If we make mathematical model of our daily routine then it is very easy to maintain the time in work, game and for family. In this era of busy life, time management is a big deal. If we draw the mathematical model of time and spend time according to this, we can mange time easily.  

Not just the time, even we make a mathematical model of daily expenses we can also save a lot of money. Many of us are willing to take load from the bank but unable to calculate the mortgage of credit. If they are expert in solving word problems, then they can calculate their budget to know that are they able to return loan on time. How they can save money by paying installment in how many times?

I remember when I was kid, my mom gives me $15 pocket money for a month and asked, “How much you have to spent daily for covering the whole month?” Because I always spent the whole money before the end of the month. Now I understand that mathematics is too useful even for a kid. That time if I able to make equation of my expenditure then now I have too much money.

If mathematician does not develop the mathematical modeling, then physics was a theoretical subject, suppose how physicists find out the velocity with out modeling the definition into mathematical formula?

Many students have issue in solving word problem, but it is not a big deal. Just focus on some points in the statement and you will become expert in solving word problem. The way to write a statement in mathematical expression is called “Mathematical Modeling”.

Before solving any word problem, you must well verse in Mathematical modeling, draw your attention on the following points to make model of any word problem.

Focus on the following points in any statement:

• What do you know?
• What do you want to know?
• What is the proper operation?

Example: Biden bought 2 kg tomatoes, 1 kg potatoes, 5 kg carrots and 3 kg apples from a market. How much weight he carries from the market?

Now according to above points find out the useful information. First see what we have given in the statement:

Biden bought 2 kg tomatoes, 1 kg potatoes, 5 kg carrots and 3 kg apples from a market. How much weight he carries from the market?

What do we know?

Weight of tomatoes= 2 kg

Weight of potatoes= 1 kg

Weight of carrots= 5 kg

Weight of apples= 3 kg

Now see in the statement what we must calculate or evaluate?

Biden bought 2 kg tomatoes, 1 kg potatoes, 5 kg carrots and 3 kg apples from a market. How much weight he carries from the market?

What do we want to know?

Total weight he carries?

The last thing we have to see, how to do? Which operation have to use? Since we want to know total weight so, total amount always calculated by addition.

What is the proper operation?

By adding weight of all.

Total weight=2+1+5+3=11 kg

Hence, Biden carries 11 kg.

If the word problems including more then one operation, then you have to focus on the following points:

• Find out number of objects / people used in statement
• Give name to each object / person
• Breakout the statement into pieces according to object / person
• Step by step write them with the given relation

Just do some examples to understand:

Example: If the sum of two numbers is 12 and difference is 2. Find the numbers.

According to our points, first see how many objects / persons are discussed?

If the sum of two number is 12 and difference is 2. Find the numbers.

Number of objects is two.

Now give name to both numbers. Let x and y are two numbers.

Now break into pieces:

If the sum of two numbers is 12 and difference is 2. Find the numbers.

The first when saying sum is 12:

So relation becomes

And second one saying difference is 2:

You can list this relation as you want, mean

or

Both are correct.

I take

So, we have two equations:

Both can solve simultaneously to get answer.

Adding both equation

Cancel the opposite terms and do simplification:

We get,

Put this one in any equation, I am putting in the first one

So, the numbers are 5 and 7.

Now what you think? It is easy now to solve word problems.

Consider if a problem consists of a single object / number and relating this object / number by itself then focus on the following points:

• Name that object / number
• Find out the relation between object / number
• Write them in equal

Example:  If a number exceeds its square root by 56. Find the number.

According to our points, first see how many objects / persons are discussed?

If a number exceeds its square root by 56. Find the number.

Let x is that number.

Now break into pieces:

If a number exceeds its square root by 56. Find the number

As we know square root of 4 is 2. Number always greater by its square root so, in the above statement number is greater by its square root and according to statement number exceed by 56.

It can be solved now easily.

Rewrite the above equation:

Taking the square on both side of the equation:

By solving above quadratic equation, we get x=64 and x=49.

The post An Easy Approach to Mathematical Modeling appeared first on Math for Grownups.

