yofx http://www.yofx.org The Unofficial Blog of the Tunxis Math Department Thu, 16 May 2013 02:23:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 en hourly 1 Yofxpostshttp://feedburner.google.com Turning Point http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/Hyhk3jEuAtg/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2580#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 02:23:37 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2580 ny-london
Lee Bradely is at it again. This problem is inspired by one of his tutoring sessions in the ASC. Follow the link. Enjoy the goodness.

Thanks, Lee!

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2580 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2580 MyScript Calculator http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/CMijh1-1hec/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2571#comments Mon, 06 May 2013 20:36:44 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2571 my script calculator

I recently downloaded the MyScript Calculator app. Some of you may have seen it on one of the iPhone commercials. It is the app that you write an expression and it recognizes the expression and typesets it perfectly. At least that is the way it works in the commercial. I think I suffer from fat fingers and poor handwriting because it doesn’t work quite as well for me. The idea is fantastic though, particularly for more complex expressions like CodeCogsEqn (13) that are easy to write, but hard to enter into your regular scientific calculator. Here is how it is supposed to work.

I hope the recognition improves. And it is free so I really shouldn’t be complaining at all. Here is the download link for iOS and android. Give it a try.

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2571 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2571 Trapezoid Control Console http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/T7N5NVUmQQs/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2559#comments Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:23:42 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2559 photo (1) The trapezoid is definitely an underused shape in design. Whenever I stumble on one, I notice it immediately. Check out the trapezoidal control console in my brother’s apartment. I’m also starting to wonder if I have a stove top fetish? This is surprisingly not my only post on the matter. Is there help for that?

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2559 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2559 Exponent Mistakes http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/5PPhrlcSf0E/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2551#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:49:22 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2551 exponent mistakes
Anyone who has ever taught exponents has run into these type of mistakes on student papers. I ran into this great blog post by a teacher, Michael Pershan, that tried to figure out where these mistakes come from and what triggers them. The post is short, but really interesting. The blog is Rational Expressions.

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2551 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2551 Math + Self Help http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/_dPIJjrBUus/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2541#comments Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:19:22 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2541 how to be interesting

My awesome roommate gave me How to Be Interesting for my birthday. It is kind a self-help/inspirational book. (I can’t imagine why she thinks I need help.) The cool thing about the book is all the Venn-Diagram and graphs to explain all the points. Thanks, Sue!

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2541 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2541 The App I’ve been waiting for… http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/wV34O9qGmmg/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2533#comments Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:53:48 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2533 dragon box
There are a ton of great mobile apps that are beautiful, smart, and addictive that teach arithmetic and number sense. What I’ve been waiting for is an app do the same thing for algebra. Dragon Box is the first. It doesn’t handle the whole curriculum. It is really just focused on solving linear (and basic rational equations), but when you start one would never even know it. That is what is so awesome about it. It starts much like any other mobile game with some tutorials on the game’s dynamics. There are no x’s, no numbers anywhere. Slowly as you make it through the levels, the moves you make in the game start to be recognizable as the manipulations one does to solve equations, and the objects start to become numeric, and at the very end the variables start to appear. It is extremely well done. I encourage anyone interested in gamification or mobile ed to check it out. It’s a little expensive at $6, but for the first of its kind, it is worth it. I don’t regret buying it. I also hope WeWantToKnow is hard at work on other algebra games.

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2533 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2533 Facebook + Math http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/zpvNtWXfECQ/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2527#comments Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:35:04 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2527 Screen shot 2013-03-27 at 12.33.35 PM

The WolframAlpha Facebook app allows you to enjoy “the book” math-style. Network graphs, maps, posting frequencies. It is pretty awesome and a bit geeky. Enjoy.

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2527 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2527 Updike and Word Probems http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/PWzEKpU--Dw/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2493#comments Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:01:44 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2493 updike stories-small

I’ve been reading through a John Updike collection called Problems and Other Stories. I really enjoyed the collection as a whole, but I was thrilled to reach the title story and find out it is written in word problems. Above is an example. It reminds me of an ice breaking activity I did with an online class 2 semesters ago in which I had them write the word problems of their lives. I’m not sure why I stopped with it. We had a lot of fun with the idea.

photo 1-600

photo 2-600

photo 3-600

photo 4-600

photo 5-600

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2493 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2493 Math Museum http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/4NMZgN1guQg/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2490#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:57:25 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2490

Geek out! We have our own museum now. Thanks, Carol, for mentioning this segment in the halls. I can’t wait to visit.

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2490 0 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2490 Colossal Number Problem http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Yofxposts/~3/9uyxYYqzWkg/ http://www.yofx.org/?p=2486#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:44:38 +0000 Hendree http://www.yofx.org/?p=2486 Lee Bradley posed another great problem. Check it out over at his site, Prime Puzzle.

]]> http://www.yofx.org/?feed=rss2&p=2486 3 http://www.yofx.org/?p=2486