“Students Don’t Read Textbooks”

In a previous post I wrote some advice on how to read a mathematics (or science) textbook. Having both taught and worked in the publishing world for many years, I have frequently heard (from publishers and other teachers) that students do not read textbooks. My experience working with students one-on-one has provided some details about … Read more

How To Read A Mathematics Textbook

When I was a young and foolish undergraduate, Professor Blyth told us at the beginning of a math course how important it is to read a textbook several times. Once is not enough, he said. I recall very clearly how strongly he emphasized that reading a mathematics textbook is NOT like reading a novel. Years … Read more

Peering Into An Eagle’s Nest: Raptor Resource Project

I found out about this today, and have been watching the Decorah Eagle Cam here. It’s pleasant to hear baby birds chirping in the background while working, and checking in with them now and then. It’s not for the squeamish, though, as the parent eagle has been ripping at a carcass that its spouse brought … Read more

Clever Hans, The Horse Who Could Do Arithmetics

One reads in elementary science textbooks about “The Scientific Method“, as if there were only one. But even if there are as many methods as scientists, it is nevertheless possible to single out certain common good habits of scientific thought. The story of Clever Hans, the horse reputed for his seeming ability to solve arithmetics … Read more

The Logic Puzzles Of Raymond Smullyan; Updated With Solution

Update: Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the solution to Smullyan’s logic puzzle discussed below. Raymond Smullyan has written many books. What is the Name of This Book?, published in 1978, is a collection of logic puzzles and paradoxes that culminate in a development of Gödel‘s incompleteness theorem. The first page of Chapter … Read more