Why is Math Important for a Pirate?

Counting is very important if you want to be a wealthy pirate.

Finding buried treasure requires good counting and number sense.  How many steps does it take to get to the spot marked with an X?

When you have dug up the treasure, how do you divide it among the crew?

If you have many kinds of coins in your treasure, how do you make sure that you have the most valuable coins?  Is a piece of eight worth the same as a Maria Theresa silver Mexican dollar?

If you are cruising in your ship close to shore, say a Treasure Island, taking soundings is a must.  How many feet are in a fathom?  What’s the draft of your ship and how many fathoms under the keel are needed for you to not run aground?
Understanding angles is very useful if you want to navigate nearshore, or by the sun and the stars.

Every pirate needs math! (And no matter what your child dreams of being someday, you can enter the DreamBox “Dream Big” video contest here!)

Tags: DreamBox Dream Big video contest

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One Response to “Why is Math Important for a Pirate?”

1. Dawn@Moms Inspire Learning Says:
   September 25th, 2009 at 4:52 pm

   Great post! Now you have me thinking about possible picture books to go along with it…There are so many with pirate themes. One I can think of off the top of my head is Henry and the Buccaneer Bunnies, by Carolyn Crimi.

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