The big ideaMore years can beat a bigger start, because growth builds on growth.
How it works
Mia and Leo's gentle garden has one rule: each year, one new coin for every ten inside.
Mia planted 100 coins at twenty. Leo kept his in a pouch, where coins do not grow, and planted 200 at thirty.
Leo planted double Mia's start, but Mia's coins grew for thirty years and his for twenty.
Time did the work. A bigger start helps, and it is never too late to start, but time is the part nobody can buy back.
Mia's garden at 30, 40 and 50.Leo's garden at 30, 40 and 50.
Example 1: The gentle rule
A garden holds 300 coins.
300 holds 30 tens.
So 30 new coins come each year.
Example 2: Ahead at forty
Mia holds 655 and Leo holds 514.
655 − 514 = 141.
Mia leads by 141 coins.
Example 3: Ahead at fifty
Mia holds 1694 and Leo holds 1326.
1694 − 1326 = 368.
Mia leads by 368, and the lead keeps growing.
Example 4: To match Mia
Mia's garden held 256 coins at thirty.
Leo planted 200.
256 − 200 = 56, so he needed 56 more to match her.
Words to know
start
The coins you plant at the beginning.
years of growth
How long the coins stay in the garden.
pouch
Where Leo kept coins that did not grow.
Watch out
A bigger start does not always win. Ten more years beat a double start.
Coins in a pouch do not grow. Only coins in the garden do.
Both gardens follow one rule, so whoever starts ahead stays ahead.
The garden is made up. Real ones are not so smooth, and nothing is promised.
Try it
A garden holds 200 coins. How many new coins come in a year?
At forty Mia has 655 and Leo has 514. How far ahead is Mia?
Why did Mia end up with more than Leo?
Mia's garden grew from 655 to 1694. By how much?
Answers: 1. 20 · 2. 141 · 3. Her coins had ten more years to grow · 4. 1039
Try at homeWith a grown-up, talk about something they started early, like a skill or a hobby. What did the extra time do for it? Then name one small thing to begin now.
For grown-upsAsk a grown-up about something they started early, like a skill or a hobby. What did the extra time do for it? Then name one small thing to begin now. The gardens are pretend.
Open these notes on screenScan the code, or go to tutorpip.com.