The prefix dec- appears in many words in the English language. Have your students mention some such words, and be sure that the word "decade" is discussed. Then show these hilarious two scenes. The first is from The Newlywed Game, where newlywed couples are asked to match answers. Gloria and Joe give new meaning to the words "dumb and dumber." (But then, she might not be so dumb...she knew what Joe was going to say!) The second scene shows that lightning can strike twice in almost the same place.
David Copperfield Specials (Audience Participation Illusions Based on Mathematics)
These two scenes come from 1980s-era David Copperfield television specials. Copperfield has his audience join him; either choose a student or have all class members point to the screen as he performs. In the first, the viewer helps him decide which train car he will cause to vanish later in the show. The second deals with a choice of destinations of flight (as he was preparing to make an airplane disappear.)
Copperfield's website: www.dcopperfield.com
Mean Girls (A Lesson in Determining Percent)
Lindsey Lohan plays a high school senior who has been home-schooled and is an excellent mathematics student. In this scene, while sitting at lunch with the in-crowd, she accurately determines percent fat content using proportions. Ask students if they can suggest other ways to determine the same answer.
I. Q. (Zeno's Paradox)
Meg Ryan plays Albert Einstein's niece. She is attracted to a blue-collar worker (Tim Robbins) who is posing as a brilliant scientist. In this scene, her uncle wants them to dance but she explains that she can never reach him because of Zeno's Paradox. (www.mathacademy.com/pr/prime/articles/zeno_tort) This can be shown when discussing infinite quantities. Students always are amazed (and often don't believe) that 0.999... is actually equal to 1. They will readily agree that 1/3 = 0.33333... Now have them multiply both sides by 3. Tee hee...
The Lucy Show Episode "Lucy, the Bean Queen" (Doubling $.01)
In this 1966 show, Lucille Ball plays tightwad Mr. Mooney's secretary. At the time, the cost for mailing a one-ounce letter was 5 cents! This scene illustrates how doubling 1 cent over and over quickly amounts to a lot more than most people think. Before showing it, ask students how long they think it would take to accumulate $1500 using this method.
The Andy Griffith Show Episode "Mayberry Goes Bankrupt" (Compound Interest Calculation)
Against his will, Andy must evict the kindly Mr. Myers from his home for nonpayment of taxes. One of Mr. Myers' treasures is an old savings bond. Show this scene when teaching compound interest. The calculation in the scene is correct to the penny. (As it turns out, the bond was bought with Confederate money, so in the end the town does not have to pay it off.) A compound interest calculator can be found at www.1728.com/compint.htm .
The Bill Cosby Show Episode "Let x Equal a Lousy Weekend"
This is the entire show (about 24 minutes). Bill Cosby played Chet Kincaid, a high school basketball coach. Teachers, watch it from beginning to end. Note that the answer given at the end is correct. You can use this one when solving mixture problems using systems of linear equations. (The DVD of the first season is now available in a box set.)
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