JUST LIKE BARTON - DR FAYAD W. ALI - THE BARTON SERIES
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THE BARTON SERIES
JUST LIKE BARTON
BY
DR FAYAD W. ALI
(Ages 8 and over)
DEDICATION
The author wishes to dedicate this book to
Mrs Hanipha Ali, the mother of, Fayad W. Ali.
When I was young, you taught me well
To speak and count and write
And more than I can say or tell
You made my future bright
***
The hours spent, brought great reward
Your patience and foresight
So bless you much, I ask the Lord
You were my shining light
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The author wishes to express his deepest gratitude to all who helped him
in any way or form towards the completion of this book.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 2
JUST LIKE BARTON was edited by Dr Shereen A. Khan. May I embrace this
opportunity to especially thank Dr Khan for the valuable suggestions,
contributions and recommendations which she offered to me during the
writing of this book.
Designer & Illustrator
JUST LIKE BARTON was designed and illustrated by Anisa ‘Sugar Girl’ Baksh.
Dr Fayad W. Ali is to be identified as the author of this work and it has
been asserted by him in accordance with Copyright Law. All rights
reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publisher or under licence from
the © Copyright owner.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this
publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for
damages.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 3
JUST LIKE BARTON
The set of BARTON stories is an attempt to reach all children, through the creation of a
character, who best epitomises the enacted school curriculum. Barton is a curious, well-
mannered individual and represents an ideal child who is moulded by all the intended learning
experiences of school. The entire curriculum is supposed to transform individuals into a
character, just like the boy Barton.
JUST LIKE BARTON targets the child at the lower level of the primary school. At this level,
the child would have mastered some of the mathematics content expected at the primary level
and the problems emphasise the process goals of mathematics, rather than a wide range of
content. This set of stories focuses on building model personality characteristics and close
relationships with family, friends, and the society.
The stories use an approach to learning that not only integrates all areas of the curriculum but
merges two essential areas, mathematics and language arts. The emphasis on building literacy
skills is deliberate since comprehension is a key area needed for developing an understanding
of mathematics.
Too often, mathematics has been presented as a set of rules and procedures, to be applied in
situations that have no bearing on reality. In these stories, the problems are practical and
useful and can serve to whet the child’s appetite into learning the subject outside the
constraints of rules and formulae. The stories appeal to the child’s intuitive and imaginative
tendencies and encourage the use of strategic and critical thinking, in a context that is
meaningful and relevant. These reasoning processes are developed through reading for a
purpose - to solve a problem.
It is hoped that through these stories, students will learn not just to be creative and critical
problem solvers, but to acquire good habits and become caring and productive citizens. The
stories are laden with sound moral, social and ethical values and teachers may take the
opportunity to encourage discussion on the consequences of certain actions, or what other
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 4
alternatives are possible. They may also use the stories as stimulus material that can be further
reinforced in other areas of the curriculum.
For the more mature student, small group work is recommended whereby discussion is limited
to a few students and this can be followed by sharing of ideas from each group, in whole-class
settings.
Fayad W. Ali & Shereen A. Khan
GUIDE FOR TEACHERS
The book ‘Just like Barton’ was written with the intention of enriching the primary school
curriculum. Teachers can use the book in the following ways:
1. To motivate students to read.
When students read stories in which they have to extract information and extend their
imagination, they read with a purpose. The visuals are also provided to entertain, to offer
vocabulary clues, and to appeal to several of the child’s senses.
2. To develop skills in vocabulary, word study, phonics, and spelling.
Students will encounter new and challenging words as they read the stories and teachers can
use this opportunity to teach phonetic sounds and build vocabulary.
3. To teach comprehension skills in mathematics and language arts.
Teachers can create questions about each story, to test students’ comprehension skills. These
questions can be based on the mathematics covered or basic understanding of the story. The
following are suggested activities for developing comprehension skills.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 5
Mathematical Comprehension Language Comprehension
Recall of mathematical facts; Recall of events in the story;
Extract specific details in the story that are Extract specific details in the story that
critical to the solution of the problem; relate to the character of any of the
persons or shapes;
Explain the strategies used to solve the Explain the events in a given sequence;
problems;
Making predictions on the solutions and Making and comparing predictions and
comparing these with peers and verifying making inferences as to what will happen
solutions; in the next story;
Checking for reasonableness of answers; Discussing the consequences of certain
actions;
Writing explanations or statements to Writing explanations of events using
represent mathematical ideas presented; different genres; and
and
Drawing schematic diagrams to represent Drawing characters to show their
information when solving problems. dispositions in the story.
4. To present mathematics using authentic situations
Children will have the opportunity to experience mathematics as a tool to solve problems.
Teachers can now preview the stories for a particular topic or cluster of topics. Next, ensure
that pupils have the necessary previous knowledge by constructing practice exercises to review
the content needed. The stories provide opportunities to enrich student understanding of the
content through experiences that they encounter in real life.
As students begin to read the story, allow sufficient time for problem-solving through group
work and student demonstrations.
5. To allow for the integration of subjects with mathematics in the primary school
curriculum.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 6
There are numerous opportunities for incorporating the various curriculum areas. For example,
teachers can allow students to draw or dramatise situations to demonstrate their own
interpretations of the plot, thus incorporating the Visual and Performing Arts. Some stories
have a subject-specific focus incorporating curriculum areas such as Character Education,
Morals, Values, and Family Education. These can be used as introductory lessons in a unit.
Other stories may centre around a particular theme and provide opportunities for incorporating
different models of integration in the curriculum.
6. Provide stimulus material for teaching values through situations that are realistic,
age-appropriate and easy to enact.
The stories can be used to generate class discussions and so provide opportunities for value
clarification without the teacher having to impose personal values. Some of the stories are
strong on a particular set of core values, and the teacher may select a story to match a
particular theme or topic that is relevant to student needs.
