Recreations | Fun With Numbers

Can Numbers Be Fun?

: Image via Wikipedia

Studying math in school isn’t commonly considered fun. Children and adults alike may struggle with basic and complex computations, even when they have a good grasp of mathematics. Can numbers be fun? Fun With Numbers, a blog dedicated to celebrated mathematician Andrew Grothendieck, says yes.

Math doesn’t have to feel like a frightening entity, a subject best-reserved for brainy, scientific minds. Fun With Numbers explores how math affects even the ordinary and the everyday, everything from bank loans to the boiling point of water. Using the ideas expressed by Andrew Grothendieck, Fun With Numbers shows that math can be a recreational activity, not just a subject to be studied in school. Grothendieck is a celebrity in the world of mathematics, an award-winning scientist who later refused to accept the many honors heaped upon him.

From competitive math to every day computations, Fun With Numbers explains how math relates to daily life in a casual, relatable way that makes mathematics approachable and easy. Want to pay off a mortgage sooner, become a master at casino games online, figure out how much that auto insurance policy really costs for the coverage it provides? Fun With Numbers shows readers how to do all of this and more. Readers will even have the opportunity to explore competitive math, a world that most people will never experience.

It isn’t just about recognizing math; it’s about knowing exactly how to use it, too. Fun With Numbers helps to turn math into a game, making it easier to grasp the concept of using numbers. It is possible to be entertained by math, and that’s just what this Grothendieck-centric blog explores. The famed mathematician has lived reclusively since 1991, but his ideas and his way with numbers is still the stuff of math legend. Can numbers be fun? Fun With Numbers proves that they are.

Filed Under: Alexander Grothendieck, Mathematics Tagged With: Books and Worksheets, Child, Education, Homework Help, Math, Mathematics, Recreations, Teaching Resources

Mathematics and us

Mathematics is a subject of numbers. Mathematics is an important subject which we start studying from the age of four or five. This subject teaches us how to use numbers accurately. Mathematics is inseparable part of our lives. All our life we use numbers in some way or the other. Nowadays the virtual world of internet and gaming has geared up the need of mathematics. Some of the famous games are all about number probability. If a person knows how and where to use numbers then it becomes easy for them to succeed in such games. Even for handling business one has to continuously make transactions and investments which again call for the need of mathematics.

Mathematics is a game of numbers. Using the numbers right is all what is needed. There is a major need of mathematics while handling personal finances. If a person is not good in handling numbers then they can increase their capability through brain storming activities. Practice and dedication is needed to increase the mathematical capabilities. One should also keep testing their mathematical skills. There are many options opened for the ones who are well versed in mathematics. They can pursue career in subjects such as bio technology, statistics, applied economics etc. The list does not end here. There are a huge lot of options opened for students and professionals who can handle tricky sums easily. Good understanding of the basics of mathematics is essential for pursuing career in this field. Logical thinking is also needed for solving tough mathematical problems. The world of mathematics is full of challenge and excitement. Challenge is to take up the sums and excitement lies in solving them. It is all about using the numbers correctly. Mathematical world appears to be mysterious for the people who can take up any kind of sum without hesitation.

Filed Under: Alexander Grothendieck, Mathematics, Numbers, Recreation Tagged With: Education, Math, Mathematics, Number theory, Recreations

The Fear of Mathematics

: Image via Wikipedia

Arithmophobia, math anxiety, math phobia–call it what you will but MSNBC estimates that 1 in 2 Americans experience the fear of mathematics. If you look at a math problem, get sweaty palms, and have the urge to give up almost immediately, then you probably have this phobia. Experts attribute this fear of mathematics to be perpetuated by math avoidance, misconceptions, and poor performance. This math avoidance encourages, not prevents future anxiety just as an actress with stage fright would not get better by avoiding acting roles.

Managing math anxiety starts with clearing up misconceptions regarding math.

Myth #1: Math is only used by mathematicians and elite scientists.
Painters use geometry to balance shapes and vantage points. The sales associate puts together metrics to measure performance, and figures out how many calls to make, the average order value, and more to determine their success. The cook measures the precise amount of flour, yeast, baking soda, salt, and other agents to give the proper leaven for the bread to rise and cuts the recipe in half if feeding fewer people. Math is used every day, and when learned, it can prevent big headaches rather than cause them.

Myth #2: Math is an innate trait.
Math is learned just as walking is. Some learn faster than others, but hard work determines mathematical ability more than genetics. The talented pianist is not born to play piano, but must spend hours practicing technique and rhythm, just as a math problem must be worked through in various forms for the brain to understand and apply the concept.

Myth #3: Math takes too long.
This myth is partially true, but when looked at, seems to be more of a problem of math not being relevant. Math is a universal language spoken in various mobile devices, computers, cars, televisions, iPods, and more. When math is understood it can be enabling and build confidence that spills over to other subjects.

If these myths are not tackled then math will be feared, avoided, and more feared creating a perpetual, negative spiral.

