MathPlus's definitions

Trumptarithm

A cryptarithm à la Trump. An illegal or immoral word sum in which each of the letters stands for one of the digits 0–9, with different letters standing for different digits.

Solve the following trumptarithms.
(i) BAD + BAD = GOOD
(ii) WRONG + WRONG = RIGHT
(iii) LIAR + UNFIT = TRUMP

Hints: (i) 3 solutions (ii) 21 solutions (iii) 22 solutions

by MathPlus March 3, 2021

alt-left math

Traditional math questions alt-right politicians blame for their bad or negative influence on students, which create math anxiety or instill the fear factor in them.

In most cases, semi-numerate politicians themselves are clueless how to solve these alt-left math questions, who often attribute the high innumeracy rate among certain racial or religious groups to pure laziness and poor study habits.

by MathPlus April 18, 2018

Singapore Math

A form of “mathematical acupuncture” that could relieve non-Singapore teachers and students of math anxiety, if they experiment with problem-solving heuristics like the bar model method and stack model method, while experiencing the pain of brain-unfriendly questions.

Although a number of countries that embraced Singapore math have seen significant improvement in their students’ math scores, however, without parental and societal pressures for a nation to become numerate, at best cosmetic changes would result even with the best math curriculum in place.

by MathPlus July 14, 2018

Sham Shot

When syndicates or scammers set up bogus vaccination camps to charge both rich and poor unsuspected folks for injecting them with a saline solution instead of the locally approved coronavirus vaccine.

After feeling drowsy and having discomfort in her arm, Devi suspected that she might have been administered a sham shot.

by MathPlus June 26, 2021

Pibability

The chance or likelihood that something happening in a given situation is approximately π% or 3.14%.

An arguably pibability result is the percentage of math teachers worldwide who give a heck about the number pi, be it looking for its presence in the least expected places, or numerologically divining their future via the seemingly random decimal digits of the “sacred number.”

by MathPlus April 19, 2021

🦠₁₉ is winning and 🤥₄₅ is losing.

When the numbers of infections and deaths in the US are surging, while Donald J. Trump’s poll numbers are heading south, when it should be the other round if he was not obsessed with his re-election prospects and valued human lives.

When a corrupt and inept president, who puts profits and polls above principles and people, has a cavalier attitude vis-à-vis his diehard supporters, most of whom refuse to wear a mask and to practice social distancing at his political rallies, considering that he himself flirted with death after he tested positive for the coronavirus—it is no surprise that 🦠₁₉ is winning and 🤥₄₅ is losing.

by MathPlus October 17, 2020

Fermat’s Last Theorem

Arguably the most notorious problem in the history of mathematics: mathematicians’ secret desire to solve it to achieve mathematical fame and immortality had saved a few lives, whose suicidal minds were so absorbed in their proofs that they forgot to end their lives prematurely.

A generalized version of the Pythagorean theorem, the Fermat’s Last Theorem was finally put to rest by Prof. Wiles, after an error was exposed in the first proof he unveiled to the mathematical brethren.

by MathPlus February 13, 2018