Thomas Wolf, who is a professor in the Brock University Mathematics Department, has created a wonderful series of mathematics contests for elementary-school students: the Caribou Mathematics Competition. Contests are available at each of three Grade levels: Grades 3/4, Grades 5/6, and Grades 7/8. The next contest date is 16 February 2011, so if you are … Read more
If you like scientific humour, the wonderful online comic xkcd is worth checking out. The comic referred to in the title is here. I suppose philosophers would place themselves even further to the right, don’t you think? (This post first appeared at my other (now deleted) blog, and was transferred to this blog on 25 … Read more
My mother was on her deathbed in 1954 (before I was born), and received the last rites. That she is still alive, and still living independently, is an inspiration to me, and a testament to the power of persistence. A great man once told me that his biggest successes came about because of his “sheer … Read more
The more you understand, the less you have to memorize. A good example is trigonometric identities, of which there are quite a number. Should a student memorize trigonometric identities? Well, at first, it is probably wise to memorize a few of them. Part of a teacher’s job is to help students identify what is essential … Read more
After posting on the meaning of weather forecasting, I can’t resist pointing your attention to a unique video on double rainbows and the question of what they mean. The heartfelt expression of awe captured in this video gained widespread attention on the web, and the author of the work was extensively interviewed soon after it … Read more
My father-in-law runs a fruit farm, and made an interesting observation one day about weather prediction: If the weather report says 40% chance of rain, it never rains. If it says 50%, then maybe it rains, maybe not. But if it says 70%, then it rains for sure. This may seem self-contradictory, but it raises … Read more
I haven’t been to this St. Catharines restaurant (which shall remain nameless) out of fear. I hear they have good fare, but it’s the thought of incendiary devices going off during a meal that puts me off. The sign has a real flair, though, doesn’t it? (This post first appeared at my other (now deleted) … Read more
One of the obstacles to learning in mathematics and physics is the fact that there are many closely related concepts, although logically distinct. Additionally, the same structures (logical or mathematical) occur over and over again in our mathematical models of the world. For both reasons, the same word is sometimes used to mean several different … Read more
Perhaps my favourite joke of all time is actually an anecdote that I read in the wonderful book Thirty Years that Shook Physics, by George Gamow. The book is available in an inexpensive Dover edition, and would make a fine complement to a course textbook in modern physics, which amounts to introductory quantum mechanics. Gamow … Read more
One of the reasons mathematics is powerful and useful is that it is abstract. A collection of abstract symbols may seem sterile, but the power is in the hands of the practitioner, for you can give the symbols whatever meanings you please. Consider Boolean algebra, an abstract system of rules for symbolic expressions. As an … Read more