It’s a truth not-universally-enough-acknowledged that mathematical incompetence is bad for your financial health. For that reason, if no other, parents should encourage children to be confident and comfortable with mental maths – to work out change in a shop, determine the best mortgage, choose the right three-for-two deal, or calculate the rate of return on [...]
Read the whole postWant to learn to code? Solve maths puzzles!
Code is everywhere, and not just in the Matrix movies. Much of the world we now take for granted is built on logical arguments and mathematical formulae buried inside seemingly incomprehensible software and hardware code. Because of this, you’d be forgiven for assuming that an understanding of computer code would be widespread, and that students [...]
Read the whole post823 is the magic number?
Matt Parker, (stand-up mathematician, featured here before), wrote in May about fighting the good fight against internet innumeracy. His battle, as he points out, is largely a fruitless one; most online mathematical nonsense is not worth bothering to refute or follow up. But a recent incident was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back, [...]
Read the whole postPro-pi or Anti-pi?
To pi, or not to pi. I never thought I’d have to put my appreciation of pi to the test, but it looks like the 28th of June, or 6.28, is the day to decide if I am pro-pi or anti-pi. Why would anyone be anti pi? This most famous of numbers, the constant ratio [...]
Read the whole postWhat’s your favourite number?
Alex Bellos, numerate writer and champion of maths, wants to know your favourite number. As Alex discussed on BBC Radio 4 this morning, he has been using his new favouritenumber.net website to find out which numbers we love, and why. He even wants to know if you don’t have a favourite number. Mr Bellos has [...]
Read the whole postMaths-Whizz University – Beat Holiday Learning Loss
Holiday learning loss; scourge of teachers and parents, eraser of hard-learned skills with each new school term, scientifically-proven fact! With summer already upon us in calendar terms, if not yet in lazy, warm days, now is the perfect time to set in train habits that will ensure your students carry on improving their maths over [...]
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