Fayad W. Ali & Shereen A. Khan
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 7
JUST LIKE BARTON
CONTENTS
Story Page
BARTON ON A MORNING 8
BARTON AT THE SUPERMARKET 14
BARTON IN TRAINING 20
BARTON AT THE TYRE SHOP 22
BARTON’S GARDEN 28
BARTON AT THE BEACH 36
BARTON’S POEM 43
BARTON ON NUMBERS 46
BARTON’S NEW STUDY ROOM 49
BARTON’S MAGIC TRICK 56
BARTON’S CHICKENS 66
BARTON REALISES HIS DREAM 72
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 8
BARTON ON A MORNING
Barton A. Sandiford awoke promptly upon hearing the sound of his
alarm clock. The young boy glanced at his analogue clock, which
showed the time as a quarter past six. Then, he looked at his digital
alarm clock, which boldly displayed the time as 6: 15 a.m.
Barton did not delay but hurried off to brush his teeth and to
shower. In his hand, he held a tube of toothpaste. A filled tube
contained one hundred and fifty millilitres of toothpaste and this
amount would usually be used by Barton over a period of thirty
days. Therefore, on average, Barton would use five millilitres of
toothpaste per day.
Including today, Barton had used the tube of toothpaste for a total of
six days. It was expected that the tube would still have about 120
millilitres left.
Barton calculated that the remaining amount might last him for
another twenty-four days and which is three weeks and three days
when converted into weeks and days.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 9
Barton was fully dressed and ready for breakfast twenty minutes
after he awoke. He fastened his watch around his wrist and which
now showed the time to be 6:35 a.m.
The well-rested and smiling boy greeted his mother and his two
siblings as they all sat down to breakfast.
Dad had already left for work. He usually departed one-half of an
hour before Barton awakened. This was at the rather early time of
5:45 a.m.
Mom and Dad would set their alarm clock to awaken one hour
before Barton did. This was at a time of 5:15 a.m.
Barton had one brother and one sister, and so the family comprised
of five members in all. His brother, Darren was nine years old, and
two years younger than Barton who was eleven. The sister, Cathy-
Ann, was one-half of the total age of Barton and his brother. She was
ten years old.
Barton had calculated that the combined age of all three children
was thirty years. Their names, starting from the youngest to the
oldest were Darren, Cathy-Ann, and Barton.
Mom was three times Barton’s age and was thirty-three years old.
Dad’s age exceeded Mom’s age by two years, and so he was thirty-
five years old.
Dad would often have his breakfast at work. That time was much
earlier than when the rest of the family did. The rest of the family
members usually had cereal, sausages, toast, cheese and eggs for
breakfast.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 10Each one of them, except Dad, used one small box of cereal per
morning and Mom bought them in packs holding twenty-four such
boxes. She would buy two of these packs at a time and they lasted
for twelve days.
For breakfast, Barton would eat two eggs, the same amount as Mom.
Both Darren and Cathy-Ann would have one each. The number of
eggs used each morning by the family was six. Eggs were bought in
crates containing thirty each. Mother bought three crates at a time
and the total was enough to last for fifteen mornings.
From a filled carton, with a capacity of one and one-half litres, and
which was 1 500 millilitres, Barton would pour each member of the
family a glass of orange juice.
Each glass held one hundred and fifty millilitres. The total amount of
orange juice poured, in millilitres, was 600 and the amount that
remained was 900 millilitres. The remainder was enough to fill six
glasses.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 11After breakfast, Cathy-Ann often chose to help Mom with the dishes.
Each of the diners would have used one each of a plate, knife, fork,
spoon, saucer, bowl and glass. The total number of utensils used by
the family at breakfast was twenty-eight.
Together with a saucepan, two pots and a large cooking spoon, the
total number of items that needed to be washed on mornings was
thirty-two.
It would take Mom or Cathy-Ann an average of half a minute for
each utensil and so the expected time to complete the washing of
dishes was about sixteen minutes.
Barton would then proceed to complete his morning chores. He
would make his bed, taking about five minutes to do so. Then he
would empty the garbage which took a further four minutes.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 12His final job was to feed and tend to the dog, which took up to six
minutes.
His younger brother’s chore was to rake the fallen leaves from the
lawn and which took him approximately twelve minutes to
complete.
The child, who finished first, usually brought in the newspaper.
There was always some excitement among the children in doing
their morning chores, as they competed to be the one to bring in the
newspaper. On most mornings, the newspaper was brought in by
Darren. Then, after kissing Mom good-bye the three happy children
headed off to their school and which was not too far off.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 13BARTON AT THE SUPERMARKET
It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning as Barton listened to
the chirping of the birds outside his home. Barton readied himself as
he was going to accompany Mom on a small trip.
The time was exactly half-past eight when Mom and Barton drove
off to the supermarket in the family car. Barton always liked the
licence number of their car, as it read, 1 3 5 7. It was easy for him to
remember these numbers as the digits are the first four odd
numbers. Interestingly, all of them, except the digit 1, are prime
numbers.
Barton often thought that if the digit, one, was changed to two, then
all four numbers on the licence, would not only be different digits
and in ascending order, but also the changed digit, two, would be
special, as it has the distinct and unique property of being both even
as well as prime.
On the way, Mom noticed that the gas meter on the car read one-
quarter full or three-quarters empty and so she decided to fill the
tank at the nearby service station. The capacity of the car’s gas tank
was eighty litres and it, therefore, needed sixty more litres of gas to
be filled.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 14The price of the fuel was $ 3. 50 per litre and the total cost to fill the
tank would be $ 3.50 x 60 = $210. Mom paid with $300 and the
correct change of $90 was given to her in five currency notes, made
up of four $20 bills and one $10 bill.
