A first step for giving back to the MAA through service

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Brian Katz

Ever wonder how to get involved in the larger mathematical community? It turns out that there is a nomination procedure for the many, many MAA committees. Consider nominating yourself or others!

Nomination Form

List of Committees

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Educreations

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Tyler Clark
Screenshot from Educreation video by Robert Tolar

Screenshot from Educreation video by Robert Tolar

Have you ever wanted to screencast your work? This is especially helpful when trying to teach someone long distance. You want to write things and talk them through it, but if they are not right there with you, it can be tricky to clearly capture everything. I ran across this neat iPad app called Educreations. Their homepage says:  Teach what you know. Learn what you don’t. Create and share amazing video lessons with your iPad or browser.

I haven’t played around with it much, but what I have seen looks amazing. You can see all of their math videos at http://www.educreations.com/browse/mathematics/. I am a TA for calculus 1 this semester, so I found the calculus videos quite interesting. It is helpful to see how other folks explain concepts.

Share your favorite discoveries on Educreation with us. Have you found other software that you like for creating screencasts?

Posted in Mathematics Online, Technology & Math | Comments Off on Educreations

Pi(e) Day Possibilities

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Maya Sharma
my blueberry pi pie

a blueberry pi pie

Despite the lingering snow, March is here and Pi Day is only a week away! I love Pi Day because it combines three of my favorite things: math, puns, and dessert. Baking a pie is always a fun (and tasty!) way to celebrate—if you’re looking for a recipe, Buzzfeed has some really creative options, collected specifically for the holiday. It’s not specifically pi-related, but I also really enjoyed Vi Hart’s video about mathematical baking. She and her friends use shortbread cookies to build everything from tessellations to Sierpiński tetrahedra. Continue reading →

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How to Solve it (II)

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Jean Joseph

In the sixth section, Polya expounds more on the value of the questions and suggestions mentioned in the previous sections. He opens the section by mentioning that kind of thinking involved in solving a problem is rather nonlinear, where an idea at the beginning of solving a problem may be revised or changed several times upon arriving at the solution. Then, he claims there are four steps that are vital in solving a problem. The first one is to “understand the problem”; by that, he means a student needs to know what she needs to solve, and a question such as “What is the unknown?” may help at this stage. I Continue reading →

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Fashion Isn’t Just Aesthetics

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Tyler Clark
Photo acquired from Disney ABC under Creative Commons

Photo acquired from Disney ABC under Creative Commons

With the Oscar’s comes talk of fashion. One of the highlights of the Oscar’s is watching the celebrities on the red carpet to see who is wearing who. Perhaps it is that she is from Kentucky (my home state) or perhaps it is my obsession with red (maybe a little of both), but I would go with Jennifer Lawrence as best dressed. The Daily News says in a slideshow,

Do you hear that? It’s a collective intake of breath as Jennifer Lawrence reminds us once more why she’s fashion’s favorite darling. The “American Hustle” star pulled out all the stops in a red peplum Dior Couture gown worthy of a Hollywood princess.

But is fashion just about aesthetics or is there perhaps math behind it?

Continue reading →

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