I need her now more than I ever realized. I wish there was something I could do. At school, we have groups that write letters or march in the streets to speak out and let our voices be heard. Sometimes I feel powerless, but other times, when we come together as one, I feel confident and strong.
That’s what my mother said Dolores Huerta accomplished. She helped the farm workers come together and speak in one loud voice. Mom is taking me to see a documentary about her. Dolores opens in a few weeks, and the woman, Dolores, will actually be there. Mom wants to get a picture of the three of us together. Again, I am so afraid for her to go anywhere in public. What if someone grabs her and takes her away from me? She tries to reassure me that we are safe, but I can see in her eyes that she knows otherwise. Then I remember something she said that used to annoy me. “Distance is never a barrier, nor time, for love keeps multiplying even when miles—or borders—divide.”
I pray we will never be divided by borders, but just as that sentence weaves together my love of words and hers of numbers, I now know that my mother and I will always be tightly intertwined—and this is one braid I will never set free.
Math Journal of Alma Cruz:
Problems and Solutions
Math Problem #1
In Chiapas, 75 people sneak onto the train. At Checkpoint One, 64 people run into the fields, 33 are caught, the rest hide and manage to re-board the train. At Checkpoint Two, half of those now on the train are stopped and asked for money. One-third have nothing and are taken into custody to be deported. The rest pay and are allowed to re-board. How many of the 75 make it to Oaxaca?
Solution: 35
After Checkpoint One: Since 64 ran, 75 – 64 = 11 stayed on the train.
Of the 64, 33 are caught. 64 − 33 = 31 re-board train.
Therefore 11 + 31 = 42.
After Checkpoint Two: 1/2 of 42 = 21
21 are stopped and asked for money;
21 stay on the train.
1/3 of 21 are taken into custody, leaving 14 to re-board
with the other 21 still on the train. (14 + 21 = 35)
Therefore 35 make it to Oaxaca.
Math Problem #2
Two trucks leave for Oaxaca. One breaks down in Tehuantepec, 250 km from Oaxaca at 12 noon. The first truck continues on at 50 km/hour, makes one 30-minute stop, then a second 10-minute stop. The second truck is repaired in 45 minutes, travels at 50 km/hour, makes one 40-minute stop only. What time does each truck arrive in Oaxaca?
Solution: 1st truck arrives at 5:40 p.m.
2nd truck arrives 6: 25 p.m.
At 50 km/hour, it would take 5 hours to reach Oaxaca with no stops.
250 km ÷ 50 km/h = 5 hours
The first truck adds two stops: 30 min + 10 min = 40 min.
12 noon + 5 hours + 40 min = 5:40 p.m.
The second truck is delayed 45 minutes and makes one 40 min stop: 45 + 40 = 85 min or 85 min = 1 hour 25 min
12 noon + 5 hours + 1 hour + 25 min = 6:25 p.m.
Math Problem #3
Señor Garcia, who is 68 years old, has read, on the average, 8 books every month for the last 47 years. If he continues this pace, how many more years must he live to reach his goal of 10,000 books?
If this is not possible, how many books must he read each month to achieve this goal by the age of 90?
Solution: He must live another 57 years and 2 months or read 21 books/month by age 90.
8 books/month = 8 × 12 months = 96 books/year
96 books × 47 years = 4,512 books read so far
10,000 – 4,512 = 5,488 books needed to read to achieve 10,000
5,488 books ÷ 96 books/year = 57 years 2 months
Since Mr. Garcia is 68, this is not possible, as he would have to live to be 125 years old.
If he lived to be 90 . . .
90 years – 68 years = 22 years left to read
5,488 books ÷ 22 years = 249.5 each year
249.5 ÷ 12 months = 20.8 or 21 books/month
Math Problem #4
Three hundred people set out from Delano, California, heading for the state capital of Sacramento. By the time they reach their destination, they have grown to ten thousand strong.
Consider the numbers 300 and 10,000. What are their common factors?
* A common factor is a whole number that will divide exactly into two or more given numbers without leaving a remainder.
Solution: 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100.
The factors of 300 are 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, 30, 50, 60, 75, 100, 150.
All of these numbers can be divided into 300 with a remainder of zero. Of these numbers, 2, 4, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50, 100 are also factors of 10,000. These shared numbers are called common factors.
Math Problem #5
The temperature in the Arizona desert climbed to 47° Celsius.
Convert this to Fahrenheit.
The ground temperature is reported to be 140° Fahrenheit.
Convert this to Celsius.
Solution: 47° Celsius = 116.6° Fahrenheit
140° Fahrenheit = 60° Celsius
Formula for Celsius to Fahrenheit: (Celsius × 9/5) + 32 = Fahrenheit
47°C × 9/5 = 84.6 84.6 + 32 = 116.6°F
Formula for Fahrenheit to Celsius: (Fahrenheit – 32) × 5/9 = Celsius 140°F – 32 = 108 108 × 5/9 = 60°C
Math
