Monthly Archives: February 2012

Light fields and the vector camera

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Jonas Reitz

Sometimes I see something in the news that just makes me excited about math.  This is the kind of development I would love to explore with a class if I had a few days or weeks to spare!  On the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Burger and Fries with Professor G. Michael Guy

Posted on February 21, 2012 by Mari Watanabe-Rose

He is a doer. You can easily see that about Professor G. Michael Guy, Assistant Professor at Queensborough Community College, just by taking a quick glance at his website. Being a CUNY Improving Mathematics Learning grant winner and a 2011 … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Log Rhythms

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Hunter Johnson

I’m nostalgic for an era that never included me–the days of the log table. Eli Maor’s book e: The story of a number, turned my attention to the history of logs.  He tells the story of the Scottish wizard Napier … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments

A Too-Modest Proposal (and a case against algebra)

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Jonas Reitz

The original A Modest Proposal, written in 1729 by Jonathan Swift, was one of the most scathing and viciously ironic pieces of political satire ever (if you are unfamiliar with it, he proposes the Irish poor sell their 1-year-old children to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

Gowers on Elsevier

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Hunter Johnson

Fields medalist and Polymath founder Timothy Gowers has some bellicose thoughts on the state of the journal industry.   As we all know, mathematics journals tend to be written, edited, and typeset by volunteers.   This can make their exponentially increasing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 28 Comments

Disturbing violations – mixed numbers, PEMDAS and more

Posted on February 8, 2012 by Jonas Reitz

1. Mixed numbers, the spittle on the front steps of our oh-so-coherent-and-sensible mathematical edifice I learned to loathe mixed numbers, such as , after dealing amicably with them for thirty years or so.  It was on the Appalachian Trail, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Chicken and Rice with Professor Marina Dedlovskaya

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Mari Watanabe-Rose

Always soft-spoken, warm, and welcoming, Professor Marina Dedlovskaya is Associate Professor of Mathematics at LaGuardia Community College. She was a PI of a CUNY Improving Mathematics Learning grant winning project and that is how I met her more than 2 … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 23 Comments

About the header image – the Cairo Tessellation

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Jonas Reitz

The header image was created by Richard Sheinaus, Director of Graphic Design at CUNY Central.  It depicts a tiling of the plane known as the Cairo Tessellation, so-called because it appears in the paving of several Cairo streets.  It has many … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

City of Solitude

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Hunter Johnson

Many people have noticed and  commented on recent article in the New York Times on the value of solitude in creative work. In the article, Susan Cain remarks; … the most spectacularly creative people in many fields are often introverted, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments

Doodling in Math Class

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Jonas Reitz

Five texting in the back.  Three bored, overconfident, ignoring you.  Seven who were placed incorrectly in your class and, after struggling through the first exam, will simply give up.  Four who answer all the questions (three consistently correct, who will … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 21 Comments