When @ddmeyer was one of the Keynote speakers at OAME2015 in May he spoke of the idea "if ______ is the aspirin then _______ how do you create the headache". That is, in order to engage kids into doing math they have to have a reason (especially when the topics are very dry to begin with). The reason being a legitimate problem that they want to solve (the headache) and some math concept to help solve that problem (the aspirin). He talks about the concept here. In recent posts he has given some more specific examples about things like factoring quadratics, proving conjectures in geometry, simplifying rational functions, functions, exponent rules and more. Hopefully he will continue to bring specific examples. But don't leave it up to him alone, become part of the conversation in the comments below each post so that you can join in.Curriculum Tags: Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P, MPM2D, MFM2P, MCR3U, MCF3M
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2015/if-math-is-the-aspirin-then-how-do-you-create-the-headache/
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2015/if-functions-are-aspirin-then-how-do-you-create-the-headache/
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2015/if-simplifying-rational-expressions-is-aspirin-then-how-do-you-create-the-headache/
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2015/if-exponent-rules-are-aspirin-then-how-do-you-create-the-headache/
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2015/if-factoring-trinomials-is-aspirin-then-how-do-you-create-the-headache/
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/2015/if-proof-is-aspirin-then-how-do-you-create-the-headache/
Maybe you are or your aren't an MMA fighting fan. Either way you have to be impressed with Ronda Rousey's current record. Her last fight lasted 34s and, in general, her fights last about a minute (with her winning, of course), Check out some of the math you can do around this data from bar graphs, to linear relations and rates.Curriculum Tags: Gr7, Gr8, MPM1D, MFM1P, MDM4U
http://www.wired.com/2015/08/ufc-fighter-ronda-rousey-physics-based-superpowers/
Hey, do you want a riddle that has it's basis in the origins of algebra that can be used to actually give an example of algebra? Look no further with this one that deals with creating and solving an equation with fractions:
"Here lies Diophantus.Check out the link below for the solutions, or better yet, have your students decipher it.
God gave him his boyhood one-sixth of his life;
One twelfth more as youth while whiskers grew rife;
And then yet one-seventh ‘ere marriage begun.
In five years there came a bouncing new son;
Alas, the dear child of master and sage,
After attaining half the measure of his father’s life, chill fate took him.
After consoling his fate by the science of numbers for four years, he ended his life.”
Curriculum Tags: MPM1D, MFM2P
http://io9.com/this-mathematical-riddle-explains-all-we-know-of-the-fa-1722413697
Last week I mentioned a new resource that @alexoverwijk and @marybourassa created as a part of this year's Twitter Math Camp. It was a repository for math activities. This week I learned of another search engine for activities from people in the MTBoS. Just put your search term in the engine at the link below and Google will search over 180 blogs (Here is the list right now) for things matching that search. Thanks to @jstevens009 for putting this together and thanks to @K8nowak for pointing this one out.Curriculum Tags: All
http://www.fishing4tech.com/fishin-solo-blog/the-mtbos-search-engine
In a recent Serbian national lottery, there was a bit of an issue with a mistake made during the draw. You can see it in the video below but the gyst is that the number 27 came up but the TV graphic showed up as 21. Then the next number that actually came up was 21. This could be a great discussion on how likely that could happen (or whether something was afoot). If you ask @johnallenpaulos, however, he definitely says that this isn't as unlikely as you would think
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/30/coincidence-or-corruption-the-case-of-serbias-bouncing-lottery-ball-21
Lottery "scandal" could be coincidence. Nos. 21 & 27 easy to confuse & following 21 not so unlikely. http://t.co/jKFypHqo59 h/t @jesnider
— John Allen Paulos (@JohnAllenPaulos) August 2, 2015
Curriculum Tags: All
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/08/04/seeing-struggling-math-learners-as-sense-makers-not-mistake-makers/
Along a similar vein, this article talks about the "one thing" that all successful math students have. Essentially that persistence and "grit" make a huge difference. This, of course, is not true of just math students but I think the important thing here is that teachers provide an environment where that fosters this opinion. Sometimes in a class where all students see is worksheets and rote math, it might be hard for kids to ever feel that way.
Curriculum Tags: All
http://qz.com/139453/theres-one-key-difference-between-kids-who-excel-at-math-and-those-who-dont/
Curriculum Tags: MCR3U, MCF3M
http://www.wired.com/2015/08/high-dive-jumpers-leap-whole-pool/
If you like Legos (seriously, who doesn't?) then you might be interested in this question. How many different configurations can you make with 6 standard bricks (what my brother and I used to call "eighters"). It turns out the number is huge (almost a billion). In this Lego Brickumentary they talk about the process for doing that counting and how the original estimate was closer to 100 million and the math to make the revised estimate and how standard algorithms and methods couldn't be used alone. This could be a really great introduction to combinatorics (and maybe even exponential relations). They talk about the math a bit in the clip below and you can watch other clips from the documentary at the link below.
Curriculum Tags: MDM4U, MCR3U
http://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-many-lego-combinations-can-be-made-with-6-standard-bricks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ItV57Mnnh8
Curriculum Tags: All
https://www.flickr.com/photos/133462526@N05/
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