education – Quanta Magazine

The Math Evangelist Who Preaches Problem-Solving

Erica Klarreich — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 14:55:13 +0000

When Richard Rusczyk became interested in math competitions as a middle schooler in the early 1980s, the contest problems looked nothing like the ones in his math classes. He couldn’t find any book to guide him — there were only the problems themselves. In some of the more advanced competitions he participated in as he moved on to high school, he couldn’t solve a single problem. Gradually, though...

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A Number Theorist Who Connects Math to Other Creative Pursuits

Steve Nadis — Thu, 27 May 2021 14:37:45 +0000

“There are many different pathways into mathematics,” said Jordan Ellenberg, a mathematician at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. “There is the stereotype that interest in math displays itself early. That is definitely not true in general. It’s not the universal story — but it is my story.” That account was backed up by a biostatistician at the University of Pennsylvania — his mother...

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The Math of Social Distancing Is a Lesson in Geometry

Patrick Honner — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 14:40:20 +0000

Sphere packing might seem like a topic only a mathematician could love. Who else could get excited about finding the most efficient way to arrange circles in the plane, or spheres in space? But right now, millions of people all over the world are thinking about this very problem. Determining how to safely reopen buildings and public spaces under social distancing is in part an exercise in...

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To Win This Numbers Game, Learn to Avoid Math Patterns

Patrick Honner — Thu, 07 May 2020 14:00:53 +0000

Here’s a simple number game to play on a rainy day, or while sheltering in place. You and I take turns crossing out numbers from the list {1, 2, 3, …, 9}. The winner is the last person to cross out a number without making three crossed-out numbers in a row. Let’s play! You can go first. Suppose after four moves we’ve crossed out these numbers: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 It’s your turn again.

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How Rational Math Catches Slippery Irrational Numbers

Patrick Honner — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 05:00:23 +0000

When my students grow too dependent on their calculators, I ask them to find a number that, when multiplied by itself, gives them 2. Students quickly see that since 1² = 1 and 2² = 4, the answer has to be between 1 and 2. They square 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, and so on and discover that 1.4² = 1.96 and 1.5² = 2.25. “It’s between 1.4 and 1.5,” they say. “Good to know,” I reply. “But come back when you can...

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