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MATH PRACTICE: Early America H1

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DATES AND AGES

Examine the timeline below. You will notice Year 1 beginning after the birth of Christ.  The period after that time is called AD. The period before that time is called BC.

The year 100 AD marks the first century. If something happened in 57 AD or 99 AD, for example, it happened in the First Century. The year100 AD begins the Second Century, and so on. We are presently in the Twenty-First Century, which began in the year 2000 AD.

[If you want help on adding and subtracting numbers, click here to go to the Math Mentor.]

Examine the timeline below:

Practice finding years and dates. As you answer the questions, pretend that you are living in 2009 AD! Examples:

1.  We can find the first signs of early village from how many years ago?

2009 AD+300BC= 2309 years ago.

2.  How many years ago did they begin to grow corn in New Mexico and Arizona?

2009AD+3000BC=5009 years ago.

3.  What was the date 3070 years ago?

3070 years - 2009=1061 BC (We subtract 2009 from 3070 to take us to the beginning of Year 1 AD. The number remaining must be BC, or year 1061BC.

Inventors and Their Inventions

Fill in the requested information on inventors in the boxes:

Willis Haviland (USA), 1876-1950 -invented the modern air conditioner in 1985

1.  How long did Haviland live?

2.  How long ago did he invent the modern A.C.?

ANSWER a and d are opinions

Karl Benz (Germany), 1844–1929 - Benz built the first automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine. The car had three wheels, an electric ignition, and differential gears and was water-cooled. In in 1926, Benz's company became Daimler-Benz AG, the manufacturer of the Mercedes-Benz automobile.

3.  How old was Benz when he died?

4.  How long ago did he die?

5.  How long ago was the first Mercedez Benz manufactured?

William Harvey (England), 1578–1657 -  Harvey was first to demonstrate the function of the heart and the complete circulation of the blood. His work was amazing because it was accomplished without the help of a microscope.

6.  How long did Harvey live?

7.  How long ago was he born?

8.  In what century did he die?

Thomas Alva Edison (USA), 1847–1931 - Edison was a genius in how to apply scientific principles, Edison was one of the greatest and most productive inventors of his time. His formal schooling was limited to three months!

Edison's first inventions were the transmitter and receiver for the automatic telegraph. In 1877 he invented the carbon telephone transmitter (telegraph system) for the Western Union Telegraph Company. His phonograph (patented 1878) was the first successful instrument of its kind.

In 1879, Edison created the first practical light bulb. For use with it, he developed a complete electrical distribution system for light and power, including generators, motors, light sockets. In 1882, in New York, he created the first permanent central electric-light power plant in the world. Edison invented many other things through his life.

9.  How long did Edison live?

10. How many years ago was he born?

11. In what century did he die?

12. How many years ago did he invent the telegraph system?

Bell, Alexander Graham (USA), 1847–1922 - Bell invented the telephone. As early as 1865, Bell conceived the idea of transmitting speech by electric waves. In 1875, while he was experimenting, the principle of transmission and reproduction came to him. By March 10, 1876, his experiment was so far developed that he transmitted the first famous sentence on a phone to his assistant, “Watson, come here; I want you."

13. How long did Bell live?

14. How long ago did he die?

15. How long ago did he transmit the first telephone message?

Print this page and write the answers Sign, and date the  page, and place it in your folder for your instructor.