Math.Promo

Promoting math 'cause the universe runs on it...

“The Problem that Broke Math (and Led to Quantum Physic)”

This is a great video, not only because of delving into this:

Only by abandoning math’s connection to realty, could we discover reality’s true nature.

But, because it discusses some really intriguing history (e.g. math duels, with you job on the line) and how folks went about certain problems totally differently than we do today (e.g. using geometry to solve quadratic equations, versus symbols).

Way to go Geralamo Cardano!

P.S. BTW, the “job on the line” is why folks also hid their solutions…

Cross posted on my Nibbles Ninja blog.

Navigating Trigonometry Maze Problems

Supplementary Instruction session notesIf your trig course was like mine, at some point you’ll be asked to prove one side of an equation equals another side, simplify a trig forumula, etc., using identities.

Of course, this is true outside of trig too…so my recommended approaches work beyond just this one subset of mathematics.

Now, I used the word “maze” deliberately. If you go into a real world maze (or do a maze puzzle), sometimes you’ll go the wrong way…have to back up…and try again. That’s true with these problems too. Don’t feel defeated if your first, second, etc. attempt fails. Just back up and try again!

And, understand that it’ll become easier and easier over time, where just looking at a problem will give you an idea of what the best steps likely are.

What should you try (numbering does not imply order or importance): [Read More…]

Shortwave Decibels

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“When am I ever going to use this?” has been asked about various parts of math by students through history. Come on. Admit it. You asked it before, didn’t you? :-) Ever used decibels? Then, my friend, you have used logarithms! From … [Read more]