Both mother and son arrived at the supermarket at 8:45 a.m.,
exactly one-quarter of an hour after leaving home.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 15Barton felt quite excited. He loved walking through the various
aisles, looking for items that were on sale, to show Mom. He also
liked to observe the new products which appeared on the shelves
and he would read their labels with the written information on the
contents. The young boy thought of himself as a good shopper,
especially as Mom often complimented him on the fine choices he
would make when they shopped together.
Barton happily pushed the shopping cart along and was quite
anxious to show Mom his literacy and mathematical skills. It was not
too long before his keen eyes saw the first bargain.
One of his favourite foods, sausages, was being sold at $2.00 per can.
However, a pack containing six cans would cost $10.50. Barton
quickly calculated the sales price to be $1.75 per can.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 16This would be 25 cents less per can than if the cans were bought
singly. Mom decided to buy two of these packs of sausages and
Barton easily calculated the overall savings to be $3.00.
In another aisle, they saw potatoes pre-weighed in bags of either
two kilograms or three kilograms.
Mom wanted exactly ten kilograms, but she preferred this choice to
be with the least number of bags. Barton again did a quick
calculation and decided correctly on two of the 2-kilogram bags and
two of the 3-kilogram bags.
Flour was next on their shopping list and was sold in smaller packs
weighing two kilograms at $6 per pack. They were also available in
larger packs weighing twelve kilograms each and sold for $36 per
pack. Mom wanted twelve kilograms of flour. Barton decided to
work out the unit price of the flour, that is, the price per kilogram.
He wanted to know which of the two packs would have the flour
sold at a lesser cost per kilogram. In the end, the two shoppers
realised that either buying six of the 2-kilogram packs or the single
bag of 12 kilograms, would cost the same.
As the two shoppers moved along the aisles of the large
supermarket, Mom realised that she had forgotten to purchase
seasoning powder. Barton rushed across to the aisle where the item
was sold.
The powder was to be found on a shelf situated in the last aisle.
They were available in packs of 25 grams each. Mom asked Barton
to fetch a total of one-quarter kilogram of a special brand of the
seasoning powder.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 17Barton would have to calculate the number of packs that would be
required. He found this number to be ten and so Barton counted out
ten packs.
After purchasing a few more items, Mom and Barton headed
towards the cashier. Barton wished to see if he could calculate the
bill faster than the girl at the cash register. The young
mathematician quickly pulled out his notebook and pencil and listed
the prices of the items.
Item Cost
2 packs sausages at $10.50 per pack $21.00
10 kg potatoes at $1.25 per kilogram $12.50
1 pack 12 kg flour at $36.00 per pack $36.00
10 packs seasoning at $3.50 per pack $35.00
2½ kg fish at $36.40 per Kg $91.00
5 packs of rice at $2.80 per pack $14.00
1 chicken weighing 2 kg 800g at $6.00 per kg $16.80
1 chicken weighing 2 kg 700g at $6.00 per kg $16.20
Subtotal $242.50
10% discount with ‘Shoppers-D-Lite’ card $ 24.25
Total amount $218.25
The total cost was $218.25.
From the $300.00 that she handed to the cashier, Mom received the
change of $81.75. She gave a tip of $5 to the helpful girl who rolled
the cart of groceries to the car.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 18As they drove homewards, young Barton calculated that the overall
cost at the grocery store alone was $223.25. Barton further
calculated that for the entire morning, Mom had spent a total of
$433.25 before their return home.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 19BARTON IN TRAINING
There was much excitement with the announcement of the date of
the school’s Annual Sports Day. Barton immediately decided to
begin a period of physical training. He was a good athlete and
wanted to be fitter and more ready than he was at the present so
that he could perform at his best. He usually took part in several
events and was able to manage his time for studies, leisure and
sporting activities quite competently.
Sports Day was three weeks and four days away and Barton planned
to train on each of the twenty-five days, before the day of the gala
event.
The young sportsman decided that he will exercise each morning
before he went to school. He set his alarm clock to ring at 5:55 a.m,
twenty minutes before his usual awakening time, which was at a
quarter past six.
Barton’s exercise routine started with three minutes of stretching
and four and a half minutes of push-ups. The total time spent on
these two exercises was now spent on abdominal exercises. This
entire exercise routine took a total of fifteen minutes.
The lunch break at school was from 11.20 am to 12.30 pm, which
was for one hour and ten minutes.
It provided enough time for Barton to jog around the school ground.
The ground was circular in shape, and with a diameter of one
hundred and twenty-six metres. It, therefore, had a radius of sixty-
three metres. The circumference was three hundred and ninety-six
metres and Barton would jog around it twice.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 20This was a total distance of seven hundred and ninety-two metres.
Barton usually completed the entire distance in a total time of six
minutes and thirty-six seconds. His average speed was two metres
per second.
He hoped to increase his speed by one-half of a metre per second so
that his new average speed will be two and one-half metres per
second.
After the lunchtime jogging, Barton would take a quick shower at
the school gymnasium and return refreshed for the afternoon
session of school. This period of class-time would last for two hours
and ten minutes. Then, the school would be dismissed at 2:40 in the
afternoon.
After arriving at home, Barton would settle down and help Mom
with a few minor household chores. Then, he would begin his
homework promptly at four o’clock.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 21The disciplined student would work uninterrupted, taking between
one hour and a half and one hour and three-quarters to complete.
He would finish between 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. The hard-working
Barton would never rush his homework, and on the days when more
time was required, he would continue without complaint until he
felt that it had been done satisfactorily.
Because of his training routine, Barton would resume his training
for Sports Day with some weight lifting at 6 p.m. He used a bar
weighing two kilograms and would add equal weights at the ends.
This ensured a proper balance.
Barton would lift a total of eight kilograms as the weights at each
end weighed three kilograms. Sometimes, Barton would attach a
further one kilogram on each side for a total weight of ten kilograms.
