Naked Pi

When the number π could no longer hide her insecurities before her fellow mathematical constants, because the pressure to appear cool in popular culture is taking a toll on her psychological well-being—when fame and popularity come with such a high price that she could lose everything if she failed to reorder her priorities.

Naked Pi’s psychologist advised her to stop being a people pleaser or rescuer unless she doesn’t mind her fans and foes controlling her life.

by Numerati August 20, 2025

AI-gebra

The use or misuse of AI to generate free algebra questions, most of which are quasi-plagiarized from social media platforms, where unknowns, variables, or parameters are represented by look-alike logos or trademarked symbols.

On querying ChatGPT to produce a sample of middle-school AI-gebra questions, Mr. Pinocchio was greeted with the following:

1. Solve these equations.
a) 𝕏 = 𝕏 + 1
b) 5 + 4x = 4(x – 2)

2. Find 𝕏 for which (𝕏 + 3)² = 𝕏² + 9.

3. Solve the following:
(i) 𝕏(2𝕏 + 3) = 2𝕏(𝕏 + 3)
(ii) (x + 2)² = x² + 4x + 3

by Numerati August 04, 2023

Bar-Modeling Orthogonality

When incorporating Singapore’s bar model method—the problem-solving visualization strategy to tackle word problems—at the elementary school level and its aim to develop students’ pre-algebraic thinking skills (before they are introduced to formal algebra) are not often partially achievable or necessarily correlated in practice.

Wallet-friendly Singapore math textbooks, workbooks, and teachers’ resources on their own doesn’t guarantee problem-solving mastery—bar-modeling orthogonality seems to be a constant in many traditional American classrooms, often because of teachers’ or parents’ faux perception that a foreign math curriculum or publication is harder (or even inferior) than their local inch-deep-mile-wide one.

by Numerati December 05, 2024

Mathematical Toughies

A term for brain-unfriendly or challenging math questions that generally evoke panic and fear, which may also be accompanied by recurring nightmares, among math-anxious or mathophobic students, parents, and teachers—the opposite of “mathematical slowies.”

For most educated folks, who lack the intelligence or training to solving math contests and olympiad questions, these mathematical toughies are off-putting or repugnant to them.

by Numerati January 24, 2025

First-World Christianity

When the majority of even lower-middle class believers in developed countries selfishly focus on their perceived lack and discontent, who already live in abundance and comfort, compared to their brothers and sisters who are struggling to put food on the table or feed their families.

Be it on rising costs of living, influx of immigrants, or access to abortion and fertility clinics, what percentage of the faithful in America are often guilty of practicing a form of faux or first-world Christianity?

by Numerati July 30, 2024

Does Pi Love Me?

When you are mathematically tickled why you have been experiencing an aha! on or about the number π pretty frequently recently—for no logical or valid reasons, it is as if pi seems to be infatuated with you.

Besides coming up with a few sexy proofs on some pi-related theorems, I spotted my birthdate and my cellphone number 31,415 digits apart among the first ten thousand digits in the decimal number pi. Sounds like a sign from on high that makes me wonder: “Does Pi love me?”

by Numerati November 05, 2023

Girl Math

The fuzzy-and-funny logic used by female digital natives (who proudly boast about not being born or blessed with the “math gene”) to rationalize why they are getting a pretty good deal as far as their time, money, and convenience are concerned, compared to those who think or act differently from them.

“Girl math” may debatably be likened to the female equivalent of Yogi-isms or Yogi Berra’s “aphorisms.”

by Numerati October 07, 2023