“You two should meet!” she said. Apparently, we have some of the same ideas about math.

Well, I did “meet” Manil Suri today, via the pages of the New York Times op-ed section. His excellent piece, “How to Fall in Love with Math” points out some ideas I’ve been extolling for years — along with a couple that I might have said were hogwash a couple of weeks ago.

As a mathematician, I can attest that my field is really about ideas above anything else. Ideas that inform our existence, that permeate our universe and beyond, that can surprise and enthrall.

Yes, yes, and again I say, yes! Mathematics is not exclusively about numbers. Hell, arithmetic is only a teeny-tiny fraction of what mathematics really is. Mathematics is the language of science. It’s a set of systems that allow us to categorize things, so that we can better understand the world around us.

Math is a philosophy, which I guess is what makes us math geeks really different from the folks who are merely satisfied with knowing how to reconcile their accounting systems or calculate the mileage they’re getting in their car. We mathy folks are truly interested in the ideas behind math — not just the numbers.

Last week, I attended a marketing intensive, a workshop during which I outlined my current career and explored how I want to take things to the next level. I’m ready to think bigger, and I need a plan to get me there.

The other entrepreneurs there thought there was real value in my creating a coaching service for entrepreneurs. My services would center around the numbers that these folks need to make their businesses survive and thrive. Marketing numbers, sales numbers, accounting numbers. They resisted the word “math” and advised me to really underscore the numbers.

From a purely marketing standpoint, I completely get it. I don’t have so much of a math wedgie that I can’t understand that the word “numbers” may be less threatening than “math.” So why not just go for it?

But the entire process left me thinking about what it is that draws me to mathematics. And ultimately what will drive me in a career, what moves me to get up in the morning and say, “Let’s go!” If you’ve been around here long, you know that it ain’t the numbers, sisters and brothers.

At the same time, I can’t say that I love math. But maybe that’s semantics, too. For the last two years, I’ve said that I’m attracted to how people process mathematics. But isn’t that just philosophy? So, isn’t that just math? This is what Suri had to say:

Despite what most people suppose, many profound mathematical ideas don’t require advanced skills to appreciate. One can develop a fairly good understanding of the power and elegance of calculus, say, without actually being able to use it to solve scientific or engineering problems.

Think of it this way: you can appreciate art without acquiring the ability to paint, or enjoy a symphony without being able to read music. Math also deserves to be enjoyed for its own sake, without being constantly subjected to the question, “When will I use this?”

At first, I disagreed with Suri’s thesis that math is worth loving — for math’s sake alone. But his analogy here is right on target. I couldn’t paint my way out of a paper bag, but each and every time I see “Starry, Starry Night” at MOMA, I catch my breath.

We come back to a failure to educate, as Suri so wonderfully elucidates in his piece. When we allow people who hate — or don’t appreciate — math to teach the subject, well, does anyone think that’s a good plan?

At any rate, I hope you’ll take a look at Suri’s piece. Meantime, I’m going to reach out to him to share my appreciation of math. Maybe there is a way — beyond teaching — for me to make a living as a math evangelist.

What do you think? Do you notice a difference between mathematics and numbers? Have you changed your mind about math in recent years or month? Please share!

The post For the Love of Math appeared first on Math for Grownups.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

I don’t like what I call performance math. When I’m asked to divvy up the dinner tab (especially after a glass of wine), my hands immediately start sweating. When friends joke that I can find 37% of any number in my head, I feel like a fraud. I’m not your go-to person for solving even the easiest math problem quickly and with little effort.

Truth is I really cannot handle any level of embarrassment. And I’m very easily embarrassed. I’m the kind of person who likes to be overly prepared for any situation. This morning, before contacting the gutter company about getting our deposit back because they hadn’t shown up, I had to re-read the contract and literally develop a script in my head. What if I misunderstood something and was — gasp! — wrong about the timeline or terms of our contract?

Oh yeah, and I hate being wrong. About anything.