Barton would lift the bar with weights, at an average rate of four
times a minute and would continue this routine for one-quarter of
an hour. In the end, he would have lifted the bar with the attached
weights, a total of sixty times.
After a shower and dinner, Barton, together with the rest of the
family, would listen to both the local and international news. Later,
he and his siblings may watch a movie or play a game, sometimes
with Mom and Dad participating.
Barton tried to always get eight hours of sleep each night and
therefore headed off to bed for the latest at 9:55 p.m. so that he can
rise at the sound of his alarm. His schedule was now slightly
different from the norm, as he was in training for his school sports
day.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 22BARTON AT THE TYRE SHOP
It was the month of June, the sixth month of the year, and the
weather had begun to change from sunny to rainy. During the rainy
season, the roads would become frequently wet and slippery and
drivers always needed to exercise extra caution whilst they drove, to
avoid causing accidents. Having a vehicle equipped with good tyres,
ones that were not too worn, was also a necessary safety
requirement.
Mr Sandiford decided to change the tyres of the car since they were
already half worn. He invited Barton to accompany him on this
venture. So, at 8 o’clock that Saturday morning, Dad and son headed
off to the nearby tyre shop.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 23The shop was only five kilometres away and they drove for only ten
minutes. The car was driven at an average speed of thirty kilometres
per hour and the two arrived at BEST RIDE TYRES at ten minutes
after 8 o’clock.
There were two vans, one truck, three cars, and two SUV’s ahead of
them, so they were parked ninth in line. Barton and Dad did not
alight from the vehicle but remained in line and seated in their
vehicle.
Fifteen minutes after arrival, at 8:25 a.m., one of the friendly
attendants was ready to work on Mr Sandiford’s car as the vehicle
had now progressed to be first in line.
Dad chose tyres which were priced at $250 each. However, if he
were to purchase a set of four tyres, he would receive a 5% discount.
The attendant advised Mr Sandiford that it would be wise to also
change the four valve stems as well and also to add the required
amount of weights on each tyre rim for proper balancing.
The helpful attendant went on to explain that ‘balanced tyres’ would
not only help to provide a smoother riding vehicle but would also
greatly increase the lifespan of the tyre.
Dad listened attentively and accepted all the advice given to him by
the knowledgeable attendant. The job was carried out without any
problems and the four new tyres were fitted onto the Sandiford’s
family car.
The bill was prepared by the attendant and Barton requested to look
at it. The young boy was quite adept at arithmetic and was always
looking for an opportunity to demonstrate his skills in the discipline.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 24Barton proceeded to check the costs and to calculate the total
amount due. He used his pencil and notebook, both of which he
usually kept in his pocket.
RECEIPT
ITEM COST
4 tyres priced at $250 each $1 000.00
Discount of 5% $50.00
NET COST OF ALL THE TYRES
= $1000 − $50.00 $950.00
Cost of 4 valve stems at $6 each $24.00
Cost of 6 g weights at $4 per g $24.00
Labour cost $60.00
TOTAL before VAT $1 058.00
Value Added Tax of 15% $158.70
TOTAL COST
$1 216.70
Dad gave the attendant a ten dollar tip. Dad was most grateful to
him for his professional work and more so for his kindly advice. The
attendant was quite thankful.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 25At a soda machine situated inside the shop, Dad inserted a $5 bill
and three $1 bills to purchase two sodas for Barton and himself. The
sodas cost $4.00 each.
Barton performed another calculation to realise that the entire
morning’s expenses came to a total of $1234.70 thus far.
As Barton and Dad journeyed back home, Dad saw a group of college
students accompanied by their teachers, offering to wash cars to
raise funds for a local charity. Dad observed some of the vehicles
which they had completed and was pleased with the result.
The students charged twenty dollars for a car wash. Dad decided to
support the worthy cause and at the same time, get the benefit of a
clean car. The students were most happy to oblige.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 26As the group of enterprising students washed the car, Barton and
Dad decided to go to a nearby store to purchase a pair of slippers for
his sister, Cathy-Ann. The regular cost of the slippers was $30 per
pair. On that morning, however, the store had a special offer. With
the purchase of one pair of slippers, another pair can be bought at
half the price of the first pair. If customers purchased a third pair,
they would pay one-third the price of the first pair.
Dad thought this was indeed a good bargain and decided to buy five
pairs for all the members of the family. He asked Barton to calculate
the cost of the five pairs based upon the offer. Barton used his
knowledge of arithmetic and wrote,
The cost of the first pair = $30.
The cost of a second pair = $15
The cost of a third pair = $10
The cost of the fourth pair = $30
The cost of a fifth pair = $15
The cost for the five pairs of slippers, based upon the offer,
= $100
Dad was pleased with the figure but noted Barton had not realised
that a value-added tax of 15 % should be added to the total price of
the five pairs of slippers. This was quickly calculated to be $15. The
total cost of the five pairs of slippers was now found to be $115.
After purchasing the five pairs of slippers, Dad paid the students for
the car wash and the two drove off in the clean and shining car. The
two headed off for home after a happy morning together.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 27Dad liked to record all the family expenditures and asked Barton to
total the expenses for that morning. Barton did some simple
addition and found the total amount that was spent that morning
was $1 369.70.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 28BARTON’S GARDEN
Barton was regarded by all to be a good student. He was kind to his
friends and courteous to his all teachers. He was well-loved by his
schoolmates and the staff at his school. His schoolwork was usually
well done and he was both helpful to others and an attentive student
in the class.
Miss had recently introduced the weekly lesson on Agricultural
Science to her class and Barton became particularly interested in
her suggestion of starting a home garden. Mom and Dad also
thought it was quite a good idea, and both Barton’s younger brother
and sister offered to help with the project.
