Mississippi Math A3.S.45
The Standard
Analyze expressions in summation and factorial notation to solve problems.
2025 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Mathematics · Apply Trigonometry to General Triangles
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students read a summation expression, list its terms, and add them. They expand factorials and use them to count ordered arrangements.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given Σ_{k=1}^4(k+2), a student writes 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 and gets 18. They use 4! = 24 to count lineups of four different people and explain why the number of choices drops each time.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may multiply the terms in a sum or leave out the term at the upper limit. Some stop a factorial at 2 or multiply by 0.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A club sells k + 2 tickets on day k for four days. Write and evaluate the total using summation notation, then find the number of ways four volunteers can line up using factorial notation.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give groups four different name cards; have them make lineups and count all possible lineups using 4 × 3 × 2 × 1.
Ask students to write why Σ_{k=1}^4 k has four terms but equals 10.
Give pairs cards with Σ_{k=1}^3(k+1), 3!, 2+3+4, 9, and 6; have them match equal values.
Post a five-day step-count table; have students write a summation expression for the total and calculate it.
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Printable A3.S.45 Worksheet
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