Mathematics Educators Weekly Newsletter - Thursday, October 20, 2016

Mathematics Educators newsletter

Top new questions this week: Does the "how old is the shepherd" phenomenon occur for more relatable word problems? A friend of mine just showed me this article about the "how old is the shepherd" problem: Link Of course, I'm shocked by the finding that 75 percent of kids give an answer other than "there isn't ... reference-request primary-education   asked by Tim kinsella 11 votes answered by Benjamin Dickman 11 votes Unified Modern Mathematics I'm seeking the textbooks that were released in the 1960's call Unified Modern Mathematics. I'm aware 3 parts of the course exist online but I would like to use them in hard copy form. I find these ... mathematical-pedagogy   asked by Jebussy 6 votes Ethics of looking at other proofs before submitting work I am in my third year of undergraduate math, and now that classes are becoming more proof-based, many of my homework questions are proofs of relatively basic concepts that can be found with a quick ... undergraduate-education mathematical-pedagogy proofs general-pedagogy homework   asked by Alex 6 votes answered by Tac-Tics 1 vote Importance of Simplifying Algebraic Expressions I need a convincing math problem or real-world example, to show that simplifying algebraic expressions such as $2x+7y-3+6y-9x-2$ is really important and profitable, and it's reasonable to learn how ... algebra   asked by Behzad 2 votes Greatest hits from previous weeks: What interesting properties of the Fibonacci sequence can I share when introducing sequences? The Fibonacci numbers are one of the first sequences given as examples of sequences in many calculus textbooks as they have a definition that does not obviously have a closed form and they have many ... calculus sequences   asked by Brian Rushton 20 votes answered by brendansullivan07 24 votes What do math majors (actually) do after graduation? It's the time of year for prospective college freshman in the US to make campus visits, and I'm once again confronted with my lamentable ignorance when the students and their parents ask, "So what do ... undergraduate-education   asked by Mark Meckes 42 votes answered by Jessica B 28 votes Should students be told they're wrong I base this question off where I got my motivation for math and science. Throughout several attempts in my junior years, I was able to design a perpetual motion machine, design a free energy device, ... secondary-education student-motivation students-mistakes   asked by Dane Bouchie 18 votes answered by Austin 47 votes

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