The next evening, Barton walked to the back of their house and with
a measuring tape in hand, decided to mark off three rectangular
beds. Each measured two metres wide and three metres long. The
area of each bed was six square metres and the total area of all three
beds was eighteen square metres.
Barton decided to erect a short fence around each of the beds. Based
on his knowledge of finding the perimeter of a rectangle, he
calculated that he would require a total length of thirty metres of
fencing for all three beds.
With help from his brother and sister and using a few garden tools,
the three children prepared the three beds and readied them for
planting. Barton had read the notes on Agricultural Science which he
had written in class and he followed them carefully.
“According to Miss,” Barton told his siblings, “a project of this type
can help the community in many ways, one of which is yielding a
monetary profit to the planter.”
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 29Barton decided that he will keep a record of the cost of everything
which he purchased for the project. This would be his expenditure
record. He also decided to use money from his savings to finance the
project.
In the first garden bed, Barton decided to plant spinach. There
would be six rows and each row would hold ten plants. This would
be a total of sixty plants.
In the second garden bed, Barton chose to plant tomatoes. There
would be four rows and each row would hold eight plants. This
would be a total of thirty-two plants.
In the third garden bed, Barton opted to plant lettuce. There would
be two more rows than the first bed and each row will have four
more plants than the first bed. The third bed will have eight rows
with fourteen plants per row, and therefore a total of one hundred
and twelve plants in all.
With all the beds properly prepared for planting, the young
gardener visited the plant shop and showed the attendant the list of
the number of plants that he needed.
LIST
Number of spinach plants = 60
Number of tomato plants = 32
Number of lettuce plants = 112
Total Number of plants = 204
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 30The total number of plants was 204.
The bill showed:
BILL 1
ITEM COST
60 spinach plants at 20¢ each $12.00
32 tomato plants at 40¢ each $12.80
112 lettuce plants at 15¢ each $16.80
TOTAL $41.60
The helpful and knowledgeable attendant at the plant shop told
Barton that in about two weeks after planting, he should
supplement the growth of the plants with a small amount of
fertiliser. Barton was advised to also spray the young plants with an
insecticide for protection against harmful insects.
Young Barton was thankful for the advice and agreed to purchase
these supplies. At the same time, he would purchase the fencing
material from the shop. The second bill showed:
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 31BILL 2
ITEM COST
2 kg of fertilizer at $6.75 per kg
$13.50
1 can of insecticide -spray at $20.80
$20.80
30 metres of fencing at $1.50 per $45.00
metre
TOTAL
$79.30
The total cost of all the supplies at the plant shop was $120.90.
Barton paid for the items with $200 and received $79.10 change.
The young gardener set off for home, anxious to begin planting with
the help of his brother and sister.
The three children started that evening at 4.10 pm and finished one
and one-quarter hours later at 5:25 p.m.
All three were tired but happy with the start of their garden. They
went off to shower and later to have dinner with their parents.
As the days turned into weeks, the three children became very
excited as they saw the plants begin to grow and blossom. They took
great care in watering, fertilising, spraying and in the removal of the
weeds that cropped up from time to time.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 32It was an enjoyable feeling and the children marvelled as they
looked on with pride at their little garden. They were able to
experience, ‘first hand’, the great miracle of growth.
Between the eighth week and the tenth week, the spinach and the
lettuce were all ready to be reaped and the tomato trees were laden
with red ripe produce.
It was a beautiful sight to behold and both Mom and Dad would
sometimes look on and encourage the three children.
Mr Albernatty was one of Dad’s close friends. He was a vegetable
vendor and on one of his visits to the Sandiford home, the old man
looked at the beautiful little garden. Mr Albernatty was quite
pleased to see the great work of the children. He made an offer to
purchase all the vegetables from Barton’s garden and Barton readily
agreed. Dad and Mom decided to leave Barton and Mr Albernatty to
their own discussion concerning the prices at which the vegetables
would be sold.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 33Mr Albernatty offered Barton $4 per head for each of the 112 heads
of lettuce, as he planned to sell them at $6 per head. The old man
would hope to make a profit of $2.00 per head and a total profit of
$224 if all of the lettuce were sold.
Next, Mr Albernatty offered Barton $8 per head for the spinach, as
he planned to sell them for $12 per head. In the purchase, he would
hope to make a profit of $4.00 per head and an overall profit of $240
if all of the 60 heads of spinach were sold. Finally, he offered to buy
the tomatoes at $10 per kilogram and he would sell them at $15 per
kilogram. Barton’s tomato crop yielded a total of 40 kilograms. Mr
Albernatty hoped to make a profit of $200 on the sales of the
tomatoes.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 34He listed the total sale value to Barton, which read:
TOTAL SALES
112 heads of lettuce at $4.00 each = $448.00
60 heads of spinach at $8.00 each = $480.00
40 kg tomatoes at $10 per kilogram = $400.00
Total = $1328.00
The total amount that Mr Albernatty was prepared to pay was
$1328.
Barton considered the offer to be quite handsome and agreed
readily to the proposal. Barton, together with his brother, sister, and
Mr Albernaty, reaped the products from the garden. The old man
loaded the fine, fresh produce onto the tray of his truck. He paid the
agreed price to Barton before leaving with the vegetables.
Mr Albernatty’s total profits when he sells all the vegetables should
be $664.
Barton was quite anxious to check his profit after Mr Albernatty left.
He remembered his previous output of money and which he had
carefully noted.
Barton sat down and calculated:
Total received from the sales of vegetables was $1 328.
Total expenses for plants, fertiliser, insect spray and fencing was
$120.90
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 35Overall profit = ($1 328) – ($120.90) = $1 207.10
Barton decided to keep half of the profits for himself, and because
his brother and sister had helped him, he would share the other half
equally between the two of them. He would then receive $603.55
and his brother and sister should receive $301.77 each. There’s an
extra cent laughed Barton when the decision was made, so I’ll give
$301.78 to our one sister. The two brothers laughed and Cathy-Ann
blushed.
