What foes of Russia’s dictator-turned-murderer calls him on Pi Day, the most important date in the mathematics calendar—when angry math educators worldwide throw pies made of manure at portraits or pictures of him.
Is Pitin the modern-day Stalin? Could he avoid landing on the same side of eternity as his evil predecessor?
by Fasters March 13, 2022
When the number π feels marginalized in some puritan or theocratic quarters as it is allowed only to express itself to one or two decimal places, or to two or three significant figures, while such a numerical oppression is quasi-inexistent in most countries in the West.
by Fasters December 15, 2021
A numerical relationship or statement that most kindergarteners and elementary school students reject as being an equation, because in their minds the “answer” or the “sum” must always be on the right side of an equation.
When students don’t consider numerical liaisons like 3 = 2 + 1 and 1 = 3 – 2 as valid equations or mathematical sentences, their responses reveal a fair bit about their thinking processes.
by Fasters May 08, 2022
The atheistic viewpoint that numbers and geometric shapes don’t exist but are man-made—they are mere human constructs or abstractions that are often used as imperfect tools to make sense of the physical universe, be it for modeling or predicting purposes.
No one has control over numbers outside of their minds; no one can draw a perfect circle or square; solving all those oft-impractical word problems at best shows a certain degree of algorithmic or algebraic proficiency. Are these limitations, imperfections, or formulations mere instances of mathematical nihilism?
by Fasters March 19, 2023
Symbol-minded; enviably mathematical; or abstractly blessed—a happy condition produced by God’s favor on a sinner rather than because they were born or blessed with the “math gene,” which for 99.99% of mathematicians and math educators worldwide is seldom accompanied by academic awards or financial rewards.
If you’re a K–12 math tutor, teacher, editor, or writer, consider yourself already mathointed; or doubly blessed if you’re a polytechnic or university math lecturer or consultant—it’s not so much what you’ve been gifted with, but what you do with it to benefit or bless others.
by Fasters May 03, 2022
Short for “zero-knowledge proof.” A method used in cryptography to prove ownership of a specific piece of knowledge without revealing the content of that knowledge, thus ensuring that data can be shared without sharing personal information.
Thanks to ZKP, someone can prove a particular fact sans revealing that information, thereby creating the required trust to perform a transaction on the darknet.
by Fasters January 19, 2023
When bots would select word problems from a question bank, then forward them to ghost editors in Bangalore, before sending the final proof to POD publishers like Amazon Kindle to distribute both printed and e-copies to customers worldwide.
Guesstimate how much the McDonaldization of Singapore math mass market is worth every year, as professional pirates from India, Pakistan, and Nigeria try to cash in.
by Fasters September 10, 2022