MANILA, Philippines?I seldom watch TV, but my students tell me that there are several shows on air which cater to the Filipinos? penchant for knowledge, and which aim to educate the public. I rejoice, since the more good-quality shows there are, the better.
I take for granted, of course, that these shows have competent educators as advisers or judges, and that whatever facts they come up with are duly checked and double-checked by researchers or fact-checkers.
How many tens?
Imagine my disappointment when my friend Rechilda P. Villame, the executive vice president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild and the vice president of the Mathematics Teachers Association of the Philippines, told me about simple math mistakes in certain shows.
?A contestant in one episode, which aired last November, was asked this question by the host,? says Villame. ?How many tens are there in 523??
?The contestant failed to give an answer,? Villame reports. ?So the host said, ?The correct answer is 2!? The answer was flashed on screen. A commercial gap followed, after which the answer was repeated and was flashed again on screen.?
Of course, there are not only 2 tens in 523. There are 52 tens in 523.
?If you have P523 and you want to change it to P10 coins,? says Villame, ?then how many coins do you get? Fifty-two coins, not just 2.?
Are they really equal?
Villame gives another example, taken from another educational show. The lesson for one episode was on changing mixed numbers to improper fractions, and it was shown (or replayed) sometime last October.
To change the mixed numeral 7 1/3 to an improper fraction, this was what was illustrated on air:
3 x 7 = 21 + 1 = 22
Answer: 22/3
We know what the teacher was trying to do. 3 is first multiplied to 7, and then 1 is added. But equal signs should not be placed in between. How can 3 x 7 be equal to 22? Instead of equal signs, these computations should have been written in two steps. 3 x 7 equals 21. Then 21 plus 1 equals 22.
?What?s more,? reports Villame, ?the wrong equation was flashed on air twice.?
I commend these shows for including math in their features, but when such mistakes are flashed on TV, they perpetuate common misconceptions not just by students, but also by teachers. I hope media will take care to get their arithmetic straight before they beam such errors to the nation.
The wonders of soya
The soya bean has been cultivated and used in many ways for centuries. In China, soya is considered a basic crop, along with rice, wheat and barley. Soya can be eaten as whole beans or sprouts or processed as milk, tofu, or miso.
According to Catherine Rose P. Josue of the S and T Information Institute (STII), benefits of soy include:
?Bones. Soy milk does not have a lot of calcium, but soy isoflavones can help reduce osteoporosis. Diets high in animal protein cause more calcium to be released in the urine, so replacing animal protein with soy protein can help prevent calcium loss in the bones.
?Menopause. Symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats are caused by low estrogen levels. Isoflavones in soy can reduce them, because these have estrogen-like functions.
?Cholesterol. Cholesterol is a soft fatty substance that does not dissolve well in water, causing narrowing and hardening of blood vessels. Genisten, an isoflavone found in soy, can increase the flexibility of blood vessels. Soya is also cholesterol-free and contains soluble fibers that reduce the amount of cholesterol circulating in the blood.
Soy is also a good protein source, and contains lecithin and vitamin E. Thank goodness the FNRI has recently developed soy peanut spread and soybean gel. For more information, call STII at 837-7520 or 838-1510 and look for Beth Padilla.