How right Miss was when she taught the lesson, Barton thought.
Barton decided that he will tell Miss, and perhaps even the class,
about his wonderful agricultural project and his success as a
gardener.
I wonder what my next three crops will be, thought Barton, as he
placed the small wad of bills in his savings box.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 36BARTON AT THE BEACH
It was a beautiful Saturday morning that greeted the Sandiford
family as they awakened. Barton was roused by the chirping of birds
outside his window, even before his alarm clock chimed.
Each night, Barton would place fruit and bird seeds in a dish on the
window sill for the birds to eat in the morning. He purchased the
seeds in small packets which cost $15.00 each. Each packet held 300
grams and the content was evenly divided over a period of days. On
average, this was about thirty grams per day and the cost of bird
seeds, per gram, was five cents. About twenty birds enjoyed the free
breakfast every morning.
On this particular day, the Sandiford family had planned to go to the
beach. So, after a quick breakfast and a change into beachwear, the
excited family huddled in the car and headed off to spend a relaxing
day in the blue waters and on the golden sands of their favourite
beach.
They left home at 9.10 am and the beach was thirty kilometres
away.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 37As Dad drove at an average speed of forty-five kilometres per hour,
the expected time for the trip was forty minutes and the time of
arrival would be around 9:50 a.m. or ten minutes to 10 o’clock.
Barton, his brother Darren, and sister, Cathy-Ann, often played a
special game on long trips. They would check one hundred vehicles
that drove by in the opposite direction to which they were moving.
They would note the first number of the number plates of the
vehicles.
One of the three would choose even numbers, the other would
choose odd numbers and the third would record and tally the
scores. The number of odd or even numbers, whichever was the
greater, identified the winner.
On this morning, Barton was given the first choice and opted for
even numbers. His brother, Darren was therefore not given a choice
and remained with the option of having to take the odd numbers.
Barton’s numbers would be 2, 4, 6, and 8 and his brother’s numbers
would be 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Since the number of even numbers from 1
to 9 is one less than the number of odd numbers, the player who
chose or was given the pick of odd numbers would be asked to omit
one of these numbers from the scores.
This was because the person who chose or was given the pick of odd
numbers would have had a greater chance of winning if this was not
done. This, of course, would be unfair.
The number to be omitted would be decided upon before the game
started.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 38On this day, the number nine was omitted by Darren and Cathy-Ann
opted to score.
The boys kept a keen lookout for the first number of the license’s
plates of the oncoming vehicles whilst Cathy-Ann kept score. As
some of the vehicles passed by in quick succession, the recording
was sometimes difficult.
Cathy-Ann, however, successfully transferred all the recorded scores
onto the final tally sheet before she handed her two brothers the
table of scores.
NUMBER TALLY TOTAL
1 |||| || 7
2 |||| |||| || 12
3 |||| |||| |||| 18
|||
4 |||| | 6
5 |||| |||| |||| 14
6 |||| ||| 8
7 |||| |||| |||| 14
8 |||| |||| |||| 21
|||| |
TOTAL 100
Together, all three checked the score sheet for any discrepancies
and proceeded to determine the winner.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 39They discovered the modal score turned out to be eight. The total
number of odd numbers occurring was fifty-three.
The total number of even numbers occurring was forty-seven.
At the end of completing the sheet, it was discovered that the winner
of the game was Darren.
When the odd numbers were counted, Barton showed another way
to find the number of even numbers which was beside counting the
tally marks. This was because the number of odd numbers that was
noted, subtracted from the total of 100 scores would be the number
of even scores.
The winner basked in the glory of victory as the journey continued.
It was not too long after the game was completed, that the
wonderful scent of sea-breeze filled the air.
Dad reduced the speed of the car for a short while, allowing the
family to enjoy the beautiful sight of a grove of swaying coconut
trees, laden with fruit and glistening in the blissful morning sun.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 40Shortly after, blue coastal waters sparkled in front of them.
They could hear the rising, crashing, and ebbing of the waves
roaring as they spewed edges of white foam upon the shore.
It was the start of a fun-filled day at the beach for the Sandiford
family.
The family thoroughly enjoyed bathing and swimming and playing
games. Barton saw a few small, live clams on the sand. He dug into
the sand with his bare hands and came up with a handful of the
creatures, locked in their beautiful shells.
Barton decided to dig for more and collect them in bags. Mom would
make a fine dish with them. The family joined him and they filled
five small bags with about two hundred each, a total of about one
thousand.
Mom said each bag will yield about fifty grams of clam meat. They
expected about two hundred and fifty grams or one-quarter of a
kilogram of meat in total.
There continued to be so many exciting things to do and to see at the
beach as the day passed by.
Barton had been observing a small boat sailing from the deeper
waters towards the shore. As it landed on the shore it appeared to
be about one-fifth of a kilometre or two hundred metres away from
where the Sandifords were. It was a fishing boat and Barton and Dad
decided to have a look at the fishermen’s catch. The two took a jog
towards the boat.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 41As they got closer, the two could see baskets of freshly caught fish
and shrimps in the boat. Dad and Barton noticed a nearby vendor
and her assistant waiting on the shore, likely ready to purchase the
entire catch.
There were three baskets of shrimps, each holding 10 kilograms. At
the price of $40 per kilogram, a total of one thousand and two
hundred dollars was expected in sales.
There were also two large baskets of fish, each holding 30
kilograms. At $10 per kilogram, a total of six hundred dollars was
expected in this separate sale.
An old and friendly fisherman, who was both the owner and the
captain of the boat, had been observing the keen and curious Barton.
