As with most things, the farther you go in mathematics the sharper your sense of ignorance becomes.  There is just too much math out there, and too little time to follow every thread that crosses your path.  I’d like to … Continue reading →

Professor Esther Wilder, Associate Professor of Sociology at Lehman College, recently received a $600,000 NSF grant for her Quantitative Reasoning (QR) research. Her bio on Lehman’s website is utterly impressive, and yes, of course, she is also a super mom with … Continue reading →

There are certain arguments that are beautiful and convincing but not admissible as proofs. They give the right answer, and show in an important way why something should be true, but they don’t pass muster as formal mathematics. Frequently they … Continue reading →

Sudoku (rules can be found here) has always had a problematic association with mathematics.  A first reaction by the ‘man-on-the-street’ to all those numbers is that it’s “too math-y” —  ironic, since the numbers are just employed as placeholders and could easily … Continue reading →

Below I will give what I think are controversial opinions on mathematics education. It isn’t my intention to offend anyone, only to motivate discussion. I also want to say in advance that when I talk about higher math skills I … Continue reading →

There is a general feeling that the internet and our new “connectedness,” have tremendous power to foster new communities.  However, sometimes the internet can feel like a very lonely place (in the same way, I suppose, that New York City … Continue reading →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →