“For the things of this world cannot be made known without a knowledge of mathematics.”
–Roger Bacon (Opus Majus part 4 Distinctia Prima cap 1, 1267)
August 8, 2010
Simeon Poisson: A Quote
“Life is good for only two things, discovering mathematics and teaching mathematics.”
– Poisson, Simeon (Mathematics Magazine, v. 64, no. 1, Feb. 1991)
August 7, 2010
That 1895 Salina, Kansas Exam
Someone has posted their answers to the exam. Nice.
An example answer:
9. Use the following correctly in sentences, Cite, site, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
• a.) The cite which was given as a source for the quote was incorrect.
• b.) The site was surveyed yesterday.
• c.) My rifle has a front and a rear sight.
• d.) We celebrated the re-birth at fane.
• f.) She would fain stay with her husband.
• g.) Can she feign surprise and excitement?
• h.) The vanes on the windmill are broken.
• i.) It is vain to think you are better than others.
• j.) Mother has a varicose vein in her leg.
• k.) Tomorrow they will raze the old barn.
• l.) Today they started to raise a new barn.
• m.) The rays of the sun feel good in the spring.
HT: Patrick D.
August 5, 2010
Summer Is At An End
Well, time to get back to school. Some students (actually, their parents) have been really smart, and have gotten tutoring most every week this summer. They’ll be ready to hit the ground running, and they’ve taken time to learn things they might not otherwise learn — most importantly, how to reason, how to learn.
And some students have started to get back into the swing of things recently. They’ve been able to review concepts and methods they have forgotten (e.g., how to graph a line!!), and have been able to gain a context for why we do math — a context they will only rarely get anywhere else, and a context that involves math, not merely points out its history and application. Good for them!
