When is it okay to execute a mathematical technique without understanding it?
The Emergency Black-Box Checklist
Category: Reflections
The Three Phases of the Mathematical Life
I met the most famous man in Vietnam. He's a guy who studies algebra.
Why Are Mathematicians So Bad at Arithmetic?
18 x 93 is... hey, look over there!
Other Ways to Carve Up the Math Curriculum
Has the math curriculum gone stale? And how could we freshen it up?
The Student-to-Teacher Dictionary
A linguistic guide.
The Peacock-Tail Theory of AP Calculus
Hey, colleges! Check out this beautiful tapestry attached to my butt!
50 Killed, or 49?
What can numbers tell us about humanity? Maybe nothing. Maybe a lot.
A Quadratic of Solace (or, Maybe Math Class Has a Purpose, Question Mark?)
We're great at teaching our students the HOW. We're not so great with WHAT. (And don't get me started on WHY.)
The Essence of Mathematics, in One Beatles Song
Life regret: No one has ever grabbed my collar and demanded that I explain to them the essence of mathematics in one pop song.
Math is Crazy Hard to Define
"The science of patterns"? "The study of structure"? "The dumb subject with all the fractions"?