Indices and Approximation

Scheme of work: Key Stage 3: Year 8: Term 1: Indices and Approximation

Understand and use place value for decimals, measures and integers of any size.
Use the four operations, including formal written methods, applied to integers and decimals.
Order positive and negative integers, decimals and fractions; use the number line as a model for ordering of the real numbers; use the symbols =, < and >

2³ , 2 is the base and 3 is the power. A base number is raised to a power.
Students should understand the equivalence between dividing by decimals and multiplying by reciprocals as this leads on to dividing with fractions.
Any number raised to a power of zero is equal to one. Students should understand this as dividing a number by itself equals one.
The multiplication rule can be defined as n^a x nb = n(a+b). The division rule is n^aÃ· n^b = n^(a-b).
The power rule (2³)² = 2⁶ is an extension of the multiplication rule. The power of zero rule is an extension to the division rule.
A number raised to a power of negative one is the reciprocal of that number.
When rounding 3.5 to one significant figure the 3 is the most significant with the 5 tenths rounding it up to 4.
When writing numbers in standard index for the number before the decimal point must be between 1 to 9 inclusive.

Develop fluency
- Select and use appropriate calculation strategies to solve increasingly complex problems.
Reason mathematically
- Extend and formalise their knowledge of ratio and proportion in working with measures and geometry and in formulating proportional relations algebraically.
- Make and test conjectures about patterns and relationships; look for proofs or counter-examples.
Solve problems
- Develop their use of formal mathematical knowledge to interpret and solve problems.