Math Links for Week Ending Aug. 28th, 2015

 John Orr has just published a new iBook called Beautiful Functions. In it he devotes a full chapter on each type of function (linear, quadratic, trig etc) and makes it interactive along the way by incorporating a lot of Desmos (among other stuff)
Curriculum Tags: MFM1P, MPM1D, MFM2P, MPM2D, MCR3U, MBF3C, MCF3M, MHF4U, MCT4C
https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/beautiful-functions/id1031089376?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Also with a new iBook is Kyle at Tap into Teen Minds. This one is a shorter offering which is an interactive iBook version of his older Stacking Paper Task dealing with linear relations. This incorporates video, Padlet and whiteboard apps among other things.
Curriculum Tags: MPM1D, MFM1P
https://tapintoteenminds.com/stacking-paper-tasks-ibooks/



In grade 7 we are supposed to describe polygons or series of polygons that will tile a plane. Well it turns out that we now have a new pentagon that will do it (apparently there are only 15 different pentagrams that will). Mathematicians are pretty excited about it and you can read about it at the links below
Curriculum Tags: Gr7
http://www.theguardian.com/science/alexs-adventures-in-numberland/2015/aug/10/attack-on-the-pentagon-results-in-discovery-of-new-mathematical-tile
http://thehairpin.com/2015/08/what-if-math-was-cool/#

Has the use of calculators done harm in terms of students knowing basic math facts? This article seems to say no but it also says that the benefits of widespread calculator use has still yet to be seen.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://theconversation.com/weapons-of-maths-destruction-are-calculators-killing-our-ability-to-work-it-out-in-our-head-44900

I have mentioned it before but the software Tracker is a cool tool to do any sort video analysis. And Rhett Allain uses it extensively in his Dot Physics blog. I like what he does here, he uses the knowledge of projectile motion to take a video of this shark jumping out of the water (at 1:37 in the video) with no references parts in the shot to actually estimate the size of the shark based only on how fast gravity should effect it's motion.
Curriculum Tags: MCR3U
http://www.wired.com/2015/08/watch-leaping-great-white-shark-get-serious-air/

Can math describe history? Listen to this short TED talk to find out
Curriculum Tags: All
http://www.ted.com/talks/jean_baptiste_michel_the_mathematics_of_history#t-173978

With the election coming up in the fall there is no shortage of stuff showing up all over the place and it is important for people to know if the figures they are seeing are real. So why not have students fact check some of them. Take, for example, the following one about voter turnout. Students could get info about voter turnout here and distribution of votes by party here to see if the following statement is true (spoiler alert: it's true, in fact more than 3 million more people didn't vote than voted for the Conservatives). A great exercise in dealing with percents of percents and topical to boot.
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MFM1P
https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/v/t1.0-9/11889514_1073391882694244_3157549502718961288_n.jpg?oh=c6d5c56d76aa45514f857b8cd76cb752&oe=5665687B

Some ideas for displaying transformations in your classrooms
Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8
https://twitter.com/MissBsResources/status/636520251400785920/photo/1

Displaying pic.twitter.com/dQhm7d10Bn

— Danielle Bartram (@MissBsResources) August 26, 2015

Can't have enough Fibonacci based furniture
Curriculum Tags: All
http://mentalfloss.com/article/66772/fibonacci-shelf-proves-math-makes-great-furniture