In short, I’m not much of a risk taker. Unlike many of my friends and some family members, I can’t stand the thought of failing publicly. Imagine writing a math book with this hang up! Thank goodness for two amazing editors, who checked up behind me.

I’m also not a detailed person. Not one bit. I’m your classic, careless-mistake maker — from grade school into grownuphood. I’m much more interested in the big picture, and I am easily lured by the overreaching concepts, ignoring the details that can make an answer right or wrong.

For years and years, I worried about this to no end. How could I be an effective teacher, parent, writer, if I didn’t really care about the details or I had this terrible fear of doing math problems in public? What I learned very quickly in the classroom was this: Kids needed a math teacher like me, to show them that failing publicly is okay from time to time and that math is not a game of speed or even absolute accuracy. (It’s never a game of speed. And it’s frequently not necessary to have an exact answer.)

Two weeks ago, as I sat down with my turkey sandwich at lunch, the phone rang. It was a desperate writer friend who was having some trouble calculating the percentage increase/decrease of a company’s revenue over a year. (Or something like that. I forget the details. Go figure.) She really, really wanted me to work out the problem on the phone with her, and I froze. I felt embarrassed that I couldn’t give her a quick answer. And I worried that I would lose all credibility if I didn’t offer some sage insight PDQ.

But since I have learned that math is not a magic trick or a game of speed, I took a deep breath, gathered my thoughts and asked for some time. Better yet, I asked if I could respond via email, since I’m much better able to look at details in writing than on the phone. I asked her to send me the information about the problem and give me 30 minutes to get back with her.

Within 10 minutes, I had worked out a system of equations and solved for both variables. She had her answer, and I could solve the problem without the glare of a spotlight (even if it was only a small spotlight).

My point is this: Math isn’t about performing. If you like to solve problems in your head or rattle off facts quickly or demonstrate your arithmetic prowess at cocktail parties, go for it. That’s a talent and inclination that I sometimes wish I had. But if you need to retreat to a quiet space, where you can hear yourself think and try out several methods, you should take that opportunity.

Anyone who criticizes a person’s math skills based on their ability to perform on cue is being a giant meanie. And that includes anyone who has that personal expectation of himself. There’s no good reason for math performance — well, except for Mathletes, and those folks have pretty darned special brains.

Do yourself a favor and skip math performance if you need to. I give you permission.

Do you suffer from math performance anxiety? Where have you noticed this is a problem? And how have you dealt with it?

The post Saving Face: Avoiding performance math appeared first on Math for Grownups.

The idea is to solve the problem and then post your answer. From what I’ve observed, about half of the respondents get the answer correct, while the other half comes to the wrong answer. The root of this problem? The order of operations.

Unlike reading English, arithmetic is not performed from left to right. There is a particular order in which the addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (not to mention parentheses and exponents) must be done. And for most of us old-timers, that order is represented by the acronym PEMDAS (or its variations).

P – parentheses
E – exponents
M – multiplication
D – division
A – addition
S – subtraction

I learned the mnemonic “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” to help me remember the order of operations.

The idea is simple: to solve an arithmetic problem (or simplify an algebraic expression), you address any operations inside parentheses (or brackets) first. Then exponents, then multiplication and/or division and finally addition and/or subtraction.

But there really are a lot of problems with this process. First off, because multiplication and division are inverses (they undo one another), it’s perfectly legal to divide before you multiply. The same thing goes for addition and subtraction. That means that PEMDAS, PEDMSA, and PEMDSA are also acceptable acronyms. (Not so black and white anymore, eh?)

Second, there are times when parentheses are implied. Take a look:

If you’re taking PEMDAS literally, you might be tempted to divide 6 by 3 and then 2 by 1 before adding.

Problem is, there are parentheses implied, simply because the problem includes the addition in the numerator (top) and denominator (bottom) of the fraction. The correct way to solve this problem is this:

So in the end, PEMDAS may cause more confusion. Of course, as long-time Math for Grownups readers should know, there is more than one way to skin a math problem. Okay, okay. That doesn’t mean there is more than one order of operations. BUT really smart math educators have come up with a new way of teaching the order of operations. It’s called the Boss Triangle or the hierarchy-of-operations triangle. (Boss triangle is so much more catchy!)

