Math under the Microscope

This blog give an interesting overview of teaching methods and instructional goals.

[20171119]

Scott Aaronson and quantum computing, the world and everything else.

Scott Aaronson is a very young researcher working at the limits of human understanding. He talks in a very clear and down to earth way. One should read this 2016 interview if for no other reason than you respect your own mind.

[2017-05-03]

AMS open access notes

The AMS has opened a new repository of free access notes, papers and books. Access it here.

[170420]

Neglect Mathematics

[170130]

Mathematica and John Nash

"Nowadays we can do computer experiments using Mathematica, and even solve a system of 42 equations. This offers another route to knowledge, rather than mere ideas."
John Forbes Nash
[20170118]

This is probably the most general description of mathematics ever written down.

Ref. QED The Strange Theory of Light and Matter, p. 63, Richard Feynman

[161229]

Prof. H.-H. Wu, Cal

Prof. H-H. Wu at Cal-Berkeley has contributed a large number of original papers about how to teach grade school mathematics. From the Link:

"The following are papers on mathematics education, together with a few videos at the end. The papers are separated into two groups. The first group consists of papers that are directly related to the Common Core Mathematics Standards, and the second group contains the papers on mathematics education in general. Within each group, the papers are listed more or less in chronological order."
[20170113]

Number Sense

This is where we need to go! 

From the link:

"If you are connected with the world of K-12 mathematics education, it’s highly unlikely that a day will go by without you uttering, writing, hearing, or reading the term “number sense”. In contrast everyone else on the planet would be hard pressed to describe what it is. Though entering the term into Google will return close to 38 million hits, it has yet to enter the world’s collective consciousness. Stanford mathematician Keith Devlin explains what it is."

[20170113]

And further this is how to get there, from the inventor of the computer program Mathematica.
[20170115]

Math, A Career or Not?

Sometimes things don't work out

Here's a rather longish, first person account of the life of a theoretical physicist in the making. The ending is not particularly inspiring, but sometimes it's better to know reality than live a nonproductive dream. The subtitle says it all: "Einstein and Feynman ushered me into grad school; reality ushered me out."
[20170113]