Math Links for Week Ending Jan. 31st, 2014

Do you need a Mile of Pi? That is, would you like to print out over 40,000 digits of pi so if you stretch them out end to end, it will be a literal mile long? This zip file will do it. Sure its 3500 pages long but hey that's only 7 packages of paper. And if you don't want so many pages, this Pi strip is a bit more manageable but only has 1000 digits.
Curriculum Tags:All
http://www.think-maths.co.uk/mileofpi

Need a practical use for statistics? How about gaming the system on the OK Cupid site. There is way more of the data in the actual Wired Magazine (yes the paper copy!).
Curriculum Tags: MBF3C, MDM4U, MAP4C
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2014/01/how-to-hack-okcupid/



It's true, Indiana once tried to legislate that Pi would be 3 instead of 3.14159..... For this and other funky Pi facts you can also listen to this awesome radio show by Simon Singh (which is part of this bigger series).
Curriculum Tags: All
http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/remember-the-time-indiana-almost-passed-a-law-declaring-pi--3


Need some real world data about Twitter. Just type your hashtag into this site and you will get 24hr worth of data on it.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MBF3C, MDM4U, MAP4C
http://www.hashtags.org/how-to/tips/tracking-hashtag-data/




Some really good stuff on authentic assessment from Grant Wiggens. Some of the characteristics that resonate with me are :

• They do not rely on unrealistic and arbitrary time constraints 
• They offer known, not secret, questions or tasks 
• They are not graded on a curve, but in reference to legitimate performance standards or benchmarks 
• They involve transparent, de-mystified expectations 
• They identify (perhaps hidden) strengths [not just reveal deficits]

I think I may have a long way to go to get there but its good to have some guidelines. Thanks to Chad Barett for this one.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2014/01/26/authenticity-in-assessment-re-defined-and-explained/

It seems that on a regular basis there are new videos produced dealing with the Fibonacci numbers. Here is latest. Its well produced. For an entire course on the Fibonacci numbers you might want to watch this (which is one of 5 videos from this Stanford iTunes U course) or if you want to learn about Fibonacci himself, read this.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9d1mxgZ0ag

I always like when data is put into perspective. Here is a neat way to represent 200 calories.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MBF3C, MDM4U, MAP4C
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMGUmcveQeg

Math Links for Week Ending Jan. 24th, 2014

Why do (some) people hate math? That is what Numberphile asked and the answer is pretty good. Honestly I felt they could stop at the painting the fence analogy.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yexc19j3TjE

So last week I posted another video from Numberphile that has generated a lot of mathematical discussion. Of the rebuttals, I think this was the fairest. If you haven't seen the video yet, click here.
Curriculum Tags: MCR3U, MHF4U
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/01/18/follow_up_the_infinite_series_and_the_mind_blowing_result.html

Among the things that got a make over with the relaunch of the Math Gains site last week was the CLIPS flash object. Some new tabs that include some of the new games that have appeared on the Mathies.ca site as well as one for tools (though that one seems redundant since the wrench icon will also take you there).
Tags: All
http://oame.on.ca/clips/

I really love this pattern recently found on the Math With Bad Drawings blog. The thing that is great is that you could use this pattern as is in grade 7 or 8 but then you could use it as an intro to multiplying binomials and on the blog I love the visual proof as well.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM2P
http://mathwithbaddrawings.com/2014/01/13/undiscovered-math/


I really like this very comprehensive post from Dan Meyer on what piques curiosity in students. Lots of examples from various grade levels and reference to research along the way.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=18314







It's no secret that I am a fan of Desmos, This week, in preparation of the Superbowl, Yummy math has a data set about Superbowl ads that is dynamic and spans linear, quadratic and exponential models. Perfect for MCR3U and MHF4U.
Curriculum Tags: MCR3U, MHF4U
http://www.yummymath.com/2014/how-has-the-cost-of-a-super-bowl-ad-changed-3/

I love this geometry construction game. You start with two points, and you can construct either a line segment or a circle based on those points. Any intersections create new points and you are given figures to create (Eg a triangle inscribed in a circle). Its actually a little addictive. Give it to your students who need something extra to do.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://sciencevsmagic.net/geo/

What do you call a group of mathematicians? Thanks to the fine folks at the American Mathematical Society you can follow this link and find out.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/roots-of-unity/2014/01/14/collective-noun-for-mathematicians/

Do you need a "real world" video to help you teach systems of equations. Of course you do. Here is an activity from Emergent Math that uses this cool video from an MLB promotion. He cuts the video at first so you don't see the end and can have those good conversations with kids. And if you want to lead to something more dynamic then pull up this Gizmo to play with the situation. Also don't forget to take a look at the alternat 3Act version at the When Math Happens blog. Well done.

