Quotations XXIII: The Poetry of Logical Ideas

distinctively-red-by-pshutterbug
[Photo by pshutterbug.]

It’s been ages since I posted any blackboard quotes, so here are a few gems from last semester. [Hat tip: I found most of the quotes in this list at The Quote Garden’s Quotations about Math page.]

Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.

Albert Einstein

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Math Warm-Up: Today Is February 4×3×2×1

[Feature photo above by Tom@HK.]

One of my favorite warm-up exercises for Math Club is “Today is ______.” Each student invents one or more mathematical expressions for today’s date and writes his or her favorite on the board for all to admire. Answers range from lazy (24×1 — at least it’s an excuse to talk about identity elements) to unnecessarily repetitive (1+1+1+…), but we usually get a few gems as well.

Continue reading Math Warm-Up: Today Is February 4×3×2×1

Math Teachers at Play #1

[Photo by StuSeeger.]

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Math Teachers At Play blog carnival! I hope you enjoy this collection of tips, tidbits, games, and activities for students and teachers of preschool-12th grade mathematics.

For this first carnival, I’ve drawn several recent posts from my blog reader as examples of the types of posts I’d love to include in future editions of Math Teachers at Play. I tried to find something for everyone, from multiplication drill for elementary students to advice for understanding high school math equations.

Let the mathematical fun begin…

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Cute Math Facts for Visual Thinkers

numberwalk[Photo by angela7dreams.]

A forum friend posted about her daughter’s adventure in learning the math facts:

“She loves stories and drawing, so I came up with the Math Friends book. She made a little book, and we talked about different numbers that are buddies.”

Continue reading Cute Math Facts for Visual Thinkers