physical elements;
providing instructions to divide the elements into a number of piles;
distributing the elements, one in each pile, as long as each pile contains an equal number of elements;
when any elements remain that cannot be distributed equally to each pile, opening those elements and to obtain the contained ten lesser elements;
then, distributing the lesser elements equally to each pile until there remains only a remaining number of lesser elements that cannot be distributed equally to each pile;
when further division is desired, opening each of the remaining number of lesser elements to obtain ten even lesser elements from each one, and distributing the contents of the lesser elements evenly into the piles until only a remainder number of such even lesser elements cannot be evenly divided into the piles;
wherein each of the remainder number can be opened to obtain ten even smaller elements and the opening and distributing steps can be repeated until the desired degree of division is obtained; and
identifying any remaining number of whole elements as the remainder, wherein each of the elements, lesser elements, even lesser elements and smaller elements have a similar shape and are sized relatively to illustrate a comparative size of ten to one for a particular element versus the next size contained elements therein.
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Specification
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Current AssigneeDigi-Block Incorporated
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Original AssigneeDigi-Block Incorporated
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InventorsKohlberg, Elon
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Primary Examiner(s)Ricci, John A.
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Application NumberUS09/352,599Time in Patent Office623 DaysField of Search434/194, 434/195, 434/196, 434/204, 434/205, 434/207, 434/208, 434/209US Class Current434/195CPC Class CodesG09B 1/30 wherein the elements are ad...G09B 19/02 Counting; Calculating abacu...G09B 19/025 with electrically operated ...G09B 23/02 for mathematics for statics...