The idea is simple: exponents (powers) are the boss of multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. Multiplication and division are the bosses of addition and subtraction. The boss always goes first. But since multiplication and division are grouped (as are addition and subtraction), those operations have equal power. So either of the pair can go first.

So what about parentheses (or brackets)? Take a close look at what is represented in the triangle. If you noticed that it’s only operations, give yourself a gold star. Parentheses are not operations, but they are containers for operations. Take a look at the following:

Do you really have to do what’s in the parentheses first? Or will you get the same answer if you find 3 x 2 first? The parentheses aren’t really about the order. They’re about grouping. You don’t want to find 4 + 3, in this case, because 4 is part of the grouping (7 – 1 x 4).  (Don’t believe me? Try doing the operations in this problem in a different order. Because of where the parentheses are placed, you’re bound to get the correct answer more than once.)

And there you have it — the Boss Triangle and a new way to think of the order of operations. There are many different reasons this new process may be easier for some children. Here are just a few:

1. Visually inclined students have a tool that suits their learning style.

2. Students begin to associate what I call the “couple operations” and what real math teachers call “inverse operations”: multiplication and division and addition and subtraction. This helps considerably when students begin adding and subtracting integers (positive and negative numbers) later on.

3. Pointing out that couple operations (x and ÷, + and -) have equal power allows students much more flexibility in computing complex calculations and simplifying algebraic expressions.

Even better, knowing about the Boss Triangle can help parents better understand their own child’s math assignments — especially if they’re not depending on PEMDAS.

So what do you think? Does the Boss Triangle make sense to you? Or do you prefer PEMDAS? What to learn to solve these and other problems, buy the book that will help grown-ups like you with these and other math problems here.

The post The Problems with PEMDAS (and a solution) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

When I was in college, majoring in math education, I learned that math is the language of science.  In fact, we called it the Queen of the Sciences.  (You’d better believe that gave me a sense of superiority over the chemistry and physics majors!)  And yeah, I think that the math I was doing then–calculus, differential equations, statistics and even abstract algebra–is mostly useful for describing some kind of science.

In some ways, everyday math is also the language of science.  Home cooks use ratios to ensure that their roux thickens a gumbo just right.  With proportions, gardeners can fertilize their vegetable beds without burning the leaves from their pepper plants.  And a cyclist might employ a bit of math to find her rate or the distance she’s biked.

But I think too often we adults get caught up in the nitty gritty of basic math and lose the big picture.  This is when many of us start to worry about doing things exactly right–and when math feels more like a foreign language, rather than a useful tool.

Earlier this week, I read a blog post from Rick Ackerly, who writes The Genius in Children, a blog about the “delights, mysteries and challenges of educating our children.”  In Why Mathematics is a Foreign Language in America and What to Do about It, he writes:

Why do Americans do so badly in mathematics? Because mathematics is a foreign language in America. The vast majority of children grow up in a number-poor environment. We’ve forgotten that the language of mathematics is founded in curiosity.  We too often think of mathematics as rules rather than as questions.  This is like thinking of stories as grammar.  Being curious together can be a really special part of the relationship in families.

And I couldn’t agree more.  For all of you parents and teachers out there: how many questions do your kids ask in one day?  10? 20? 100? 1,000?  As Ackerly points out, especially younger children are insatiably curious.  They want to know why the sky is blue and what makes our feet stink and how come that ladybug is on top of the other ladybug.

A full 90% of the time, we can’t answer their questions. Or maybe we just don’t want to yet.  (“That ladybug is giving the other one a ride.”)  With Google‘s help, we can find lots of answers.  But how often are we asked a math-related question–by a kid or a grownup–and freeze?

