A Math Journey Through Computer Games

A Math Journey Through Computer Games — page 1 — MISSION 1 04 LEARN IT ABOUT RATIOS To figure out the simplest form of a ratio you need to keep dividing each number in the ratio by a number they have in common until you get the smallest whole number possible as shown in the examples at right 10 8 The same simple ratio can be used to describe several different numbers as the examples show So a screen with a ratio of 1280 800 has the same aspect ratio as a screen with the ratio 1680 1050 SCREEN READY First things first you need to get your screen set up properly to display the fullest view of the computer games you're playing as well as the best image quality Ratios compare two or more things such as two lengths For computer games the aspect ratio describes the relationship between the length and the height of a computer monitor or TV screen Screens display images that are made up of thousands of points called pixels The length and height of the screen is measured in the number of pixels it can display For example a TV screen that has 1280 pixels across length and 1024 pixels up height has a ratio of 1280 1024 1280 800 128 80 16 10 10 5 8 3 7 1680 1050 336 210 112 70 16 10 5 3 7

A Math Journey Through Computer Games — page 2 — It is easier to compare ratios when the second number is simplifed to 1 so the ratio can be written in the form n 1 To do this divide both numbers in the ratio by the second number After dividing the n or first number might end up being a decimal 4 5 4 1 25 1 4 10 16 10 1 6 1 10 GO FIGURE The higher the number of pixels your screen has the clearer the picture will be Use your knowledge of ratios to figure out the answers to the questions below 5 4 4 3 16 10 Here are several common aspect ratios for displays 16 9 05 1 An old screen has 640 480 pixels a Which of the above aspect ratios is it b Does it have the same aspect ratio as a 1024 768 screen 2 You look at a screen with 1920 pixels across and 1200 pixels up a Which of the aspect ratios shown above does it match b Write this as a ratio in its simplest form 3 Many gamers believe that the best ratio for gaming is 16 9 What is this ratio in the form n 1 Use a calculator to help you find n Round to two decimal places See how to round on page 15 4 An ultra high definition screen has 3840 2160 pixels Would this be suitable if you wanted to get a screen with the aspect ratio 16 9

A Math Journey Through Computer Games — page 3 — MISSION 2 HIGH-SPEED DRIVER It’s time to burn some rubber with this super-speedy driving game You need to monitor your lap times and speeds to see if you can make it onto the leaderboard Time to learn some algebra which is a branch of math that uses formulas to show relationships between things LEARN IT ABOUT SPEED DISTANCE AND TIME In algebra formulas use letters or symbols to stand in for different things For example the formula for finding the time t a car takes to travel a certain distance d at an average speed s can be shown as or t d s t d s 06 For example the time in hours it would take a car to go a distance of 6 miles traveling at an average speed of 120 miles per hour mph is t 6 120 0.05 hours Multiply the answer by 60 to find the number of minutes 0.05 60 3 minutes Multiply this number by 60 to find the number of seconds 3 60 180 seconds For a car traveling 9 miles at 160 mph t 9 160 0.05625 hours 60 202.5 seconds 60 3.375 minutes

A Math Journey Through Computer Games — page 4 — GO FIGURE Here are two lists on the leaderboards of the players with the fastest lap times for two different tracks FAST-LAP PLAYERS' BOARD 07 TRACK 7 DISTANCE 8 MILES TRACK 8 DISTANCE 15 MILES NAME JED KIM AMY TIME IN SECONDS POSITION NAME TIME IN SECONDS POSITION 179 5 182 5 185 1 2 3 AMY JOE JED 342 5 358 5 386 5 1 2 3 1 Here are some of your times for tracks 1 to 5 given in minutes Write each of these times in seconds a 1 minute b 1 6 minutes c 4 minutes d 2 5 minutes e 2 8 minutes 2 You have an average speed of 135 mph driving on track 6 which covers a distance of 9 miles How long does it take you a in minutes b in seconds 3 You record a fast time on track 7 at an average speed of 160 miles per hour a How many seconds did it take you b Into which position would this get you on the fast-lap players board 4 You have made three runs on track 8 Your average speed each time is 135 mph 160 mph and 180 mph How many of these laps appear on the players board and in which positions do they appear

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