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Mandatory numeracy tests have become commonplace in many countries, heralding a new era in school assessment. New forms of accountability and an increased emphasis on national and international standards (and benchmarks) have the potential to reshape mathematics curricula, It is noteworthy that the mathematics items used in these tests are rich in graphics. Many of the items, for example, require students to have an understanding of information graphics (for example, maps, charts and graphs) in order to solve the tasks. This investigation classifies mathematics items in Australia's inaugural national numeracy tests and considers the effect such standardised testing will have on practice. It is argued that the design of mathematics items is more likely to be a reliable indication of student performance if graphical, linguistic and contextual components are considered both in isolation and in integrated ways as essential elements of task design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnitude-frequency analysis by the Gumbel method of temperature records at 166 Australian stations produced data for maps of extreme temperatures at recurrence intervals of 1.58, 2.33, five, ten, twenty-five, fifty, and 100 years on the annual series, plus a generalized map of actual values for the 100-year interval. Whereas the extremes for recurrence intervals up to about twenty-five years conform well to the Theory of Extreme Values, those for greater recurrence intervals produce convex-upward graphs, suggesting a similarity to Gumbel's Type III probability. In sonic parts of the continent ranges between the 1.58-year and the 100-year extremes are small. Graphs for some very exposed coastal stations flatten abruptly in their upper ranges. Sample occurrences of absolute extremes at selected stations involved unusual transport of cTW air from the interior at low levels across the coastlands in association with patterns of cyclonicity and anticyclonicity that for the most part contrast with most frequent patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An air mass frequency model is constructed to facilitate the formulation of a genetic classification of climate. The model uses Venn diagrams to distinguish three basic climatic regimes, each determined by the relative dominance of air masses: the dominant regimes, where a single air mass dominates all year; the seasonal regimes, determined by seasonally dominant air masses; and the compound regimes, with no dominant air mass. Different climates within each regime are distinguished by actual air mass types. Monthly air mass dominance is determined from actual station surface data for application of the model to world climates. This is completed by analysis of monthly data plotted on modified climographs and by the construction of a monthly air mass identification chart. The proposed system is illustrated by Australian data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on CensusAtSchool, a database developed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics that contain answers to questions that students have provided, which they can use to investigate questions that may interest them. Involvement of schools; Benefits to students, including the stimulation of their curiosity; Utilization of the data to draw and use graphs.

Philip A Blandis tracking falling meteorites with a crafty camera system that spots their trails, takes photographs, records sounds and measures a light curve– without waiting to be told. Meteorites contain a record of processes ranging from the pre-solar stellar evolution of our galactic neighbourhood, to protoplanetary disk formation and evolution, and the accretion and differentiation of planetesimals and protoplanets in the early solar system. But unlike geologists, planetary scientists must interpret this unique record with no spatial context to help them: with precise orbital data for only four samples, we don't really know where individual meteorites come from. Camera networks, designed to calculate orbits and fall positions of meteorites based on observations of fireballs, have been in operation for several decades but have recovered only a small number of samples– meteorites are very difficult to find in vegetated areas. We intend to remedy this problem by siting a network in a place where we already know we can recover meteorites– the Nullarbor desert of Western Australian. Our first camera was installed at a test site in Australia in October 2003 and has performed flawlessly since that date, taking images of fireballs, several large enough to have dropped meteorites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]