For whatever reason, many people are afraid to be curious about math.  Or they’ve had that curiosity beaten out of them.  I think that’s because don’t want to be wrong.  As fellow writer, Jennifer Lawler said to me the other day:

It’s funny because when I make a mistake in writing—a typo, etc.—I let myself off the hook (“Happens to everyone! Next time I’ll remember to pay more attention.”) But if I misadd a row of numbers I’m all “OMG, I’m such an idiot, and everyone knows I’m such an idiot, I can’t believe they gave me a college degree, and why do I even try without my calculator?”

The same goes for answering our kids’–or our own–calls of curiosity.

So what if we decided not to shut down those questions?  What if it was okay to make some mistakes?  What if we told our kids or ourselves, “I don’t know–let’s find out!”  This could be a really scary prospect for some of us, but I invite you to try.

What’s keeping you from being curious about everyday math? What do you you think you can do to change that?  Or do you think it doesn’t matter one way or the other?  Share your ideas in in a comment.

Our first Math Treasure Hunt winner is Marcia Kempf Slosser! Congratulations Marcia, you’ve won a copy of Math for Grownups (or if you already have a copy, I’ll send you a gift card). Want to enter? All you need to do is find an example of the daily clue, which is announced on the Math for Grownups Facebook page each day. 

The post Parlez-Vous Mathematics? Math as a foreign language appeared first on Math for Grownups.

Every so often, at around 7:00 p.m., I’ll get a call from someone I know.  “I don’t understand my kid’s math homework,” they’ll say.

These folks aren’t dumb or bad at math.  But almost always, they’ve hit a concept that they used to know, but don’t remember any more.  And those things can trip them up — big time. So, I thought it might be helpful to review 4 middle school math facts that may give parents trouble.

Every number has two square roots.

This is the question that prompted this blog post.  I got a call from a friend who didn’t understand this question in her daughter’s math homework: “Find both square roots of 25.”  Both?

Most adults have probably forgotten that each number has two square roots. That’s because we are typically only interested in only one of them — the positive one.

Yep, the square roots of 25 are 5 and -5.  In other words:

sqrt{25} = 5 and -5

It should be pretty easy to see why this is true.  (You just have to remember that when you multiply two negative numbers, your answer is positive.)

5 · 5 = 25

-5 · -5 = 25

1 is not prime.

This question came up in my own daughter’s homework last week — a review of prime and composite numbers.  Remember, prime numbers have only two factors, 1 and the number itself.  So, 7 is prime.  And so are 13, 19 and even 3.  But what about 1?

Well, it turns out the definition of a prime number is a little more complicated than what we may assume.  And I’m not even going to get into that here.

But there is a way for less-geeky folks to remember that 1 is not prime. Let’s look at the factors of each of the prime numbers we listed above:

7: 1, 7

13: 1, 13

19: 1, 19

3: 1, 3

Now, what about the factors of 1?

1: 1

Notice the difference?  Prime numbers have two factors, 1 and the number itself.  But 1 only has one factor.

0 is an even number.

This idea seems to trip up teachers, students and parents.  That’s because we tend to depend on this definition of even: A number is even, if it is evenly divisible by 2.  How can you divide 0 into two equal parts?

It might help to think of the multiplication facts for 2:

2 x 0 = 0

2 x 1 = 2

2 x 2 = 4

2 x 3 = 6 …

All of the multiples of 2 are even, and as you can see from this list, 0 is a multiple of 2.

Anything divided by 0 is undefined.

Okay, this gets a little complex, so bear with me.  (Of course, if you want, you can just memorize this rule and be done with it.)

First, we can describe division like this:

r={a/b}

Using a little bit of algebra you can get this:

r · b = a

So, what if b = 0?

r · 0 = a

That only works if a is also 0, and 0 ÷ 0 gives us all kinds of other problems.  (Trust me on that.  This is where things get pretty darned complicated!)

So how many of you have thought while reading this, “I will never use this stuff, so what’s the point?” You may be right.  Knowing that 0 is an even number is probably not such a big deal.  But at least your kid will think you’re extra smart, when you can help him with his math homework.

What are your math questions?  Is there anything that’s been bugging you for ages that you still can’t figure out?  Ask your questions in the comments section.  I’ll answer some here and create entire posts out of others.