Filed Under: Alexander Grothendieck, Mathematics Tagged With: Education, Geometry, Homework Help, Math, Mathematics, Phobia, Recreations, Teaching Resources

Math and the Job Market

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Most kids have a strong reaction to math: they either love it, or hate it. The kids who love math will always have an affinity for numbers, knowing how to use them and work with them to do what they want. The kids who hate math may do everything they can to shy away from it, have difficulty remembering basic formulas and forget how to use it even in the simplest ways. Here’s the real problem with that: math is used in almost every job, and it’s definitely used by everyone every day.

High school students, particularly, like to argue that they don’t need to learn math because they’re working toward a career which doesn’t include the subject. And in most cases, the students making that argument are completely wrong. Math and the job market are inextricably linked, as a matter of fact.

Ask any bartender how to make a martini, and they’ll start throwing out measurements. The recipe calls for 2/3 this, 1/3 that and so many drops of something else. Bottom line – it’s a mathematical problem. Ask a delivery driver how many miles their car gets to the gallon, and they’ll give you an answer because their livelihood depends on making good time for less money-¦and it takes math to work that out to create an efficient, profitable delivery route. Math-related jobs aren’t always overt. Numbers are found professionally outside many fields that aren’t science, engineering and architecture.

Even writers have to know how to use math and numbers, professionals who work all day on the art of words. Editors and publishers ask for specific word counts, and writers have to know how to figure that out and how to make it happen. Few jobs require absolutely no math skills at all. Even hotdog vendors are independent businessmen, who must know enough math to figure up their expenses and profits to know what they should charge. Math and the job market go hand in hand-¦so there’s no reason not to start studying right now.

Filed Under: Mathematics Tagged With: Books and Worksheets, Education, Homework Help, Math, Mathematics, Recreations, Regional and School, Teaching Resources

When Numbers and Letters Combine

: Image via Wikipedia

Math is confusing enough. Why are there so many formulas filled not just with numbers, but with letters too? Algebra and geometry, two separate disciplines, are well-known for mixing letters and numbers into the most basic, fundamental equations. Numbers like Pi, E and number-rich formulas (E=mcÂ², anyone?) make math seem even more like a foreign language, an incomprehensible subject, an insurmountable feat. But Andrew Grothendieck didn’t look at it that way, and anyone can learn how to master some his tricks and his approaches to the world of mathematics.

Grothendieck was a pioneer in the fields of algebra and geometry. Well-known in academic and mathematic circles, Grothendieck was a strangely reclusive math hero, who spent his entire life studying his favorite subject. Grothendieck was also a man of strong political and social convictions, which may have contributed to his eventual refusal of all prizes and rewards in the world of academic math. What Grothendieck stood for mathematically is much simpler to grasp: study the numbers, play with the numbers, have fun with the numbers. Math doesn’t have to be scary-in fact, it can be kind of great.

Understanding math is the first step toward having fun with it, and there are few people who understand math as well as Andrew Grothendieck. In algebraic and geometrical equations, the letters are actually representative of numbers. Some of the letters, like Pi, have a specific and known numeric value. Most of the numbers, such as the popular x and y, represent unknown variables. Using algebraic formulas to discover these unknowns is a little bit like solving a mystery-and it is kind of fun to have that kind of power over numbers.

When numbers and letters combine in a single problem, things start to look more complex than they really are. Remember that all the letters are really just numbers, usually secret numbers that are just waiting to be discovered.

Filed Under: Mathematics Tagged With: Algebra, Education, Foreign language, Geometry, Math, Mathematics, Recreations, Teaching Resources

Why Basic Mathematics Skills are Important

: Image via Wikipedia

The vast majority of students will not become scientists, mathematicians or engineers. Why does a strong foundation in basic mathematics skills matter? The answer has much to do with our shrinking job base in manufacturing and low skill jobs. The jobs of our new economy increasingly demand the use and understanding of technological tools and concepts. These tools and concepts are better put to use by those who have a sound grounding in elementary and high school mathematics.

Many jobs now require employees who can understand project data, including interpreting graphs and charts. Some positions require understanding of how the concepts of expenditures and income affect a budget. A price increase of, let’s say, five percent may make a project infeasible after all the numbers are analyzed. Job seekers who possess these basic skills will have an advantage in the marketplace. Those who don’t possess these skills will face increasingly difficult odds.

Aside from the purely defensive point of view of getting left behind by increasing job market competition, these basic skills will make the individual a better citizen. Participation in civic life will be more rich, meaningful and rewarding for those who have passed a threshold of basic mathematics skills. The government’s tax policies, national energy policy and budget deficits affect everybody. A full understanding of these issues hinge on a grasp of basic mathematics.

Mathematics teaches some basic functional skills such as reasoning and problem-solving. Innovation and discovery are suppressed and in many cases choked to death without the proper exposure to instruction in basic skills.

The world we live in today with electronic tools at almost everyone’s disposal may give some a false sense of security. Even with tools such as calculators and computers to handle much of the computation, being able to identify the necessary operations is still important.

Finally, those a with a decent background in basic arithmetic and mathematical concepts are less likely to be conned by sophisticated marketing that attempts to mislead by the clever use of numbers.

Filed Under: Mathematics Tagged With: Basic skills, Competitions, Education, Magazines, Math, Mathematics, Recreations, Research