Best of “Let’s Play Math!” in 2007

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Cooking class

Farewell to 2007. We have snacks on the table so we can munch the night away, and the little ones are giggling over their Barbies, thrilled at the prospect of more sugar than is good for them.

Beach party

The teenagers have launched their annual movie marathon. This year, it was the girls’ turn to invite friends over, so the men in my life have all found excuses to run into town.

Winter in Illinois

Meanwhile, I am hiding in my den, indulging myself in a sort of blogger’s nostalgia. Some of the following posts got a lot of attention when they were published, others not so much. Topics range from preschool to high school, Captain Kitten from kindergarten games to teaching fractions to Shakespearean insults, so I hope there is something to interest everyone.

[The photos are small so this article won’t take forever to load. Click on any picture to view a larger image.]

Continue reading Best of “Let’s Play Math!” in 2007

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He Is Good

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.

The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.

— Isaiah 9:6-9

[Taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, (c)1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society, used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.]

Math Bloggers Hall of Fame

Posted on by Denise Gaskins
photo by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

What makes a great math blog? That depends on who is doing the judging, of course. Your list of Hall of Fame bloggers would surely be different than mine. But since this is my list, the qualifications were:

  1. The nominee had to catch my interest. The content couldn’t be too abstract or specialized (since I have forgotten almost all the math I learned in college), but it had to be mathy enough to draw me in.
  2. The blogger had to reward my reading time with good stories, thoughtful comments, imaginative puzzles, or really cool pictures — anything that kept me coming back and wishing for more.

So without further ado, the winners, listed alphabetically to avoid playing favorites among my favorites. Here are eleven of the best math-related blogs, the guys and gals who make me think:

Continue reading Math Bloggers Hall of Fame

Pre-Algebra Picture Puzzles

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Balance problem

Maria at Homeschool Math Blog has posted a fun set of worksheets:
Pan balance problems to teach algebraic reasoning.

Princess Kitten, at nearly 9yo, keeps telling me, “I hate math, but I like algebra.” So I printed all four pages for her to try. These get pretty complicated, and the 2-variable problems had her flummoxed for awhile. But after an explanation and bit of pouting (I think she hates math because she’s such a perfectionist that she can’t bear to get something wrong, even the first time), she came back and conquered the toughest ones.

The “I Rank #1 on Google!” Meme

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

David Ng started it. Kurt Van Etten improved it. And I heard about it from MathMom. Now, you’re invited to play, too. It’s fun!

Here Are the “Rules”

1. Search for your blog on Google. Try to find 5 different phrases that produce your blog as the #1 hit.

2. You may enclose the search phrase in quotes if necessary, but a search without quotes is preferred.

3. Score your search phrases based on the total number of hits. As Kurt wrote:

The ideal search phrase would have your blog being number one out of something like a million hits returned. As it turns out, this is much easier to do than it might sound.

Continue reading The “I Rank #1 on Google!” Meme

What Do We Mean by “Assume”?

Posted on by Denise Gaskins

Almost all math problems call for the student to assume one thing or another. Without assumptions — definitions, postulates, axioms, common notions, or whatever you want to call them — mathematics of any kind is impossible. Tony at Pencils Down (who plans to be a math teacher when he grows up) reminds us that, necessary though it may be, we are stepping on dangerous ground when we assume:

Random Samples: Making an Ass of You and Me

Continue reading What Do We Mean by “Assume”?