He immediately liked the young, bright-eyed boy and decided to
offer him a fine fish if he could answer a question.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 42The fisherman beckoned to Barton and showed him a fish that he
had kept in the boat. He explained to the young boy that he would
give to him the fish, if he could guess its weight, to within a quarter
of a kilogram. Barton knew that this meant he must choose a weight
which is to be no more than one-quarter of a kilogram in excess or
one-quarter of a kilogram less than the correct weight of the fish.
Barton recalled going to the market with Mom not too long ago and
she had purchased a fish, weighing 2 kilograms. The one shown to
him by the old fisherman seemed to be similar in shape and just
about three times the size. A quick multiplication and Barton
decided to choose the weight of three times the weight of the fish
which Mom had bought at the market. He chose the weight of six
kilograms.
The fisherman laughed as he weighed the fish and found the scale
reading to be 5kg 850g. The difference between Barton’s answer
and the actual weight was one hundred and fifty grams.
Barton A. Sandiford was presented the fine fish amidst applause
from all those around.
The late evening approached. The Sandiford family had spent a long,
wonderful, and exciting day at the beach. They enjoyed the food and
drink and most of all having fun in the water and on the sandy
shores.
As they drove home, tired, and a bit sunburnt, they agreed that it
was a most enjoyable day and they all looked forward to the next
family outing.
“Mom,” said a happy Barton, “can I make a suggestion for dinner
tomorrow?”
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 43BARTON’S POEM
One morning at school, after Mathematics class was over, Miss
announced that there was going to be a poetry competition. The
special event was organised to commemorate ‘World Mathematics
Day’. The competition was open to the entire school population and
the title of the poem was, ‘Why I love Mathematics’.
Large and colourful posters advertising the competition were stuck
on the walls all around the school. They were expected to raise
awareness of this important day and also of the competition.
Miss, was certain that her students knew the importance of
mathematics and its relation and applications in everyday life. She
expected several of her students to enter the competition and was
very anxious to read the poems that they might compose on the
subject.
Barton was quite excited to compete and devoted a few evenings to
prepare and complete his entry for the competition. This was
Barton’s poem.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 44WHY I LOVE MATHEMATICS
I love my maths so very much
I see it every day
In all I hear and do and touch
In class and when I play
I need to count and multiply
Divide and subtract too
And maths is always there to try
In everything I do
All things above or on the ground
Have volume, height, and weight
With perimeter all around
Charts, areas, time and date
Our world is surely not without
Modern technology
So filled with maths, no one can doubt
Its great necessity
Now we can so clearly see
This Empress rules the World
So master Maths and we will be
With gifts worth more than gold.
By
Barton A. Sandiford
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 45Barton recited his poem for the students of his class. They were all
quite proud of his creativity and style. His classmates thoroughly
enjoyed it and applauded him. Miss too, was quite impressed and
she patted him on his shoulder, smiling happily.
Maybe one day I shall publish a book on Barton’s poems, thought
Barton, as he walked back to his seat. It shall be named ‘Barton’s
Anthology’.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 46BARTON ON NUMBERS
On “World Mathematics Day”, Miss decided to talk to her class about
the significance of the date, March 14th, and what it meant in the
mathematical world. She explained to her students that ‘World
Mathematics Day’ commemorates the origin of the important
symbol π and which is the Greek letter, pi. She told her amazed
class that pi represents a mathematical constant that has a value of
3.14. This, however, is an approximate value, when written correctly
to two decimal places. As an improper fraction, the value of pi is
!!
approximated to the fraction, .
"
Miss then added, with a tone of mystery in her voice, that they will
probably learn, in the future, just how the figure of 3.14 was derived
and why its value is constant and can never be altered.
Each year, Pi day is celebrated on the 14th day of March.
“Look at the digits in the number 3.14,” said Miss. “Notice that the
first digit is 3 and March is the third month of the year. The next two
digits are 1 and 4 and so the day is chosen as the 14th day of the
month.”
Miss spoke to her class about the importance of numbers in
mathematics and everyday life. The students were all engrossed in
her lecture.
As Miss ended her talk, she suggested that her students write a short
story or poem on what numbers meant to them.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 47All were excited to do so and Miss always admired their creative
skills, whether it was in reading, creative writing or in the visual and
performing arts.
Barton thought about what he might do. At first, he thought of
writing an essay based on some research on ‘pi’. However, he felt
that this would be a common choice among pupils and Barton
wanted to do something that was different from most of the other
students. So, instead, the young boy opted to write a poem.
Though quite young, Baton was an avid reader and was already
acquiring good literary skills. This is what Barton wrote.
NUMBERS
Since ancient times, history has shown
Numbers, man did create
And today, though maths has grown
Numbers, still fascinate
Divide by two, remainder none
And EVEN is its name
But when we have remainder one
The ODD one takes the blame
All fractions have a vital role
Sometimes alone they stand
They can cut or split a whole
Like rivers through the land
Whichever form they may appear
Improper, part or whole
Just look and touch you’ll feel and hear
How numbers shape our World.
Barton A Sandiford
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 48BARTON’S NEW STUDY ROOM
It was the month of March and the third month of the year. On one of
the evenings, after dinner, Mr and Mrs Sandiford held a family
discussion. They both expressed much satisfaction with the three
children. The proud parents were pleased with their children’s
behaviour, attitude and especially their outstanding performances
at school.
Mom and Dad had recently attended the school's ‘Annual Parents
Day’. The teachers all had wonderful things to say about Barton, his
brother Darren, and his sister Cathy-Ann. They commended the
children’s superlative performances in school concerning classroom
work, partaking in class discussions, participating in class and
school events, school attendance, overall discipline and their
willingness to help others.
Both Mom and Dad understandably felt a deep sense of pride and
contentment with all of their offspring.
Meanwhile, Mom and Dad had been noticing that when the three
children were engaged in studies at home, they would often
participate in discussions with each other. They would sometimes
need to give or get advice from each other, explain the meaning of
newly encountered words and discuss mathematics, science, and
other subjects. The two brothers and sister were all supportive and
very helpful to each other.
