The more I talk to people about math, the more I realize this one simple fact: Math ability hinges on confidence. If you think you can do it, you can. And even though I don’t know you at all, I know for sure that you can do the math. Promise. Check out the video for details.
Have you subbed to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups? There are lots more videos there. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #icandomath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
Do you think you can do math? What I teach you in this book will give you self-confidence.
Math is black-and-white, all about right and wrong answers. Right? Well, not really. In fact, math is a lot more like writing than hitting on the correct answers. Turns out, focusing on the concepts might just help you learn to like math a little more! Check out the video for details.
Have you subbed to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups? There are lots more videos there. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #norightanswers and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? What do you think about math being a competition? Tell us!
If you’ve ever been stuck in a grocery store wondering if you have enough cash in your pocket to cover what you need, you’re probably pretty familiar with the power of estimation. In this video, I show you how to estimate and why it’s such a big deal.
Have you subbed to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups? There are lots more videos there. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #powerinestimation and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? How do you use estimation in your everyday life? Tell us!
Oh, the math competitions! From speed math to scrambling to get the correct answer, competing with math can be a very bad idea. In this video, I talk about when competition and math are a bad mix. Take a look!
Have you subbed to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups? There are lots more videos there. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #slowmath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? What do you think about math being a competition? Tell us!
What’s the best way to learn new math ideas? The answer might surprise you. But like learning a foreign language or that the little brake light on your dashboard means get to the mechanic — now! — getting the hang of math may require a little bit of discovery, rather than listening to boring lectures or reading books. And getting your Christopher Columbus on means failing a few times too. Here’s how discovery and failure play an important role in math education.
More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #failureisok and #discovermath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? What do you think about having to fail in order to learn? Share in the comments section!
If your hands get sweaty, heart starts to race and your brain shuts down at the thought of doing math, you might have math anxiety. This is a very real condition with very real consequences — from making more mistakes to avoiding math altogether.
But there’s really great news. You can get over math anxiety. And, if you have kids, you can help them avoid getting it in the first place. This video shares a few tips. And if you want more, sign up for my free resource, Multiply Your Math Moxie: A Painless Guide to Overcoming Math Anxiety. Check out the yellow box to the right!
More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #mathanxiety and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video? Do you have your own stories to share about your or your kids’ math anxiety? Share in the comments section!
I never was fond of the step-by-step process many of my math teachers favored. But by the time I reached high school, I figured out that math is pretty darned flexible. And in college, that lesson really took hold.
You may think that math is black and white, but honestly? There are many different ways to solve simple and complex math problems. And that’s what I explain in my latest video. Check out how you can be creative with your math solutions — and still arrive at the correct answer!
More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #flexiblemath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. Were you surprised by anything in the video (like how you solved the problem I propose)? Do you have your own stories to share about how you learned to find your own way to answers? Share in the comments section!
By now, most of us know that girls have great math skills. Still, there are some folks out there who are holding on to the bias that boys naturally have better math abilities than girls.
In my latest Math Manifesto video, I go through some of the recent research on gender and math. It’s good news for girls and boys!
More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #mathgirls and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. After watching the video, are you convinced — as I am — that both girls and boys have math brains? Why or why not? And to all of you grownup girls, how has your gender affected your affected your math learning and doing? Did you ever buy in to the idea that you could not do math as well as your brothers, father, husband or male classmates? I would love to hear your stories!
More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #idomath and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. After watching the video, are you convinced — as I am — that you do math every day? Why or why not?
So where have I been this week? Makin’ video, y’all! I had lots to learn, but I’m tickled to share my first Math Manifesto video: Everyone has a math gene.
If you’ve heard yourself saying, “I’m no good at math; I don’t have a math gene,” this video is for you. In it I talk about all of the current research and understanding of how our brains were born to do math. Take a look!
You may have noticed that I changed this line of my manifesto. Originally I believed that there is no such thing as a math gene, but after doing some reading I’ve come to a different conclusion. We all have the math gene.
More videos are coming, so please subscribe to my YouTube channel: mathforgrownups. Also, I hope you’ll share this video on Twitter, using #mathgene and post it on your Facebook page. Share the Math for Grownups love!
As always, I’d love to hear what you think. Ask your questions or share your feedback in the comments section. (Yes, I already know that I say “So…” and “But…” too often. *smile*) After watching the video, are you convinced — as I am — that you have the math gene? Why or why not?
Each year, I take a bus up to New York City and stay in a swanky hotel, just to hang out with my great colleagues of the American Society for Journalists and Authors. The workshops and speakers are amazing. But best of all, I get a big dose of confidence and inspiration — just enough to propel me through the following months.
Last year, I had my trusty video camera with me, plus a few whiteboards and markers. So I asked attendees: How Do Writers Use Math? Of course, this creative bunch had a lot to say. Take a look!
If you want to know how to pump up your math skills for your writing business, check out my book, Math for Writers. It’s full of great ideas on how to tell a better story, get published and make more money.
Yeah, I’m a big ol’ math nerd, but everyone has to admit: Ultimate Pi Day is a big deal. It only comes around once a century. So why not celebrate?
Plan an impromptu Pi Day Party
The good folks at Uncommon Goods have some terrific suggestions for a geeky get-together: from serving pizza to opening sodas with a π-shaped bottle opener. P.S. Uncommon Goods has an amazing selection of nerdy and not-so-nerdy gifts and housewares. Plus, the company only stocks products that are environmentally, animal- and human-friendly. Check them out next time you need something special, and click here to sign up for their This Just In newsletter to get inside intel on the newest products!
Enter the Math for Grownups Pi Day Contest!
I’m so excited about Pi Day that I’ve decided to give away five great prizes to five lucky winners. Uncommon Goods has chipped in with a darling Pi-themed plate set. Then there’s the first ever Math for Grownups T-shirt and mug. Of course, I’ll give away one of my books, and the big prize: free admission to my upcoming Stats for Writers online course. Yippee!
So how do you enter the contest? Just click here to get all of the details and enter your name and email. If you already receive my biweekly newsletter, you’re already in entered. Yippee Skippy!
Practice Piphilology
(i.e., memorizing dozens of digits of π)
Retired engineer Akira Haraguchi claims to be the master of piphilology, with 100,000 digits under his belt. How about you?
This Washington Post blog post details some strategies for memorizing pi. Or you can get some tips from this YouTube video:
Share the Pi Day Love
At the very least, tell someone Happy Ultimate Pi Day! Who knows? You could get into an interesting discussion about this very special number, and it’s place in mathematics. And you’ll be a math nerd like me, which is cool these days. (And while you’re at it, let folks know about my contest. Tweet about it! Share on Facebook!)
Whatever you choose to do, just get your greek groove on, shake your booty and celebrate that wonderful special number, π.
