Math Links for Week Ending Dec. 27th, 2013

I really like Arthur Benjamin. Not just because he was a featured speaker at OAME 2011 (of which I was the Co Chair), but also because he is pretty good at mental computation and also thinks that knowing probability & statistics is more important than knowing calculus. And now he has done his third TED talk, this time on Fibonacci. And I know there are all kinds of videos on Fibonacci out there but I really like the way he connects the geometric to the numeric. A good video for anyone teaching about sequences or patterns.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MCR3U, MCF3M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjSHVDfXHQ4

You can never have too much data or too many good representations of data. Here you can find a collection of some of the best graphs dealing with behavioural science. And although its not new, probably my favourite is the one on water consumption in Edmonton during the 2010 Olympic gold medal game. This is certainly good for any classes looking at interpreting graphs.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MCF3M, MDM4U, MAP4C
http://economicspsychologypolicy.blogspot.ie/2013/12/the-15-best-behavioural-science-graphs.html

Need some data on linear relations? Want to use technology in your classrooms? Have a video camera of some sort? Been to an airport? If you have answered yes to any of these questions then take a look at this link where someone was bored at the airport and collected some simple linear data. This data exists all over (not just airports) and this post shows how you can use the Tracker software to analyze any motion.
Curriculum Tags: MFM1P, MPM1D
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/12/video-analysis-at-an-airport/

More great data visualizations that could be called art.
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U
http://www.buzzfeed.com/h2/fbad/levis/awesome-ways-data-has-been-turned-into-art

And if you haven't had enough data on this week's links, how about more evidence that the up and coming field to get into is data scientist.
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U
http://sciencereview.berkeley.edu/the-berkeley-institute-for-data-science-everyone-is-going-to-have-to-become-a-data-scientist/

In grade 9 we have to connect the algebraic form of Pythagorean Theorem to the geometric. This video tries to do just that. Thanks to Corrie Silva for this one
Curriculum Tags: MPM1D, MFM1P
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaj0XcLtN5c

A relatively new video from Vi Hart on logarithms. I totally love the way she starts with simple addition and works her way to logarithms. At first you don't see the connection but I think the payoff at the end is worth it.
Curriculum Tags: MHF4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-7tcTIrers

Oh BatDad, you are funny.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhWoQFtxKyo

I have spoken a few times over the last few weeks about Simon Singh and his new book about math and the Simpsons. Here he is on Numberphile to talk about it (and Futurama)
Curriculum Tags: All
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJDiZi9dqOg

Everyone needs a bit of trig humour.
Curriculum Tags: MPM2D, MFM2P, MCR3U, MCF3M, MBF3C
https://twitter.com/MathsForMasses/status/411033916791726080/photo/1

Surely we can come up with a nice topical question on percents given this holiday sale
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MFM1P, MPM1D
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1536703_10202950354665802_493920908_n.jpg

And finally something to put you in the holiday spirit. I wish I was smart enough to know if it is correct though.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1533942_726754600678887_1942735765_n.jpg

Math Links for Week Ending Mar 22nd, 2013

Was in a session with John Scammell today and was reminded of this great starter for a problem. The largest gummy bear. So here is a blog post that has links to a few different people that have used this (including John). http://musingmathematically.blogspot.ca/2012/08/gummy-bear-revisited.html

Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MFM1P, MPM1D, MFM2P, MPM2D

Nice beginning of a 3Acts from Dan Meyer (who else?) This one is about discounts and the premiss is about what kind of discount would you choose. The nice thing is the links to the similar and real coupons that ask similar questions (from 101qs.com)
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=16525
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8

What a great project Advanced Functions. Why not make families of functions into an art project. I love the way this teacher displays them for the entire school to see like an art opening. Awesome
http://samjshah.com/2013/03/12/families-of-curves-3/#
Curriculum Tags: MHF4U

I like this post from I Speak Math about doing homework. I struggle with the idea of giving homework. Yes it is important for kids to practice but our weakest kids often don't do the homework because they either don't think they can and aren't willing to try or when they do try they get frustrated and quit easily. I don't know that there is any one strategy that always works but anything is worth a try. From the blog: "The homework is always easier than the work we do in class.  I do not want them to struggle at home where I can’t help them.  I just want to reaffirm the main ideas in class."
http://ispeakmath.wordpress.com/2013/03/17/i-just-cant-grade-homework/
Curriculum Tags: All

Want to calculate Pi without all that pesky business of circles and stuff? Have all kinds of toothpicks and don't know what to do with them. Why not use them to calculate Pi using the Buffon's needle experiment. A great way to show how probability is connected to Pi
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cocktail-party-physics/2013/03/14/
Curriculum Tags: Gr8, MDM4U

Here is a nice activity for calculus about related rates. Well laid out and includes some introspective stuff about why to do related rates.
http://samjshah.com/2013/02/12/related-rates-yet-another-redux/
Curriculum Tags: MCV4U

Here's a fun little activity dealing with properties of quadrilaterals. It is to use the idea of an Instagram profile that kids have to make for different quadrilaterals. Its an activity that doesn't have to be specific to any quadrilateral but could be used for any thing that has characteristics that could be described.
http://drawingonmath.blogspot.ca/2013/03/instagram-for-quadrilaterals.html
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8





Taboo is a game where you are given a word that you have to describe for your friends to guess. The catch is that you are given four other words that you cannot use while describing your mystery word. Why not create some cards to do the same thing in math. This teacher did and has her students actually create the word sets.
http://fawnnguyen.com/2013/03/08/math-taboo-game.aspx
Curriculum Tags: All