Whilst this was admirable and encouraging, it would often entail
them walking back and forth, from one of their rooms to another
room. This was rather disruptive at times.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 49On occasions, when they were engaged in school projects, there
would be extra materials lying around, and their respective rooms
would become rather overcrowded and inconvenient for
comfortable work.
Dad and Mom spoke with all three children. They thought that the
Sandiford home needed a special room for study purposes and
which would do much to reduce all these problems.
This study place would allow the children to comfortably do their
homework and school projects, read the newspapers, make
clippings for their scrapbook and use the available reference books
from the family library.
All these activities would now be accomplished with greater ease,
increased comfort, and certainly more convenience. It would even
be a relaxing room for Mom and Dad to read the newspapers, their
subscribed monthly magazines and journals and even help the
children with their school work from time to time.
Mom and Dad had begun to formulate plans for this project. The
house already had a room that was used as a storage room.
Dad decided to buy a pre-fabricated storage shed and have it
adjoined to the back of the house. All the items kept in the present
storage room would be transferred to this shed, with the room now
to be converted into the much-desired study room.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 50Everyone agreed that the idea was sound and looked forward to it
being implemented. Dad was able to immediately supply the cost of
some of the project items.
The cost of the storage shed was $ 6 700 and the transport and
installation fees would be $2 000. The total for this portion of the
project would, therefore, be $8700.
When the items are transferred to the new storage shed, the former
storage room would need to be repainted. They decided that the
floors would also need to be tiled and an air condition unit installed.
The room would then be furnished with bookshelves, desks, chairs,
tables and other suitable furniture. Mom and Dad wished it to be
comfortable and suitable for relaxation as well as study.
The children immediately loved the idea of what they envisioned the
study room would become, and all volunteered to assist as much as
possible, to reduce the overall cost.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 51The next morning, the entire family went shopping for the furniture
needed for the room. They all had good ideas for the items that were
needed. At the store, chairs and desks were chosen to comfortably
accommodate the different heights and sizes of the children. The
family also chose some additional furniture for the study. A list of all
the items needed was made, and these would be purchased at a later
date, upon closer to the completion of the room. Mom and Dad
suggested that the furniture should be installed in the room, only
after it is completed. The list and cost of the furniture chosen were
as follows:
LIST
Cost of large desk = $1000
Cost of revolving chair = $ 600
Cost of large wooden table = $ 900
3 small desks at $200 each = $ 600
3 chairs at $180 each = $ 540
2 recliner chairs at $600 each = $1200
Total Cost = $4840
The total cost was four thousand and eight hundred and forty
dollars.
Barton was asked to calculate the cost of painting the walls and the
cost of tiling the floor.
He first measured the dimensions of the room. The room was
rectangular and had two walls that measured 8 metres by 3 metres
and two walls that measured 5 metres by 3 metres.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 52The height of the room was three metres and the total area to be
painted was seventy-eight square metres. This excluded the ceiling
which was considered to be in pristine condition and so would not
require painting.
The paint was sold in pails, each costing $100. Each pail contained
enough paint to cover an area of 20 square metres. Barton
calculated that it would require four pails to complete the job. They
would also need to purchase three paintbrushes at $20 each. The
children had decided to paint the walls of the room for themselves.
The cost of painting the room would, therefore, be the cost of only
the paint supplies, which amounted to $460.
The area of the floor was 40 square metres and would be covered
with square tiles of side 40 centimetres. The number of tiles
required would be 250 and the cost was $10 for each tile. A skilled
worker would have to install the tiles. The cost of installation was $2
per tile. The entire job of tiling the floor would amount to $3 000.
The price of the air condition unit was $3000 and the installation fee
was $1000 and was inclusive of the electrical work and the labour.
The cost of air conditioning amounted to $4 000.
The list of expenses to convert the storage room to the study was
now going to be,
LIST of expenditure
Total cost of installing the pre-fabricated shed = $ 8 700
Total cost of all furniture = $ 4 840
Total cost of painting walls = $ 460
Total cost of tiling the floor = $ 3 000
Total cost of installing the A/C unit = $ 4 000
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 53
Total cost of the entire project = $21 000The total cost of the project was $21 000.
Dad decided that he would withdraw $6 000 from the family’s
savings account at the bank to cover part of the cost and would take
a loan to cover the remainder which would be $15 000.
The children listened attentively to Dad and Mom’s plans and soon
work was on the way.
The local bank had approved the loan at the rate of 10% per annum
simple interest. Dad was allowed to choose a repayment period of 1
year or 18 months or 2 years.
Barton calculated that the simple interest on the sum of $15 000,
when borrowed for 1 year at the rate of 10 % simple interest, would
be $1 500.
Copyright ©2021.Some Rights Reserved. faspassmaths.com 54The total that would have to be repaid would be $16 500 and the
equal monthly instalments would be $1 375.
However, if the loan was taken for a period of 18 months, the simple
interest would be $2 250 and the total amount to be repaid would
be $17 250. The equal monthly instalments would now be reduced
to $958.33.
Then, if Dad chose to repay the loan in the longest allowable time of
2 years, the total simple interest would be $3 000 and the total
amount to be repaid would be $18 000. The equal monthly
instalments would then be further reduced to be $750.
Dad preferred a monthly instalment that did not exceed $900 per
month and so his choice was to take the loan for two years.
For the next few days, all the work for the new study room went
according to plan and all the family members helped in whatever
way they could. They would all benefit greatly.
It was not too long afterwards that Barton, his siblings and
sometimes their parents were all enjoying the pleasure and comfort
of their new study room.
It is so wonderful to have a separate study room at home, thought
Barton. Maybe all houses should have one, he thought, with his well-
meant intention and childish innocence.
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