The next time you listen to music, think about the mathematics that goes into making it. Rhythms, patterns, harmony, scales...all of this and more are mathematical components go into making music the beautiful, emotional art form we love to listen to. Do you play an instrument? Would you like to? Studies have shown that learning music can actually help with math understanding and vice-versa!
Try out our music-themed word problem challenge for this week. When you're ready, look below the question to see how your solution matches with ours.
Question: Twenty-four students split up into groups for music class. A third of the students are in the percussion group. Half of the students are in the choir group. The rest of the students are in the guitar group. How many students are there in the guitar group?
Are you ready for the solution now?
Solution: One-third of 24 is 24 ÷ 3 = 8 students, so there are 8 students in the percussion group. Half of 24 is 12, so there are 12 students in the choir group. That leaves 24 – 8 – 12 = 4 students in the guitar group.