The post Homework Help: 4 middle school math facts you probably forgot appeared first on Math for Grownups.

It’s the No. 1 question asked of math teachers: “When will I ever use this stuff?”

And in terms of upper-level math — conic sections, radicals, differentiation and the quadratic formula — the answer may very well be, “Not much.”  (Unless you’re in one of those jobs with top-paying degrees.)

As I hope you know by now, basic math is ubiquitous.  We encounter percents, fractions, formulas, the order of operations (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally) and geometry pretty regularly.  But algebra?  When was the last time you solved for x?

Algebra describes the relationships between values, and how those values change when we introduce variables.  In short, algebra is based on equations or expressions:

3+x

x²+4x-7

y=5x+9

(Are your hands sweating or have your eyes glazed over? Hang in there.  I promise this won’t be overwhelming.)

In its simplest form, algebra can be described as the process of solving for a variable.  And you probably did that with random equations for a good portion of your high school math education.

Boring.

Except for word problems, none of the equations had much to do with real life, which is one way that we math educators have sucked all of the life out of math.

But I’m guessing that at least some of you use algebra pretty darned regularly–without even knowing it.  Let me show you how.

As a freelance writer, I’m responsible for maintaining my business records, which for me include expected and actual income, invoices and goals.  I could purchase accounting software for this or hire someone to do the work for me, but to be honest, my business is pretty small.  I have a lot of experience with spreadsheets, and so six years ago, I built one that I still use to track all of my business finances and goals.

Why does this work?  Formulas.  One formula gives me the total of all of my invoices for each month and and another spits out the percent those are of my monthly goal.  I have created formulas that give the percent of my income that is generated from each of my revenue streams.  And because of formulas, I can instantly see how much income has been invoiced but not received.

But maybe this isn’t such a great example.  Most small businesses or self-employed folks use ready-made accounting programs for these tasks.

Meet my good friend, Rebecca.  Like many of us in my neighborhood, Rebecca’s family gets milk delivered once a week by a local dairy.  (I know!  Cool, right?)  But unlike me, she shares her delivery with her next-door neighbor.  And that requires a little bit of math.  Here’s how she explains it:

As you know there are bottle deposits, bottle charges, delivery charges and of course milk (or other product) charges. The charges go to only one credit card. Keeping track of these is a challenge if you don’t want to have to write a check to your neighbor every week – and who wants that? So we have worked out a “kitty” (nice, eh, milk – kitty. ha ha) system where we pay a lump sum to the person whose credit card is being charged. But then we have to know when the kitty is running out.

In other words, each of the families contributes to the kitty, and those funds are used to pay the milk bill on one family’s credit card account.  Rebecca uses a spreadsheet to keep up with how much money is in the kitty at any given time.  When the kitty runs low, she knows to ask her neighbor for a contribution.

Rebecca’s milk delivery spreadsheet

Why doesn’t Rebecca ask for the same monthly payment in the kitty?  Well, this is where the algebra comes in.  Not only can we order milk, but also yogurt, meats, eggs and cheese. That means the weekly orders vary.  And — here’s where you can use that English degree — when elements vary, they’re called variables.

Ta-da!  Algebra in real life.  (Gosh, I’m so proud!)

These spreadsheet formulas are so useful that algebra teachers are using them to demonstrate how algebra is indeed useful in everyday situations.

So, when was the last time you used a spreadsheet?  Did you create a formula?  Did you know you were using algebra?  Tell us about it in the comments section.

The post Math Secret #4: You do use algebra appeared first on Math for Grownups.

All summer long, we’ve seen some pretty amazing research on math ability and education.  We’ve been told that understanding geometric concepts may be innate and that elementary-aged students with a good sense of numeracy do better in math by the 5th grade.  And yesterday news of another study hit the internet.

According to the headlines, we were born either good or bad at math.  At least that’s how this study is being interpreted by bloggers and news outlets.  Except that’s not necessarily what the study concludes.

This makes me mad.  Really mad.  I have not read the full study, but nothing in the abstract–or even the stories and blog posts about this study–suggests that people are born with or without math ability.  Instead, it seems that the cheeky headlines were just too good to pass up.

