Complement or Compliment

This is the month of February and we tend to think about Valentine's Day. But how do we add a math twist to this overly romantic month?  At Mathasium of Denville, we came up with a theme:  Complement or Compliment. Well, we all know what a Compliment is. Is it hard to give a Compliment? I mean, a real heartfelt compliment. Have you ever fished for Compliments?  Ha ha.. That is something, isn't it?  "I like your boots." has been a popular compliment around here or "You're good at Math."

Well - what is a math Complement?  Notice the difference in spelling?  A math complement is what is needed to complete the Whole.  Try to imagine what the Whole is.  A Whole Week, A Whole Pizza, One, 100%, the days of a week, the kids in a classroom, etc.  What would be the Complement to Monday, Tuesday &Wednesday if we thought of the Whole as the entire week?  Well, thats Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday!  What is the complement of 3/8?  What do we need to complete the Whole (the whole being 1 of course).  The answer is 5/8 because 3/8+5/8 is 1!

Now you got it.  Compliment or Complement.  That's our theme this Month.