IntMath Newsletter: real life math, anxiety and Euclid’s Elements
By Murray Bourne, 09 Dec 2010
9 Dec 2010
In this Newsletter:
1. Resource - real life math topics
2. Thanksgiving for less math?
3. Math anxiety Bill of Rights
4. What did Euclid really say about geometry?
5. Tan lines
6. Christmas math
7. Final thought – success
0. First thoughts
This is the final IntMath Newsletter for 2010.
Most people stop thinking about math at the end of the year (as you'll see in Thanksgiving for less math? below), so this edition's topics are fairly light.
I'm working on several new things for IntMath.com, including a mobile version of the site. Hopefully it'll be ready for release early in the new year.
You can help IntMath.com by telling others about it - your friends, your teacher or anyone else who may benefit from it.
On with the Newsletter.
1. Resource - real life math topics
Yummy Math claims to "provide teachers and students with mathematics relevant to our world today".
Recent topics have included:
- Holiday movie data
- Salaries and percentages in sports
- Dates of religious festivals
- Metric conversions
- Spread of disease in Haiti
Yummy Math is by Brian Marks (middle school math coach) and Leslie Lewis (retired math teacher). The intended audience for the lessons is grades 7 to 12.
Check out Yummy Math
2. Thanksgiving for less math?
 |
The times when people visit IntMath.com indicate when interest in math is highest. |
3. Math anxiety Bill of Rights
 |
Here's a list that reaches out to math educators. Is it reasonable? |
4. What did Euclid really say about geometry?
 |
Euclid's math textbook has been in use for over 2,300 years. |
5. Tan lines
 |
Here's a fun take on one of the trigonometric curves. |
6. Christmas math
It's nearly upon us, so here are 2 articles on Christmas (from the archives) .
(a) The 12 Days of Christmas - how many presents?
 |
What is the math behind the "12 Days of Christmas" song? |
(b) Christmas costs and the true meaning
 |
Some thoughts on Christmas, including what we probably really should spend our money on. |
7. Final thought – success
Here's a great quote from speaker and author Patrick Combs:
If at first you don't succeed, you're like everyone else who went on to greatness.
I wish everyone a happy festive season and I hope 2011 brings you all health, happiness and success in math!
Until next time, enjoy whatever you learn.
See the 3 Comments below.
10 Dec 2010 at 12:06 pm [Comment permalink]
I came across the website this year and it has been of great help to me, most especially the tutoral dvds by Jason Gabson.
2 Jan 2011 at 11:41 am [Comment permalink]
Hi Murray,
Thanks for Euclid's math textbook. I have always wanted to read it.
4 Jan 2011 at 9:24 am [Comment permalink]
Besides whatever the diagram are intended to present, I observe that it clearly brings out the three dimensional nature of a tetrahedron which that many students are not able to sketch or draw.