Here’s what the study author, post-doctoral student Melissa Libertus, does say:

The relationship between ‘number sense’ and math ability is important and intriguing because we believe that ‘number sense’ is universal, whereas math ability has been thought to be highly dependent on culture and language and takes many years to learn… Many questions remain and there is much we still have to learn about this.

And here’s the nitty gritty on the study itself.  A group of 200 children, with an average age of 4 years old, was given a number sense test. (You can take the exact same test here).  These children were then asked to perform a variety of age-appropriate math tasks, including counting, reading numbers and computations.  The results make a lot of sense: children who performed well on the number sense test did better on the math tests.[pullquote]No one says that we’re born good or bad at reading.  We’re all expected to learn to read–and read well. So why do we say that about math?[/pullquote]

But the results seem to be misrepresented by media and others.  These kids were selected precisely because they haven’t had any formal math education.  They’re preschoolers.  So, according to many news reports, kids are either born with number sense or get it from formal education.

Rubbish.

If you had a child in the last 10 or 15 years–or know someone who has–you are probably familiar with the big, big push for early literacy. Parents are encouraged to read to their kids, even when they’re babies, which research has shown helps the children develop age-appropriate literacy skills. In fact, kids who have had access to pre-reading experiences as infants, toddlers and preschoolers do much better with reading in elementary school.  (This is one of the tenets of Head Start programs around the country.)

No one says that we’re born good or bad at reading.  We’re all expected to learn to read–and read well. So why do we say that about math?

Just like the researcher, I think this study raises more questions.  And here’s the really big one: What can parents do to boost their kids’ numeracy before formal education begins? (I actually wrote about this earlier this week.)

I still maintain that we are born with an innate understanding of math–just like we’re born knowing something about language.  But without stimulating this understanding, kids can fall behind their peers or at least not reach their full potential.  We read to little children so that they can learn to read on their own.  And we should be doing something similar with kids so that they can do math.

A friend and fellow math blogger, Bon Crowder has launched an amazing program she’s calling Count 10, Read 10. It’s a simple idea: Parents should spend 10 minutes each day reading to their young kids and 10 minutes doing some sort of math with them.  But nobody is saying flash cards, worksheets or chalkboards are necessary.  The trick is to sneak the math into everyday activities, which can be as simple as counting the steps your new walker takes.

So here’s what I think happened with the news reports of this study: reporters, editors and bloggers simply tapped into their own misconceptions about math–and even their own math anxiety–and distorted the message.  For many people, it’s a “fact” that some people are just naturally bad at math.  I hope you’ll help me challenge that notion.

Meanwhile, be careful what you read.

P.S. A great math educator, David Wees has also chimed in on this topic, and shares–more eloquently–some of the same concerns I have.  Read it!

So what do you think? Are people born good or bad at math? Can parents help develop numeracy in their children?  How?  Share your ideas in the comments section.

The post Math Secret #2: You Were Born This Way (take 2) appeared first on Math for Grownups.

Bon Crowder, another math evangelist

 couple of weeks ago, a fellow freelance writer wrote me about her foray into graduate school.  She needed to brush up on some math skills, and she wasn’t sure how.  I have a feeling that her questions weren’t unique.  Whether you need to learn a little extra to help your kid with his homework or you need to take a math class to further your education, learning math again (or for the first time) can be daunting.  

Luckily, my friend and fellow math blogger, Bon Crowder offered to write a guest post on this very topic.  I swear, Bon and I were separated at graduation or something, because we approach math education in very similar ways.  Plus she’s fun.  (See? Math folks aren’t always boring and difficult to understand!)

I wanted to title this “Being a Great Adult Learner.”

But that’s dumb. All adults are great learners. If we weren’t, we’d be stumbling around, bumping into doors, starving and naked. We know how to learn, and the proof is that we’re still alive.

And dressed.

The question is “What makes you learn?”

1) You need confidence.

Confidence involves two things: feeling worthy and knowing you have the ability.

