Mathematics Educators Weekly Newsletter - Thursday, May 28, 2015

Mathematics Educators newsletter

Top new questions this week: How best to explain the logarithm to the mathematically naive? Suppose you need to explain "What is a logarithm?" to an intelligent but math-phobic adult (or a student well-prior to her introduction to logarithms).1 I have used base-$10$, saying that, ... mathematical-pedagogy secondary-education logarithm   asked by Joseph O'Rourke 9 votes answered by JoeTaxpayer 5 votes The purpose of mathematics in a liberal education when it is not a prerequisite to other subjects Suppose a calculus classroom is full of students majoring in Classical Greek or music or literature or sociology or pre-medical studies or any of many subjects that do not require the course as a ... calculus syllabus liberal-education   asked by Michael Hardy 9 votes answered by yoniLavi 4 votes Counterexamples to "stable digit" theory of error estimates When covering issues related to error estimates in a calculus course, students find the technique of making estimates (definition of limit, Newton's method, numerical integration, remainder formula ... calculus student-motivation examples   asked by KCd 7 votes answered by Adam 8 votes Sources for embedding secondary math into technical classes? I've taken a job for the next school year, which will involve embedding secondary math (algebra, geometry and trigonometry) into technical programs such as drafting and electrician school. Does ... reference-request technology-in-education   asked by Jeffrey L. 6 votes answered by Joseph O'Rourke 3 votes Teaching the History of Mathematics in High School Is any time being spent on the history of mathematics in high school classes today? Few observations as a student - I had to discover Cantor many years after I was introduced to set theory. I had ... mathematical-pedagogy secondary-education history history-of-math   asked by Karthik Thiagarajan 6 votes answered by Cameron Williams 7 votes Introduction to Topology for 11 year olds I am planning a 1-hour lesson for a group of 20 11 year olds. I would like to expose them to topology, as an area of research-level mathematics that could be accessible to them. I want to convince ... secondary-education topology   asked by Jeremy Judge 5 votes answered by Karl 3 votes Open Education Resources We will be hosting an Open Education Resources workshop at the college where I work. I am one of the two faculty that uses OERs and was asked to speak about the pros and cons of using OER. What ... textbooks   asked by Kyriakos Kypriotakis 5 votes answered by Sue VanHattum 0 votes Greatest hits from previous weeks: Student Project about Prime Numbers: How to Continue? I know a talented, enthusiastic, and very very hard-wroking 7th grade student, who began working on a research project about prime numbers a month ago. He has written numerous Pascal programs to ... secondary-education prime-numbers   asked by Behzad 7 votes answered by 200_success 6 votes A parabolic arc is not semicircular. But students think so I'm teaching a Calc 2 class now (integration and applications) and I'm surprised that more than a handful of students seem to think the graph of $y=x^2$ on $-1\le x\le 1$ is part of a circle! Here is ... undergraduate-education calculus geometry students-mistakes   asked by brendansullivan07 12 votes answered by NiloCK 11 votes

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