An irrational number that is traditionally defined with respect to the circle, such as the following:
The length of a semicircle of radius one unit.
The angle measure of a straight line segment in radians.
The number of times the perimeter of a circle is more than its diameter.
The length of a semicircle of radius one unit.
The angle measure of a straight line segment in radians.
The number of times the perimeter of a circle is more than its diameter.
To help students appreciate π beyond the canned definition that it is the ratio of circumference to diameter, teachers ought to define it in terms of other quantities not related to the circle.
by MathPlus January 22, 2021
A wall covered with someone’s academic achievements and awards, photos of their posing with some VIPs or ministers, including art paintings and frames of rare stamps and coins.
Guesstimate what percentage of the world’s population in the developed world have a vanity wall at home to impress their relatives, friends, and visitors.
by MathPlus October 07, 2021
The stools of Dictator Kim Jong Un, who is always accompanied by portable toilets to prevent any poo divers from analyzing them, lest they give away rich information about his poor health condition.
Unconfirmed reports hint that the Trump-Kim meeting nearly got aborted when young Dictator Kim refused to let President Trump use one of his toilets lest his supreme shit get contaminated with that of an old white man.
by MathPlus June 11, 2018
A subject that teaches us how to know what we don’t know, by using letters and symbols to represent things that we don’t know in order to find their values based on things we do know, and some mathematical principles or rules.
by MathPlus May 19, 2021
When math teachers in a school or state can’t see eye to eye on the degree of accuracy the number π should be given in a math question—for example, should the students be asked to take π to be 22/7 or 3.14?
In the aftermath of the “Pi Brexit” war, a red state in the US has recorded at least a dozen resignations from hardcore evangelical math teachers, who refuse to bulge unless the schools agree to use the biblical value of three for π.
by MathPlus October 16, 2021
A term used by those who know beforehand that they don’t stand a chance to pass their math test or exam unless they resort to lying, cheating, or bribery—they often blame the teacher for bias against them, practicing unfair grading, or setting unrealistic or artificial questions that are confusing and open to different interpretations.
Guesstimate how many Trumpublican students in red states every year would scapegoat fake math for their failure to get a passing grade in their middle- or high-school math paper rather than putting in the time and effort to master the math concepts.
by MathPlus September 15, 2021
What most incompetent, ineffective, or unethical workers do every day to remain on the payroll, or to avoid being fired.
Gullible bosses mistake busyness and long hours for productivity or good work ethics, because their staff are always looking busy, feeling productive all the time.
by MathPlus January 13, 2019