1493 /www/nrich/html/content/99/12/tan1/ 5 2011-02-01T00:00:01 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <mdoxml version="1.0"><br></br> <p>This is a continuation of <a href="http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=1492&amp;part=index">World of Tan 2 - Little Ming</a> .</p> <p>[ An overheard telephone conversation ]</p> <p>"Good morning - GT&#39;s removals, Mai Ling speaking.</p> <p>How can I help you?</p> <p>Oh! You want to know who I am?</p> <p>Oh. Well, I am the personal assistant to Granma T.</p> <p>I run her office, formalise all the necessary arrangements, manage the workforce and do all the accounts on that old machine with the beads on.</p> <p>I also child mind those two mischievous scamps - Little Ming and Little Fung, though they are not so little!</p> <p>How old am I?</p> <p>Oh dear, I am not the oldest here. Numerically, I am one more than a prime, the number has eight divisors and three prime factors. So there!</p> <p>Anyway enough of me. I will get Granma T to speak to you...please hold.......</p> <p>........while you wait perhaps you should er.......</p> <div>complete my silhouette.<br></br> <mdo:flash height="510" id="/content/99/12/tan1/1493.swf" width="600"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param> <param name="movie" value="/content/99/12/tan1/1493.swf"></param> <param name="flashplayerversion" value="7"></param> <param name="height" value="510"></param> <param name="width" value="600"></param> </mdo:flash></div> <div> <div style="clear: both;"> </div> </div> <br></br> <br></br> Can you work out how old I am?<br></br> <br></br> The story continues in <a href="http://nrich.maths.org/public/viewer.php?obj_id=1494&amp;part=index">World of Tan 4 - Monday Morning</a> .<br></br></mdoxml> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <mdoxml version="1.0"><mdo:image width="245" height="322" src="1493.gif" alt="Solution to Mai Ling"></mdo:image><br></br></mdoxml> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <mdoxml version="1.0">You may also like to:<br></br> <br></br> <ol> <li>Look at a Chinese 'abacus' and see how it differs from a Japanese or Russian one. Learn how to use one.</li> <li>Find other appropriate ways of describing Little Ming and Little Fung.</li> <li>Work out my age!</li> <li>Make lists of comparatives and superlatives - e.g. old, older, oldest tall, taller, tallest bright faint great bad many good beautiful much well ill&quot;</li> </ol> <br></br></mdoxml> 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 Can you fit the tangram pieces into the outline of Mai Ling? Mathematics Tools Tangram Using, Applying and Reasoning about Mathematics Practical Activity Transformations and their Properties Compound transformations Using, Applying and Reasoning about Mathematics Visualising Information and Communications Technology Interactivities