MATHS IN THE PAPERS December 2002

A very wet month across England and Wales and south-eastern parts of Scotland. It was much drier than average across north-west Scotland. Most eastern areas experienced a very dull month, but in contrast western areas were sunnier than average.   The temperature in Redesdale in Northumberland fell to -6.6 °C early on the 20th, thereafter more unsettled weather prevailed as Atlantic lows swept very mild moist air across the region. Many places had a very wet 36 hours from late 20th to early 22nd causing local flooding. Llanbedr in Gwynedd reached 15.4 °C on the 23rd.

          www.met-office.gov.uk

Odd numbers
Statistics

The average life expectancy of a man in the 5^th century was 30 years.

A Taiwanese couple hold the record for the longest marriage, at 85 years. They have a total of 100 children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

20% of Europeans are aged 60 or over.

5% of Africans are aged 60 or over.

Numbers of UK centenarians are increasing by 7% per year.

                    Observer magazine 1/12/02

Sympathetic referee stops match
Entertainment

A Belgian referee ended a football match 4 minutes early because he felt sorry for the team that was losing 16-0.<   Marc Gevaert blew the whistle during the Wijtschate – Vladslo match. Wijtschate currently has the worst record in Belgium, having lost 15 games and conceded 132 goals.

                             Ananova   4/12/02

Nearly half the working population, 13.2 million people, will attend   work Christmas parties this year. Research suggests that work parties can be detrimental to career prospects, with 2.3 million people admitting to doing something embarrassing at the office party. 44% admitted to inappropriate dancing, 23% have been sick in public and 22% admitted to flashing part of their anatomy. The research was carried out by Momentum Financial Services.

          Ananova 6/12/02

An international survey has shown that only 3% of smokers try to quit the habit for New Year. The survey also showed that 77% of UK smokers flet it would be easier to give up sex , rather than cigarettes, for a month.

                             Ananova 7/12/02

A poll of 1870 adults shows that 30% of motorists might be tempted to drink and drive this Christmas. The figure for London is higher, with 40% admitting they would get behind the wheel of a car after drinking. The survey also showed that 10% of motorists admitted to driving while over the legal limit.

                             Ananova 7/12/02

Nicole Wong spent three years building up a collection of 99,999 paper hearts, mostly made from bus tickets, which she presented to her husband on their wedding day in Singapore. According to Chinese tradition, the number nine is associated with everlasting love and affection.

          Ananova 8/12/02

According to US scientists, there is further evidence that northern parts of the globe are warming up. Latest findings from the American Geophysical Union show that the ice sheet in Greenland is melting and shrubs are spreading into the Alaskan tundra. They say that the melt area has grown 16% since 1979.

                             Ananova 9/12/02

According to the Guardian’s Grad Facts 2002 survey,   62% of students believe their degree has been worth the financial investment, even though they are leaving university with considerable debts. 52% of students work to support themselves, although 61% think the most important thing is having fun.

                    Guardian 10/12/02

Concerns about where their money is going prevents almost a quarter of Britons donating money to charity,, according to a survey by the non-profit think tank nfpSynergy. 75% of those surveyed said they were concerned about how the money was spent and that levels of giving were affected because of this. More than 2000 people were consulted, 32% of whom did not think charities were justified in spending a proportion of donations of further fundraising.

                    Guardian 11/12/02

Roy Jackson has completed his collection of every single that has made Number One in the charts. He began collecting 10 years ago and now has 950 chart-topping singles and 670 Number One albums in the dining room of his home.

                             Ananova 11/12/02

According to a survey from the Department of Health, 29% of school children have tried drugs, 20% of them at some time during the past year. 12% have tried drugs within the last month. 285 schools were surveyed, and results show that almost 50% of 15-year-olds have tried drugs.

                    Guardian 11/12/02

The Inland Revenue has ruled that free turkeys given to staff at Translink Parcel Express in Narborough were a ‘benefit in kind’ and employees would have to pay tax on them. The company has been ordered to pay back tax for the past six years, since it began giving the turkeys as Christmas presents. The company can organise a Christmas function for staff, paying up to £75 per head without tax liability, but turkeys are taxable.

          Ananova 11/12/02

Numbers of people attending Church of England services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day rises by 169% compared to average attendance at Sunday worship.

Harrod’s Christmas World is open for five months every year.

The average person spent 15 hours looking for Christmas gifts last year, in 5 trips covering 20 miles.

It is expected that online shopping this year will amount to £1.3bn.

The average Briton spends £360 on Christmas gifts.

4.5m mobile phones were given as Christmas gifts in Britain last year.

                    Observer magazine 15/12/02

The pound has risen above $1.60 for the first time in two and a half years. Reasons for this include the strength of the euro and the possibility of US attacks on Iraq.<   The number of people claiming unemployment benefit has dropped to a 27-year low to 934,000, giving a jobless rate of 3.1%.

                                                Independent 19/12/02

Retail sales in the UK slowed down in November, partly due to mild weather pushing sales of clothing and footwear down. Economists predict an improvement in December, helped by a strong housing market. Figures released by the British Bankers’ Association show the biggest monthly increase in mortgage lending on record.

                    Independent 20/12/02