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Math,

Fear by the Numbers

By Jess McKenna-Ratjen
From the October 2020 Issue

Learning Objective: Students will use number lines to round numbers related to statistics on fear to the nearest ten or hundred.

Lexile: 830L; 620L
Focus Area: Numbers and Operations,
Standards
  • MATHEMATICAL PRACTICES: MP5, MP6, MP7 CCSS: 3.NBT.A.1 TEKS: 3.2C

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Lexile® measure

  • 830L
  • 620L

Your heart races. You start to feel dizzy. Your palms sweat. A threat is coming! Fear is your body’s way of preparing you for danger. It’s gearing you up to run or fight. Sometimes the danger is real. Sometimes it’s not. Sometimes, like when you watch a scary movie, fear feels exciting! Read on to learn fascinating facts about fear.

Your heart races. You start to feel dizzy. Your palms sweat. A threat is coming! Fear is one way your body prepares for danger. It helps your body get ready to run or fight. Sometimes the danger is real. Sometimes the danger is not real. Sometimes, like when you watch a scary movie, fear feels exciting! Read on to learn cool facts about fear.

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1. Fear Changes Your Breath 

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Your breath and sweat change when you feel fear. Scientists have found that moviegoers exhale more carbon dioxide in theaters during suspenseful scenes. And according to a study of 36 women in the Netherlands, the scent of others’ “fear sweat” can make you feel afraid!

Your breath changes when you feel fear. Scientists observed people in a movie theater. The scientists played a movie with suspenseful scenes. The scientists found that the people in the theater exhaled more of the chemical carbon dioxide when they watched the scenes that were suspenseful. Another study found that fear changes your sweat. The study took place in the Netherlands. It included 36 women. The scientists found that the scent of others’ “fear sweat” can make you feel afraid!

2. Fear Can Be Deep 

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It’s estimated that about 6 percent of Americans have a phobia. A phobia is an extreme fear that won’t go away. In a survey of 1,190 U.S. adults, a quarter said they had thalassophobia: the fear of deep oceans and lakes.

It’s estimated that about 19 million Americans have a phobia. A phobia is an extreme fear that won’t go away. Scientists surveyed 1,190 U.S. adults about their fears. More than a quarter said they had thalassophobia. Thalassophobia means the fear of deep oceans and lakes!

3. Fear Can Be Fun!

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After we’ve been scared, our bodies often release a rush of chemicals that make us feel good. Scientists believe that those chemicals are what make some people want to be scared for fun. There are more than 7,500 haunted houses in the U.S. The longest one is in New Mexico—people happily pay to walk through 7,183 feet of fright-inducing attractions!

Our bodies often release a rush of chemicals after we’ve been scared. Those chemicals make us feel good. Scientists believe that those chemicals are what make some people want to be scared for fun. There are more than 7,500 haunted houses in the U.S. The longest one is in New Mexico. It has 7,183 feet of scary attractions. People are happy to pay to walk through it!

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3. Fear Can Be fun!

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On a scale of 1 to 100, how afraid are you of failing a test? Psychologist Stephen Whiteside is working on a project to film situations that make kids anxious, such as getting a bad grade. When his patients put on a headset, they’ll find themselves in a virtual-reality version of their fear. The goal is to face your anxieties until your fear rating is reduced by half, such as from a 98 to a 49. 

How afraid are you of failing a test, on a scale of 1 to 100? Psychologist Stephen Whiteside is working on a project. He plans to film situations that make kids anxious, such as getting a bad grade. His patients will put on a headset. Then they’ll be able to see their fear in virtual reality. The goal is to face your fears until you become less scared. Whiteside’s patients rate their fear from 1 to 100.  They try to lower their fear rating by half, such as from a 98 to a 49.

Math Talk

Why might a scientist need to round a number?

Math Talk

Why might a scientist need to round a number?

Rounding

What to Do

Rounding makes numbers easier to work with. A number line can help you see whether to round a number up or down. Round down to the nearest place value if the number is less than the midpoint. Round up if the number is at or greater than the midpoint.

Example

Round 3,184 to the nearest hundred.

  • You are rounding to the nearest hundred. 3,184 is between 3,100 and 3,200. Mark these values at each end of your number line.
  • Mark your number line in increments of 10. This is the place value to the right (the tens place) of the one you are rounding to.
  • Plot the point 3,184 on your number line. It falls between 3,180 and 3,190.
  • The midpoint of your number line is 3,150. The point 3,184 is greater than 3,150, which means it is closer to the higher value. So you round up. 

So 3,184 rounded to the nearest hundred is 3,200.

Rounding

What to Do

Rounding makes numbers easier to work with. A number line can help you see whether to round a number up or down. Round down to the nearest place value if the number is less than the midpoint. Round up if the number is at or greater than the midpoint.

Example

Round 3,184 to the nearest hundred.

  • You are rounding to the nearest hundred. 3,184 is between 3,100 and 3,200. Mark these values at each end of your number line.
  • Mark your number line in increments of 10. This is the place value to the right (the tens place) of the one you are rounding to.
  • Plot the point 3,184 on your number line. It falls between 3,180 and 3,190.
  • The midpoint of your number line is 3,150. The point 3,184 is greater than 3,150, which means it is closer to the higher value. So you round up. 

So 3,184 rounded to the nearest hundred is 3,200.

Now You Try It

Use the number line to round 36 to the nearest ten.

Use the number line to round 36 to the nearest ten.

It’s estimated that about 6 percent of Americans have a phobia. A phobia is an extreme fear that won’t go away. In a survey of 1,190 U.S. adults, a quarter said they had thalassophobia: the fear of deep oceans and lakes.

It’s estimated that about 6 percent of Americans have a phobia. A phobia is an extreme fear that won’t go away. In a survey of 1,190 U.S. adults, a quarter said they had thalassophobia: the fear of deep oceans and lakes.

A. Round 7,183 to the nearest hundred.

B. What is 7,183 rounded to the nearest thousand?

A. Round 7,183 to the nearest hundred.

B. What is 7,183 rounded to the nearest thousand?

Round both 98 and 49 to the nearest hundred. Is your answer the same for both? Explain why or why not.

Round both 98 and 49 to the nearest hundred. Is your answer the same for both? Explain why or why not.

Continue Your Learning

  • Find a die or create a set of cards numbered 1 through 9. Roll the die 3 times or pull 3 cards to create different 3-digit numbers. Round each number you create to the nearest ten and nearest hundred. You can draw number lines to help you round if needed.
  • Watch the video “All Kinds of Emotions” above. Then play a game of emotion charades with your family. Each player acts out a scene in which they are feeling a specific emotion. The rest of the players must guess which emotion it is.

Continue Your Learning

  • Find a die or create a set of cards numbered 1 through 9. Roll the die 3 times or pull 3 cards to create different 3-digit numbers. Round each number you create to the nearest ten and nearest hundred. You can draw number lines to help you round if needed.
  • Watch the video “All Kinds of Emotions” above. Then play a game of emotion charades with your family. Each player acts out a scene in which they are feeling a specific emotion. The rest of the players must guess which emotion it is.
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