Can Numbers Be Fun?

May 7, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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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.

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Teaching Students Percentages Using the Game Percent Flash

February 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Everyone loves to play games especially children. This love of games can be used in the classroom when trying to teach difficult math concepts. Many teachers have started to develop math games that allow the children to use the math concepts they just learned in the classroom in a fun and informative way.

While a lot of the math games are developed around number recognition and figuring out how to add numbers there are multiple math games out there that allow children and students to use difficult math concepts in a fun way. Here is a look at one of the games that have been used to teach difficult math concepts such as percentages of various numbers.

This game is known as percent flash. Percent Flash requires the use of a deck of cards that does not have the face cards in it. The teacher will declare a percentage that the game will play with such as 50%. The teacher will take one card and ask that the students figure out the percentage for that one card. As the game progresses and children learn difficult percentages you can ask for 20% or 35%. You can also use more than one card and ask that the students add the numbers and figure out the percentage for that number. Two ways to keep score is to either reward for correct answers or to award the cards to the student and the one with the most cards wins.

This is a great game to get student to use mental math and figuring out various percentages on different numbers. It is a fun way to inspire children to want to learn and develop their skills in a difficult math concept.

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Teaching Math Through Weather

January 22, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The constant quest by educators to make math interesting and relevant to students has taken a new twist. Teachers are now leveraging the popularity of tornado chasing television shows and the extreme weather they feature to teach children how the stars of these shows use math skills to achieve success.

Some of these extreme weather chasers are even working the speaking circuit, putting on presentations for school kids. They show clips from the video they capture during their chases – images of tornados, large hail and more – to get the children’s attention. Then, they talk about the underlying math and science behind the atmospheric phenomena and the forecasts that predict it.

Meteorologists are required to have a very strong math background, even though they do not necessarily use a lot of those skills on a daily basis. In their day-to-day jobs, they rely more on computer forecasting models than anything. But the underlying knowledge is there to support what they do.

When asked, meteorologists give a variety of reasons for why they feel that math knowledge is important. They say the math helps provide a good understanding of the atmosphere, and that those meteorologists who focus their careers on research and weather modeling actually do use this math all the time. Other say the math background helps a good meteorologist better understand what the computer models are predicting.

In college, meteorologists are usually required to take three semesters of calculus and a semester of differential equations. Those who continue their studies toward a graduate degree must also take a partial differential equations course, and other courses upon reaching grad school.

So, as you can see, meteorologists need to truly understand math. Introducing students to the relation between math and storm chasing makes math cool, and hopefully it lays a strong foundation of interest in math for the next generation.

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Day to Day Math

October 20, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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Many people don’t know that having good math skills can help them significantly in everyday things. For example, understanding the odds of winning, can help you succeed at a casino or at sports betting sites. Or, at the very least, knowing and understanding these odds can help you not get as discouraged if you lose some money!

We all use math on a daily basis, though you may not think about it. For example, if you are counting carbs or calories, you’re using basic addition and subtraction to decide what you can and can’t eat. This is done both throughout the day, as well as on a meal to meal basis. When making a budget or balancing your checkbook, you’re also doing math. These are everyday things for most people and they are done without a second thought.

Many people think that they hate math. Realistically, this is probably not the case. Many people did not enjoy their math class while they were in school, but the day to day math that is done is different. Most are not bothered by the day to day math problems that we all deal with. In fact, some people highly enjoy these things, even if they did not enjoy their high school or college math classes.

Whether you find these daily activities fun, frustrating, or anything in between, they are things that generally have to be done. In fact, these chores can be seen as an educational tool. If you have kids, you can teach them that math is actually used on a day to day basis, and that it can be fun and easy to do. Taking this time to teach your children these principles will help them in the future, when they have to deal with these same math related items.

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Filed Under: Alexander Grothendieck, Education, Mathematics Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Fear of Mathematics

October 9, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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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.

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Filed Under: Alexander Grothendieck, Mathematics Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Math and the Job Market

October 6, 2010 by Leave a Comment
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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.

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