Curriculum Tags: MFM1P, MPM1D, MFM2P, MPM2D

http://emergentmath.com/2014/01/22/guy-racing-another-guy-in-a-squirrel-costume-obviously-a-systems-problem/

Somebody from Make Magazine was at the Joint Mathematics Meeting and took a bunch of pictures and video from the floor. Some neat images
Curriculum Tags: All
http://makezine.com/2014/01/21/making-with-math/

Math Links for Week Ending Jan. 17, 2014

Just announced this morning is the newly designed Math Gains Site (actually all of Edugains has been redesigned). Among the changes are

• 'Links' connects the user to a number of ministry and educational partners' websites (e.g., subject/division associations, Ontario Educational Resource Bank (OERB), Ontario Software Acquisition Program Advisory Committee (OSAPAC), Publications Ontario, Ministry of Education) to provide a greater number of educational learning resources. 
• 'Social Media' icons provide the user with the opportunity to share content with colleagues via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and/or Google+. 
• 'Survey' links allow the user to provide input that informs the evolution of EduGAINS, so that the website can be responsive to the learning and teaching needs of Ontario's educators.

Curriculum Tags: All
http://www.edugains.ca/newsite/math/index.html

There is a just launched YouTube channel associated with The Nerdist called Math Bites. It's hosted by Danika McKellar, who is the author of books like Math Doesn't Suck, Kiss My Math, Hot X: Algebra Exposed & Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape (due out this August). You might also know her from the TV shows The West Wing and The Wonder Years. As Danica puts it Math Bites

"are little bites of mathy goodness - you'll learn a little something, but mostly you'll be entertained by the likes of yours truly, Felicia Day, Chris Hardwick, Jim O'Heir, Jonathan Bennett, Dustin Milligan, Amanda Crew, Matt Mira, Jonah Ray, Matt Kawcynzski, and more! "

Currently the first two episodes are out and can be seen here on the YouTube Playlist:
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLl4T6p7km9dbGCsAooT8-ujI9xAQnjsfJ

Against All Odds appears to be a really great resource on statistics and probability created by Annenberg Learner. It comes in the form of 32 well produced videos on all manor of statistical topics. Real life examples of where statistics are used and resources to go along with the videos. Check out the sample video below.
Curriculum Tags: MBF3C, MAP4C, MDM4U
http://www.learner.org/courses/againstallodds/unitpages/index.html

OK so maybe these all aren't the best math jokes but any article that has the phrase "This is another hilarious reference to an infinite series" is worth a look (and there are explanations for those that are more difficult).
Curriculum Tags: All
http://www.businessinsider.com/13-math-jokes-that-every-mathematician-finds-absolutely-hilarious-2013-5

I can't help putting these up when ever someone creates a fun graph on Desmos. Of course these graphs aren't unique to Desmos but the Desmos crew do a great job of making their graphing program look fun (even though creating these graphs must be difficult). Anyway, this sort of thing fits very well in any discussion of domain and range:
Curriculum Tags: MCF3M, MCR3U, MHF4U
https://www.desmos.com/calculator/gafbe0otjh

Some more evidence that lotteries/gambling is a tax on stupidity. That being said, you can't win the lottery without actually buying a ticket.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MBF3C, MDM4U
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/06/betting-shop-machines-predatory-capitalism

Math and Art collide when George Hart is put in charge. See how he creates this beautiful spherical sculpture using geometry and deft carpentry skills. Oh, yeah and he is Vi Hart's dad. Go figure.
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZN4vmQ93eQ

I love this video from Johnny Ball about how the capture-recapture method works. In it he shows how it works for ping pong balls and then he uses the method in a live experiment to estimate the number of black cabs in London (I won't tell you how it ends). I found out about this video from the I Speak Math blog where she has an entire lesson that uses this video as a starter when talking about proportionality. Then does a hands on activity to simulate it using Goldfish crackers. Fun stuff, check that out here. So that makes the video good for any lesson on sampling as well as any lesson on proportionality.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MBF3C, MDM4U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyX79mPm2xY

Numberphile demonstrates the craziness of infinity with this one: 1 + 2 + 3 + .... infinity = -1/12 . Even for students that don't understand series this is enough for them to say "Wah?". This is perfect for any high level discussion of infinite series with MCR3U or MHF4U students. Thanks to Mark Esping for this one

Curriculum Tags: MCR3U, MHF4U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-I6XTVZXww

Its always good to have real data. So if you are in need of a bar graph for a question, here is one that represents the total square footage of LCD screens made by Corning Glass over the years. Thanks to Mark Esping for this one.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1927231-the-spread-of-glass

