What is math?  It can be compared to a very useful tool, or maybe a collection of tools. Sometimes textbooks concentrate a lot on teaching about the small details of each and every type of tool.  But it’s also really important to focus on how and when to use the different tools. This is my practical approach to teaching the subject. And it’s also important to note that math is much more than just numbers! If you’re really good with shapes and how they relate, you might enjoy geometry. And if you are good at solving puzzles, chances are that logic will be a great match for your skills.


NOTE: Be sure to pause the video when the timer reaches 6:30 to work on the Earn, Break Even, or Lose problem.


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8 Responses to “What is Math?”

  1. Irenio and Deena Mateo says:

    thanks!

  2. I can totally understand that…! 🙂 I wonder if you’d be interested to know about how instrument designers use math to help them design better guitars?
    http://passyworldofmathematics.com/guitar-mathematics/
    http://www.mathscareers.org.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=10
    http://www.asee.org/documents/conferences/k12/2011/07/09-Building-a-Guitar-to-Showcase-Math-and-Physics.pdf (you don’t have to read the whole thing – just look at the pictures to get a general idea of what they are doing).

    If you look at math as a tool to help you solve real world problems, then it’s not such a big issue to like it or not. Unfortunately, a lot of focus out there is on the tool itself, how it was created, etc and the meaning about how to actually use it or why we should care about it gets lost.

    Did you watch the entire video on this page? If not, go back and look at it. Then find yourself something you’re already interested in, and let’s see how we can make it interesting and useful to you.

  3. Irenio and Deena Mateo says:

    is there a way to love math? because when math comes into subject, i feel bored, sleepy, my mind strays, i just feel like playing guitar… and a whole lotta other stuff.

  4. I have four, and right now they are ages 1 through 12. 🙂 But I could also say I’ve got 75,000+ kids, as there are so many that I work with both in person and online!

  5. Jason Elbaum says:

    Hi Aurora, just wondering, how many kids do you have and how old are they?

  6. Annette Perrochet says:

    Oh, I see. Thanks!

    Kaelen.

  7. It’s a half of half divided by a half… so you flip the 1/2 so it becomes a 2, and you multiply the one-quarter by 2 to get… a half!

  8. Annette Perrochet says:

    In this video, it says a half of a half of a half is a half. Isn’t it an eighth? Since 1/2 divided in 1/2 is 1/4, then 1/4 divided in 1/2, isn’t that an eighth? Or am I missing something. However, I have to agree with you that the best way to learn math isn’t what each “tool” does, but how to use them. I keep wondering why so many formulas are necessary for life. When will I need, in everyday life, to find the volume of a sphere? Thanks!

    Kaelen.