|
Quote of the Month
"Anything that improves thinking ability is education"
David Schwartz |
|
|
|
Why take Math? It will make you smart!! March's reading recommendation, "Be a Wizard with Numbers", gives tips and tricks to learn, do and enjoy Math. This month's video is on logs and exponents and their surprising rules and results. This month, Robin will be presenting "Get Smart! Take the SAT!" on March 12 at Ten County Math and on March 26 at NYC Math Project at Lehman College as well as "When Are We Ever Going to Use This Math?" on March 14 at International Dyslexia Association of NYC at NYU. |
 This small form factor book can easily fit in your pocket or purse and has many practical topics and tips to help people feel more comfortable with numbers. It includes a great explanation of why dividing by zero cannot be done (if 4 x 0 = 5 x 0 and you divide both sides by zero, then 4 = 5!!). The English author flavors the book with British sayings and spellings and its publisher, dbp, has many other similar books on mental fitness. Author/Maths (Math is called "Maths" in the UK) teacher Andrew Jeffrey is also a magician and "spends his time convincing people that they can do more mathematics than they believe". Andrew Jeffrey's Web Site
|
|
Logs and Exponents
Logarithms are used to compare large and small numbers with one another. For example, the Richter scale to measure earthquakes uses a log scale. An 8.0 earthquake is not twice as strong as a 4.0 but 10,000 times stronger (10^(8-4)).
Moore's Law, developed by Gordon Moore of Intel, states "the number of transistors in a chip will approximately double every 18 months". This has proven to be true over the last 4 decades and has led to the exponential growth in electronics!!
The amazing thing about logs is that they follow exponent rules which are easy to learn but hard to remember. For example, when multiplying with exponents we add and when dividing with exponents we subtract them.
|
|
Ready for Work and College
Learning in and of itself is a great endeavor but school also needs to prepare students to be ready for work and further education.
The Harvard Graduate School of Education's Pathways to Prosperity
report's subtitle is Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21st Century. It discusses the lack of a clear connection between program of study and tangible opportunities in the labor force. Instead of college for all, it asks us to think about a post high school credential for all. And while it does include the wage benefits of a 4 year college degree, it does not break down this benefit by program of study.
New York Times on College and Career Readiness
Ready for College and Ready for Work: Same or Different?
Sample Math Questions on ACT Workkeys Assessment |
|
|
|
|
Brain Teaser
Julie travels from A to B at 2 minutes per mile and returns over the same route at 2 miles per minute. Find her average speed, in miles per hour, for the entire trip.
|
Thanks for reading! How can we make this newsletter better? Please send comments and suggestions to Robin mathconfidence@aol.com |
|
Sincerely,
Robin "the Math Lady" Schwartz
|
|
|