From Twitter and perfect for any discussion of average (though probably a little subtle for anyone but MDM4U kids)
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U

There's a Mean Value Theorem problem lurking in here somewhere. pic.twitter.com/umvYdVcPgh
— Darren Glass (@darrenglass) January 12, 2014

Math Links for Week Ending Jan. 10th, 2014

The Story Collider is a podcast that features real stories that deal with science. That is real people talking about their experiences with and around science related ideas. Occasionally there is a story that relates to math too. This one is a story from the perspective of a woman who, as a student, wrote math contests and was a "mathlete". Its kind of like The Karate Kid or Rocky but with math contests. Its kind of funny too (though there is some explicit language). Listen here:
Curriculum Tags: All
http://storycollider.org/podcast/2012-08-26

Sometimes when we teach calculus we forget that even these students (who should be the best of the best) need some help organizing their thoughts. This nice graphic organizer on the first and second derivative test is just the thing to facilitate that.
Curriculum Tags: MCV4U
http://mathteachermambo.blogspot.ca/2014/01/calculus-graphical-organizer.html





Yummy Math has an activity that is quite topical right now. The length of the day. We know that the length of daylight is a sinusoidal function and they have a ready made activity with some ready made data. But if you don't want to use their data you can get your own from this site and even get a dynamic function mapper from this applet (though I can't figure out what the point of the Show Yearly Average option is for).
Curriculum Tags: MCR3U, MHF4U
http://www.yummymath.com/2014/ah-the-days-are-getting-longer/

On Mike's Math Page, Mike writes about math with his kids. He does this often with videos that show that elementary students (his two sons) can understand complex mathematics. In this case it is infinite series by way of tearing paper. I really like this because it really does show that these concepts are not as complex as they may seem when you couple them with the right manipulative.
Curriculum Tags: MCR3U
http://mikesmathpage.wordpress.com/2014/01/04/james-tantons-infinite-series-video-and-paper-tearing/

Someone asked me to look for a problem that grade 3-8 students could work on. I asked twitter and here are a couple of the examples that I got. I think that lot's of logic problems could be used for these students. Next week I will talk about some of the other resources that were suggested.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8

Thanks to @DaveLanovaz for this one
https://twitter.com/DanielBeylerian/status/339419663421284352/photo/1

Thanks to @ecokrisb for this one
https://twitter.com/ecokrisb/status/420017997621645312/photo/1

Math Links for Week Ending Jan. 3rd, 2014

Any time you can connect video games to math, I like that. And if you can do it using Tracker, even better. Here its using video analysis to estimate how fast the cars are going in Angry Birds Go! There is enough in here so that you could include math from both grade 9 and 10 math depending on how deep you want to go.
Curriculum Tags: MFM1P, MPM1D, MFM2P, MPM2D
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/12/how-fast-are-the-cars-in-angry-birds-go/

If you teach exponential growth you should watch this video. It doesn't use and fancy technology or have any bells and whistles but it does a great job of really putting the idea of exponentials in perspective. And if you like this video I suggest you watch the rest of the videos in the series. There are a lot of great ideas that you can use for sure. I really like the way he really drives home the idea of doubling.
Curriculum Tags: MCR3U, MCF3M, MHF4U, MAP4C
http://www.albartlett.org/presentations/arithmetic_population_energy_video1.html

It always seems like there aren't many Calculus resources. Well here is a nice paper and pencil resource for converting between f and f' from Math Teacher Mambo.
Curriculum Tags: MCV4U
http://mathteachermambo.blogspot.com/2014/01/calculus-f-and-f-graphs.html

Here is an interesting question. What height would we be if we continued to grow at the same rate we do in our first month of life? This is the latest question from the blog What if? (the creator of XKCD) Where crazy questions are treated with physics and mathematical treatment. This one would be good for linear relations or ratios.
Curriculum Tags: MFM1P, MPM1D
http://what-if.xkcd.com/77/

Planet Nutshell has a new series of videos called Math Shorts and they have created a handful of the 20 or so eventual videos. See them all here. Thanks to Free Technology for Teachers for this one.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
http://www.planetnutshell.com/skill/math-shorts/

Here is an interesting image that relates to algebraic fallacies. It could be used for some of those higher end students when dealing with the fine points of algebraic manipulations.
Curriculum Tags: MPM1D, MPM2D
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bc-0INnIcAAdykP.jpg

For those who are into Malcom Gladwell's new book David & Goliath
Curriculum Tags: MBF3C, MDM4U
https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/7958374656/h5E5820CE/