Category: math
-
Please give your students this quiz, and how big is a “bushel” anyway?
(h/t: Freakonomics blog) The following is an actual test given to 8th grade students in Kansas in 1895, unearthed by the Salina Journal. Please refer to the “arithmetic” section. Here are the “arithmetic” questions and my attempted responses: 1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic. Umm….. Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally? 2.…
-
Aaron Rodgers, Super Bowl MVP, has given us the go-ahead; the ball is in your court, Math teachers
By the way, how cool would it be if you did have a WWE-style championship belt in your class? Something huge and gaudy, preferably. And the student who most highly succeeds on a test, presentation, etc. gets to wear it until it is “taken” by another student. I’m also envisioning entrance music.
-
This is the strangest x-axis I have ever seen (update: not really that strange at all)
Update 1: Anonymous points out that it says log scale right under the graph. Yep. That’s it right there. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I need an editor. Thanks anon. So it’s actually not strange, but rather perfectly logical. It’s also Friday. Oh well. Still, there’s got to be something we…
-
‘Groundhog Day:’ How long has Bill Murray been in Punxsutawney? (Part 2)
Our celebration of Groundhog Day and Groundhog Day continues with our second question about Phil and his time spent in Punsutawney. Artifact This scene from Groundhog Day. Guiding Questions How long has Bill Murray (“Phil”) been practicing throwing cards into a hat? Has Phil spent more time throwing cards into a hat than you’ve spent…
-
‘Groundhog Day’ “I’m a god” scene solution
Here’s my attempt at a solution to the previous post on Groundhog Day. In order for Bill Murray (“Phil”) to convince Rita and allow for Rita’s peppering of questions, we have to assume that Phil knows everyone in the restaurant. It’s tough to get a beat on the number of people in the restaurant, but it’s a…
emergent math 