Operational researcher
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can understand how maths is used in operational research.
Key learning points
- Problem solving techniques can be usefully applied
- New information must be interpreted quickly and correctly
- The 'optimal' solution may mean different things to different people
Keywords
Logistics - Logistics is the careful organisation of a complicated project (set of activities) so that it happens in a successful and effective way.
Common misconception
Pupils may not consider the maximum of the 'bins' in learning cycle 1.
It can be helpful for pupils to have a running total for the values assigned to each 'bin' so that they know when it is full and no more values can be assigned there.
Teacher tip
Operational research is the broad term for a wide ranging of mathematical areas focused around using problem solving techniques. If you want to explore other free teaching resources, you may be interested in the OR Society’s teaching resources.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The (arithmetic) __________ for a set of numerical data is the sum of the values divided by the number of values. It is a measure of central tendency representing the average of the values.
Q2.Sam scored 85, 92, 88, 90, and 95 on five tests. What is Sam's average test score?
Q3.The daily high temperatures for a week were 24°C, 26°C, 28°C, 27°C, 26.5°C, 27.5°C, and 28.5°C. What was the average high temperature for the week (2 d.p.)?
Q4.The monthly rainfall amounts for a year were 63.5 mm, 81.3 mm, 104.1 mm, 71.1 mm, 91.4 mm, 114.3 mm, 99.1 mm, 79.2 mm, 68.6 mm, 86.4 mm, 106.7 mm, and 96.5 mm. What was the average (1 d.p.)?
Q5.The mean of five numbers is 8. Four of the numbers are 5, 7, 9, and 10. What is the fifth number?
Q6.You have a set of 10 numbers. The mean of these numbers is 15. If you add 5 to each number in the set, what will be the new mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1. is the careful organisation of a complicated project (set of activities) so that it happens in a successful and effective way.
Q2.This table shows various tasks in a project. How long does it take to complete activity C?
Q3.This table shows various tasks in a project. How long does it take to complete activity E?
Q4.This table shows various tasks in a project. What activity must be completed before activity C can start?
Q5.This table shows various tasks in a project. Which activities must be completed before activity E can start?
Q6.This table shows various tasks in a project. If only 1 person was working on the project, how long (in minutes) would it take to complete the project?
To help you plan your 9 maths lesson on: Operational researcher, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 maths lesson on: Operational researcher, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 maths lessons from the Maths in the workplace unit, dive into the full secondary maths curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.