Varieties: The Spice of Life
Can high school students really learn algebraic geometry? And what could it teach us about mathematics education?
SolidAngl.es
Thoughts on mathematics and education — their intersection, their differences, and their union.
Latest posts
Orbit-Stabilizer Theorem
My song on the dance game Pump it Up XX is named after a famous theorem from group theory. Here's an explanation of what it's all about.
When Does Nothing Mean Something?
Those deliberately ambiguous order-of-operations problems that plague social media may actually be evidence of a mathematical "language shift."
Who Says You Can't Do That? — Trig Identities
Everyone knows you can't do the same thing to both sides of a trig identity to prove it... right?
When Math is in Jeopardy!
What kind of message does it send that game shows so often get mathematics wrong?
Discreet Discrete Calculus
A presentation I gave at the Georgia Mathematics Conference, about slyly introducing precalculus students to a discrete version of calculus.
I'm Done with Two Column Proofs.
Statement: They're terrible. Reason: They don't help students reason — if anything, they just get in the way.
A Real-Life Paradox: The Banach-Tarski Burrito
Who knew the Axiom of Choice could help me decide whether to get guacamole for an extra $1.95?
A Radical New Look for Logarithms
What if we could invent a new notation for logarithms that was consistent with how we write exponents and radicals?
Infinity is my favorite number.
Yes, you read that right.
Throw Outdated Notation to the Floor
There's a much better and more intuitive notation for rounding functions. So why don't more textbooks use it?
Poorly Executed Mnemonics Definitely Addle Students
Dear Aunt Sally, you are NOT excused.
The Implications of Being Implicit
Turns out that whether or not you write a symbol for multiplication can actually make a big difference.
99% of People Get This Wrong!
Does anyone know why social media is obsessed with the order of operations?