When people feel they’re entitled to something, they’re more likely to feel confident in getting it. Hang around any Best Buy service desk and you’ll see this in action. People say all kinds of strange things when trying to return a broken product, and these things are said with a sense of entitlement. BY GOLLY they’re going to get their way!

So how do you gain worthiness and ability? You’re worthy of it because you already have it. And you’re able to do it because you already do.

You have it all. It’s just hidden behind a wall of words you or someone else (or both) has told you for years. Now’s the time to ignore everybody, even yourself.

Because here’s the gosh-honest truth: There is not a single thing within a mathematician that is not within you.

You’ve done math since you were a kid. Even before you were in school. You knew at a deep level that if there was one toy and there was another kid around, you’d better run like the dickens to get it. There’s no dividing that toy evenly between kids.

You balance your checkbook (or you would be in jail right now), you probably have some rough idea of your gas mileage, and you know that if you have 12 people coming over, you’re going to have to double or triple that recipe for shepherds pie. You know math. Now’s the time to admit it.

So say this every night before your prayers. If you don’t pray at night, say it twice:

I do math. Today I woke up on time because I calculated how long it would take to get dressed. I knew how much money to spend because balanced my checkbook. I figured out how much weight I needed to lose – and I used math to do it.

Modify this statement to fit your lifestyle and run with it. Every night.

2) You need the right environment.

Once you’ve tapped in to the realization that you’re inherently good at math, you need the right learning environment.

This includes location, timing and the other people involved. If you have to drive too far away after working all day and all you get is a lousy quarter-pounder-with-cheese, you’re going to be tired, grumpy and irritable. If your class is full of teenagers fresh out of high school and the professor is 400 years old and believes in death by PowerPoint, things are not going to go well.

How do you know the right environment?

Look at all the learning experiences you’ve had through the years. List out the good ones and the bad ones. And then dig deep – what made the good ones good? Why were the bad ones so detrimental?

Include timing, location, student body, temperature in the room and details of the instructor. List out the attitude of the instructor, his/her teaching style, voice intonations – even how he wrote on the board.

Pick out the deal-breakers and the nice-to-haves and write them on a special piece of paper. This is your official “Environment Requirement” page. Laminate it, put it in Evernote, tatoo it to your bottom – whatever you do to keep it close so you can refer to it often.

How do you make sure your Environment Requirements are honored?

Here’s where that sense of entitlement comes back into play. If your class has a deal-breaker environment element, do something about it. Think, “If this were a faulty remote control that I bought at Best Buy, how would I handle it?”

Ask the instructor to manage the loud students better. Ask building maintenance to change the temp of the room (or bring a sweater). Don’t sign up for a class during a time when you’ll be tired, hungry and irritable.

And if you can’t change the environment – leave. Drop the class. Get your money back.

If it were a crappy remote control, that’s what you’d do, right?

You’re dressed…

And fed. You learn all the time. And you do math.

Now go find a class that fits and have fun!

Bon Crowder publishes www.MathFour.com, a math education site for parents. But that’s not all!  Bon has launched a really, really, really cool initiative called Count 10, Read 10.  While parents are encouraged to read to their infants, toddlers and preschoolers, we’re rarely encouraged to inject a little bit of math into the day.  Bon will show you how.  Take a look at her blog for more information on developing math literacy (or numeracy).  I’ll be writing about this more in the coming months.

The post Guest Post: Grownups can learn new tricks! appeared first on Math for Grownups.

I’m on vacation this week, so I thought I’d do a quick round up of Math Secrets to date:

Math Secret #1: There’s More than One Way to Skin a Math Problem:

Most math teachers teach that that there’s one process for solving math problems, but this approach just isn’t very practical.  Now that you’re a grownup, you can find your own way to the answer.  I promise.

Math Secret #2: You Were Born This Way:

Think you don’t have any math sense?  Think again.

Math Secret #3: You Can Skip the Love:

Knowing how to do math ≠ loving math.  You really only need two things: acceptance and tolerance.

What to share your own secrets?  Post a comment.

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