Most Popular
1500 questions
9
votes
3 answers
Framework for Compound Inequalities
I have been presenting compound inequalities like
$3 < x < 7$
as being a shorter way of saying
$3 < x$ and $x < 7$.
From this point of view, though, I end up having to admit that it is okay to write
$7 > x < 4$
even though it "simplifies"…
Chris Cunningham
- 21,474
- 6
- 63
- 148
9
votes
1 answer
The Lord of the Fields
In our department, something is growing up into the darkness. A dark power which seduces my colleagues and their students one by one and leads them into the shadow. Those whose hearts are corrupted by this culture try to prove their research field…
user230
9
votes
2 answers
Can some lovers of math truly never create something previously unseen?
Can someone truly love math, and master and remember discovered calculations, counterexamples, proofs; but still fail to invent anything new (e.g. incapacity to prove anything unseen, calculate something that demands new tricks, or discover…
user155
9
votes
1 answer
Experimental results about the variability of grades on a math exam
"[Myth] that exams are objectively graded. Daniel Stark and Edward Elliot sent two English essays to 200 high school teachers for grading. They got back 142 grades. For one paper, the grades ranged from 50 to 99; for the other, the grades went from…
Elle Najt
- 341
- 1
- 9
9
votes
4 answers
Why is set theory not taught at the outset of math education?
A beginner in math, reading Badiou, I found the following quote on set theory in Being and Event:
The axiomatization consists in fixing the usage of the relation of belonging, $\in$, to which the entire lexicon of mathematics can finally be…
Ken
9
votes
1 answer
Odd or Even-Numbered Answers in Textbooks
Why do some math (and science) textbooks/solution books only include answers to odd- or even-numbered problems?
Some textbooks have a separately purchased answer book with the missing answers, while others only include odd or even-numbered answers…
pythoncoder42
- 193
- 1
- 5
9
votes
6 answers
What are the reasons for “math fear”?
I perceive that among the general population the belief that mathematics is some sort of highly intellectual esoteric subject is still quite prevalent. After studying math proper I've discovered that even though the notation might look weird…
mavavilj
- 191
- 5
9
votes
3 answers
Why teach reference angles?
Reference angles are most useful for limited trigonometric tables with values from 0 to $\frac{\pi}{2}$. They can also help illustrate the periodicity of trigonometric functions, but I feel this is done more effectively with graphing. Should we…
futurebird
- 665
- 3
- 14
9
votes
2 answers
Recommendation for an introductory operations research book
In the spring I'll be teaching introductory operations research at an undergraduate liberal arts college in the US. The target audience consists of applied math majors and students in our interdisciplinary mathematics/economics major. The students…
ncr
- 2,986
- 1
- 13
- 10
9
votes
1 answer
Is it possible for me to learn math if I cannot process information in an abstract way?
I have autistic spectrum disorder / Asperger's syndrome (diagnosed by a psychiatrist). Also I have ADHD.
I have trouble processing information in an abstract way. I can only think visually. I am good at programming. I am bad at math.
I want to do…
PostingAsAGuest
- 91
- 1
9
votes
5 answers
Electronic devices to replace pencil and paper
My question is similar to this one: https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1833459/math-without-pencil-and-paper Except I'm not physically disabled.
Pencil and paper have been used for centuries to calculate things. It works, but it is not…
Stand with Gaza
- 333
- 1
- 8
9
votes
3 answers
A4 paper of notes in an exam
What are the effects of allowing students take one paper, say of A4 size, full of whatever they want, into an exam? It might be called a cheat sheet or something similar. Students might write it by hand, they might copy one from someone else, they…
Tommi
- 7,018
- 2
- 25
- 54
9
votes
2 answers
Textbook search: learning the math required to read the newspaper
TL;DR: do you know of an undergrad textbook that covers numeracy with an emphasis on genuine context (as opposed to the artificial word problems that are all too common)?
Less concisely:
I am an instructor in the US, teaching in a large, research …
David Steinberg
- 3,890
- 18
- 36
9
votes
1 answer
What is the term for the marks used to show congruence in geometric figures?
When looking at a given picture to be used in a geometric proof, often times single, double, or triple "slashes" mark off equal line segments or arcs. What is the correct term for these? I've seen hatch marks, hash marks, tick marks, tic marks,…
Elem-Teach-w-Bach-n-Math-Ed
- 464
- 3
- 10
9
votes
6 answers
Motivation in School
I live in Brazil and here we have some problems with teaching mathematics in High School. In some point of the students' life (I think it happens in the 5th grade), they start "hating mathematics" and, at least here, it's totally acceptable. So…
Luísa Borsato
- 191
- 3