Deriving Euler’s Identity
Euler’s Identity has been called “the most beautiful equation” in mathematics. It neatly encapsulates five key values and three operators into...
Month: March 2018
Man Caves and Toxic Masculinity
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Not all masculinity is toxic. I’ve been seeing a lot of men suggesting that manhood is under attack. That everything to ...
The Natural Base e: Thoughts on Teaching
In “Burn Math Class”, Jason Wilkes spends quite a few pages deriving the value of \(e\). I did not notice him at any point mentioning compound inter...
Two Shootings, Two Standards
On March 7, 2018, a student at Huffman High School in Birmingham, AL, fired a gun, killing a girl and injuring himself. On March 20, 2018, a student at Great Mi...
The Problem with Problems
I’m currently reading “Burn Math Class,” and it’s got me thinking about language. Yesterday, I saw an item about teaching students why c...
Why “Not All Men” is a Poor Response
“Not all men.” There was a time, years ago, when I used to start many responses with those three words. “Men commit rape.”: “Not all men.” “Men are violent.”: “...
Some Thoughts on Teaching Mathematics
This morning, I was reading the NCTM blog, and the subject was on students struggling with systems of linear inequalities. First, as background: I don’t h...
Not All Masculinity is Toxic
As the term “toxic masculinity” gets more widespread, I see more people complain about it. The interpretation is that the term implies that all men ...
Attacking the Roots of White Male Entitlement
In 1992, two white Detroit police officers assaulted Malice Green, a black man. He died after the assault, and while he did have drugs in his system, the courts...
It’s Time to Retire the “Good Guy” Narrative
“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun,” we are told repeatedly, “is a good guy with a gun.” On Thursday, March 1, 2018, a high school teacher in Georg...