Mathematics Educators Stack Exchange
Mathematics Educators Stack Exchange

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Statistics, for the mathematically rigorous

I don't know where I can find a rigorous statistics course or textbook. The closest thing I can think of is measure-theoretic probability theory, but I wouldn't really call that "statistics". By 'close to statistics', I mean something that, although…
John Clever
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Question about function notation

In the textbook I am using to teach mathematics to high school students I found the following illustration about composition of functions. I do not agree with this illustration. For me $g$ is the slicer, $g(x)$ is the sliced potato, $f$ is the…
Ferenc Beleznay
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Is there a name for paths that follow gridlines?

I'm writing up an activity where students are looking at pathlengths that follow along gridlines. Is there a word or phrase that is commonly used to describe those paths, but doesn't include diagonals? I'll probably call them 'grid line paths',…
David Elm
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How should exam scores correlate to final grades?

Updated: The first version of this question was implicitly assuming that we know in advance roughly what the distribution of grades in a class will be (for instance, roughly the same as last year). This assumption wasn't actually essential to the…
Henry Towsner
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Can we skip Newton's Method?

I am teaching an introductory calculus course for high school juniors and seniors. It is not formally described as an AP Calculus course, but it is supposed to map roughly onto Calculus AB. The students needed more review of algebra, trigonometry,…
Amos Hunt
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What to do when uncertain about a question while tutoring

I tutor various math subjects online for a large tutoring company. I know that as a math tutor, it's my responsibility to be able to explain any concept in a way that makes sense to the student, or to be able to ask them the appropriate questions…
FoiledIt24
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Math activities for fast-finishers

I am a math teacher for sixth graders and I am trying to think of some strategies to keep the students who finish their work quickly productively occupied. I would like to have a selection of activities - including games, projects, etc. Any ideas of…
Burt
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If a computer could be programmed to do a math test, then should those tests be changed?

Not only do calculators have solving capabilities, but some computer programs or websites also provide step-by-step solutions to questions (here is WolframAlpha's). Although I understand a logical approach to doing questions, where one step leads to…
user13544
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Fear of notation and hazily-appeared writing in Mathematics

I am looking for literature related to fear of notation in mathematics. It is even heard that the font size and font type make a reader reluctant to study mathematical literature, often lecture notes, book has hazily-appeared (poor formatting,also…
Consider Non-Trivial Cases
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Generating system of equations with unique solutions

I have a similar problem addressed in System of Equations Generator. What I need is an automatic way of generating a system of equations with unique solutions, but the equations are not exclusively linear. The method of working backwards, by…
Chaotic
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"Feynman effect" in teaching mathematics

In his book "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman", Richard Feynman relates the following story. As he was supervising a group of calculators for Manhattan project, he at some point gave them a lecture on what they were actually calculating. He claimed…
Kostya_I
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Geometrical interpretation of the identity $\operatorname{lcm}(a,b) \operatorname{gcf}(a,b) = ab$

Does anyone know a good geometrical representation of the fact that $\DeclareMathOperator{lcm}{lcm}\DeclareMathOperator{gcf}{gcf}\lcm(a,b) \gcf(a,b) = ab$? Because $\lcm$ and $\gcf$ are abstract concepts, it's often difficult to provide insight to…
Jonas Gomes
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Do you have an efficient way to view student responses to remote assignments allowing them to type math symbols and steps? (Middle + High school)

Asking for a friend, this seems generally useful given #distanceLearning right now. Below is her message in a quote block followed by my response. I am using Google Classroom, G-sheets, G-Docs, G-Forms, to teach my 8th graders remotely. These are…
E_Rushton
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The Future of Worksheets - will they still be used or abandoned?

I run a German website for mathematics education. We produce lessons, each of which contains various kinds of media, such as an introduction, videos, wikis, software, worksheets, and online tests. We have started to produce more material for…
Avatar
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A Question about Theodore Frankel's "The Geometry of Physics"

Locked up in my self-distancing isolation in NYC, I'm reminded of how much I really like Frankel's book, which contains a wealth of beautiful geometry and topology from the standpoint of a mathematically minded physics student. It contains so much…
The Mathemagician
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