What's the point of learning math?
"It's not really that you need to learn it...but then to me the question is...why do I need to listen to music? You don't really need to, but your life will be richer and happier if you do."
I always knew I loved Steven Strogatz, he always knows just the thing to say. Today's edition of NPR's Ask Me Another was jam packed with delightful mathematical nuggets. If you would like to have a richer and happier life, I've included a link to the Strogatz portion of the show. It's a true delight.
I've spent a lot of time thinking about math communication this summer, and I think that this quote is a great example of what I've discovered. It's not about explaining, it's not even about broadly contextualizing, but it's just about making it feel relevant. Relevant to you, or me, or any person going about their day and think about all the things that humans think about in a day. There are a lot of competing thoughts going on in the brain, so how do you make it something fun to dwell on?
Another gem of the show was the game "Algebraic Music." Contestants heard song lyrics with numbers replaced by algebraic expressions, and then had to solve for x. Sounds fun, right?
...I got 9*x problems, but a bleep ain't one. Solve for x
I'm having some really good ideas about writing calc exams right now.
<3
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