Beautiful Blackboards of Mathematicians
There’s something wonderful about chalk on a blackboard.
math
Not a real math problem
The New York Times on mathematicians talking about their hatred for the the 8 ÷ 2(2+2) = ? “problem.”
Cheryl’s Birthday Problem and Information Filtering
I love seeing teasers about math and logic gain popular appeal! Here’s the math (specifically, logic) problem that the internet is talking about today: You can get the full problem nicely presented on either The Guardian or The New York Times websites. A number of other sites are talking about it today, too. Just Google “Cheryl …
Cheryl’s Birthday Problem and Information Filtering Read More
Meet Zequals, a mental math tool
Can some simple rounding help us be more accurate and confident with mental math? The man behind this symbol proposes just that: And it turns out it’s fairly accurate: Basically, using some simplification of numbers we can do mental multiplication more accurately (generally). Confused by the squiggles and colors? Don’t be intimidated. Read more: Zequals: the new …
What is a “math person” anyway?
I’m struck by how many people will readily disavow their math skills with a single statement of “I’m not a math person.” You’ve heard it many times from friends, or perhaps from yourself. Maybe you’ve excused your way out of situations requiring calculation, geometrical thinking, or ratios. “I’m not a math person” seems like a …
RIP Mandelbrot, Father of Fractals
“Mandelbrot set” may sound like complicated math. But many of us already recognize these sets as “fractals” — a term that Dr. Mandelbrot coined. I remember reading about the Mandelbrot set in college. I didn’t realize at the time that Mandelbrot was still alive. Then as I read the New York Times today I came …
Beautiful & fun art + music + math
This is a hypnotic visualization of a music box. Watch and be mesmerized.
A puzzler
Replace each letter below with a digit to make the math correct: Contact me when you figure it out! (Puzzler courtesy of The Mensa Puzzle Calendar)
Slate.com: Are high schoolers lazy or stupid?
Take a look at this article entitled “They’re Not Stupid—They’re Lazy: The real reason American high-schoolers have such dismal test scores.” It continues to highlight the problems of incentive-driven testing. “When states begin imposing penalties for failure, it makes a difference—sometimes a big one. Look at Texas: In 2004, results counted toward graduation for the …