Math is an Attitude

[housetier]

I just stumbledupon curiousmath.com, a web site about neat tricks you can do with math. It explains how to easily compute certain operations in your brain.

I does not seem to aim at the math professionals alone, but especially to those who feel uneasy when it comes to numbers. I haven't explored it very much yet, but I already learned an interesting fact about dividing by 7...

I recommend this because I think there are far too many people with an irrational (no pun intended) fear of numbers or algebra. As soon as they see a formular or have to calculate something, their brains lock up; but at the same time, most of these people manage to lead a household or go shopping without problems. I hope this site may help them to overcome this block.

[Eóin]

Needless to say I loved this site, great find.

[housetier]

Of course we can't be all nice all the time, so here is a different page that makes fun of all the mathematically "challenged" out there. Please don't be too offended though.

I mean while their solutions would seem painfully wrong, they did follow certain rules to arrive at the solution. The rules applied weren't the ones taught so the result was wrong, but I think some of these folks should get credit for consistency or at least creativity:

six = 6

[zridling]

Darn. The site wouldn't display properly in IE7, and I couldn't get any of the topics to open in Opera. I ain't installing a third browser for it. Too bad.

[tsaint]

I'm a bit worried about the limit(x-^-1 as x->8 being equal to infinity. I'd think the limit doesn't exist.
Think I like the student answer better than the teacher example

Of course we can't be all nice all the time, so here is a different page that makes fun of all the mathematically "challenged" out there. Please don't be too offended though.

I mean while their solutions would seem painfully wrong, they did follow certain rules to arrive at the solution. The rules applied weren't the ones taught so the result was wrong, but I think some of these folks should get credit for consistency or at least creativity:

six = 6

[housetier]

What, MORE Math?

Why of course! Mathematics is a wide field, it has so many branches and differentiations, you don't live long enough to learn it all.


Ok now I am scared!

Don't be! Math can be interesting, sometimes even fun. And once you figure out how the stock exchange REALLY works, it will be worth it (if you'll excuse my pun). Go watch the movie "Pi".

Now, to some non-scary math: Numberspiral.com plays with numbers on a spiral. Robert Sacks then steps back to take a different look at this spiral, then zooms in again on various details.

Then come explainations in normal and math-speak. If you take it step by step I think you will be follow him.


Wow I am so impressed!

It is impressive, and pretty with all the diagrams. But I think some of it is just coincidence. With so many numbers involved it is easy to find "rules" and "regularity". However, this is just my opinion. Please do enjoy math!

And: Spirals are dang fascinating I must admit. This circularity thing keeps my brains spinning around and round (if you would excuse another poor play with words).


Note

I STOLE the pictures from Number Spiral. They belong to Robert Sacks or whomever.

[app103]

Of course we can't be all nice all the time, so here is a different page that makes fun of all the mathematically "challenged" out there. Please don't be too offended though.

I mean while their solutions would seem painfully wrong, they did follow certain rules to arrive at the solution. The rules applied weren't the ones taught so the result was wrong, but I think some of these folks should get credit for consistency or at least creativity:

six = 6

I am not offended. But I think maybe now that you are done having fun and laughing at us, it's time to learn a little about what makes us tick.

http://www.dyscalculia.org/thesis.html

It's not easy for some of us, and you wouldn't believe how many common everyday things take a math ability to do.

Some of us struggle everyday to do the things you take for granted. 

Some of us are having our dreams crushed by something others find simple to understand.

[Eóin]

I'm a bit worried about the limit(x-^-1 as x->8 being equal to infinity. I'd think the limit doesn't exist.

I believe that while (x-^1 for x = 8 doesn't exist, the limit as x tends towards 8 does, and that limit is infinity.

[housetier]

Some of us struggle everyday to do the things you take for granted. 
Some of us are having our dreams crushed by something others find simple to understand.

I am special as well, but I laugh about it. I chose not to be sad about my disabilities, as I have seen that everybody has quirks and oddities, and nobody is the same; so that makes us all equal.

I crack jokes about ethnic minorities, handicapped, "challenged", geeks, nerds, men, women, kids, animals, foreigners, fellow Germans, my family, my friends, and myself. I try to treat everybody the same. If you want to stick out, that's fine, but I wont give you special treatment because I dont think you are that special anyway.

[Rover]

I am not offended. But I think maybe now that you are done having fun and laughing at us, it's time to learn a little about what makes us tick.

http://www.dyscalculia.org/thesis.html

Does dyscalculia make people design hard to read web pages too? 

Sorry I just couldn't resist.  That page is very hard to read with the background a blue italics.

[tsaint]

I'm a bit worried about the limit(x-^-1 as x->8 being equal to infinity. I'd think the limit doesn't exist.

I believe that while (x-^1 for x = 8 doesn't exist, the limit as x tends towards 8 does, and that limit is infinity.

I was led to believe that a limit only existed pv the left limit equalled the right limit, which isn't the case here. This case is completely unlike eg lim x->2 (x-4)/(x^2-4x) where there's a discontinuity at x=2 but the lim equals 1/2

[Eóin]

I was led to believe that a limit only existed pv the left limit equalled the right limit, which isn't the case here.

Ah yes, excellent point and I stand corrected. I suppose you could add "x belongs to [0,8)" and then perhaps it'd be ok but thats moving the goal posts .

[Carol Haynes]

I'm a bit worried about the limit(x-^-1 as x->8 being equal to infinity. I'd think the limit doesn't exist.
Think I like the student answer better than the teacher example

Actually I agree with you ... infinity isn't a limit. If there are limits for y=1/(x- they are x=8 because x can never actually equal 8 but can approach as close as you like and y=0 as y can never equal 0. Here is a quick and dirty graph ...



Technically x=8 and y=0 are called discontinuities - not limits.

A limit is like somone walking towards a fixed point but each step covers half the distance - they will never reach their target but the target is the limit !

[housetier]

Someone posted a lot of math jokes at the Durham University Mathematical Society. They are not all very funny, but some I liked for obscure reasons. 

(...)I'll do algebra, I'll do trig, and I'll even do statistics, but graphing is where I draw the line!

I am sure you have your favorites too

[Eóin]

Some of those are quite good. On the subject of Math jokes, here is a collection I compiled a while back.