When it is humanly understandable to give up instead of persevering when faced with a false start or failure in solving a math problem—when the pain-and-gain mindset is often missing among struggling or frustrated students, who mistakenly thought that only those blessed or born with the “mathematical gene” could do math.
Fight-or-flight math makes it hard for us to think clearly, logically, and reflexively. Let not negative emotions take control of our reactions.
by Numerati August 08, 2024
Get the Fight-or-Flight Mathmug. Short for “Mar-a-Lago Math.” Questions that creative math educators love to pose to expose the dark businesses and malpractices that often take place there between Mr. Pinocchio and his entourage of rogue advisors and morally corrupt lawmakers: shady deals, illicit affairs, illegal storage of classified documents, doctored valuations, and the like.
One billion-dollar MAL math question that has divided real estate agents and bankers is the value of the notorious Floridian private club, which ranges wildly from $18 million to over $1 billion.
by Numerati December 10, 2023
Get the MAL Mathmug. When the presence of the number π in a headline or image makes it more likely to be read even by someone who would normally have zero interest in the message.
by Numerati December 08, 2023
Get the Pinergymug. When economists observe that the fruit of choice among a large proportion of religious or superstitious folks is now the pineapple (which is offered as food to hungry ghosts or spiritual vagabonds, who have descended from hell to earth during the Hungry Ghost Festival or Seventh Month), thus making them hypothesize whether there is any correlation between the switch of fruit and Singapore’s newly elected President’s use of the pineapple symbol during his recent electoral campaign.
Would Tharmanomics last as long as the “fine” city’s ceremonial head of state remained in office, which could be a dozen years (if he’s re-elected after serving his first six-year term)?
by Numerati September 03, 2023
Get the Tharmanomicsmug. The many whys that promoted mathematicians and math educators (or even nonmath people like artists and creatives) to toy around with the number π for centuries, be it to prove a beautiful theorem, promote the constant in popular culture (art, fashion, perfume, cellphone, movie, and the like), collaborate as a community, challenge tradition, leave a mathematical legacy, or show their intelligence.
Like art and philosophy, pi mesmerizes both math and nonmath people in every corner of the globe. No wonder, those outside the pi community would often ask: What’s the point of pi?
by Numerati October 16, 2024
Get the What’s the Point of Pi?mug. A kind of alien math from a rebel island that was once part of Malaysia, where they learn and teach math word problems in a local dialect called Singlish, using rectangles, lines, and dotted lines, which the people there call “bar models,” with most of them looking arguably ugly.
Local teachers told an Englishman that Singapori Math is a rojak or mélange of methodologies and pedagogies, with ingredients from both the East and the West—when the island was trying to solve its population’s high innumeracy rate in the seventies.
by Numerati March 15, 2024
Get the Singapori Mathmug. Someone who is very attracted to cats or to anything that is even remotely related to the feline family.
It’s no surprise that Sally’s friends call her a purrvert, because she likes splurging on Hello Kitty and Garfield collectibles even when she’s overseas.
by Numerati July 11, 2024
Get the Purrvertmug.