Chris Zappone is something called the Digital Foreign Editor for the Sydney Morning Herald. Yesterday, Zappone had an article published in the SMH,
Why haven’t we regulated social media yet?
The article is nuts.
Month: August 2023
Eugenia’s Rigid Focus on the Wrong Answers
We had been aware of Eugenia Cheng, of course, as the happy new face of mathematics popularisation. We hadn’t paid her much attention, however, until seeing her in a very bad maths documentary; the badness wasn’t Cheng’s fault but she fit right in. Then, in synch with the appearance of her weirdly pushy new book, Cheng wrote a very silly article for the Guardian. Now, with her most recent WSJ column (Murdoch, paywalled), Cheng has tripled down on her silliness.
Continue reading “Eugenia’s Rigid Focus on the Wrong Answers”
Witch 112: Cooking Induction
Last one. This is the final in our sequence of WitCHes on the Logic and Proof chapter of VicMaths, Nelson’s Specialist Mathematics Year 12 text; the previous WitCHes are here and here and here and here (and a PoSSW here). This WitCH is on the final section, Proof by mathematical induction. The worked examples are all similar in form to that given below. The exercises seem ok except for one, which is almost almost good, but which definitely isn’t good (and for which no solution is provided).
New Cur 29: Negative Definite
We’ve already written about the lack of proof in the Australian curriculum. The problem is much more fundamental than that, however: there is a lack of clear mathematical constructs to even prove things about.
Continue reading “New Cur 29: Negative Definite”
More Digital Tools
The Federal Department of Education has just come out with a commissioned report: Research into Best Practice Models for the use of digital technologies in mathematics teaching and learning. There are four summary videos (no separate links) and one-pager summaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8), and the report itself. We’ve watched the videos and read the summaries and skimmed the Report, and we can’t be bothered. We can’t even bother WitCHing it. Readers may be interested, however, and may wish to comment.
Witch 111: Positively Contra
Almost there. This is a continuation of the previous WitCHes, here and here and here, on the Logic and Proof chapter of VicMaths, Nelson’s Specialist Mathematics Year 12 text. It is the penultimate section, Proof by contrapositive and contradiction. Most of the worked examples are OK (including Example 18, a correct and reasonably well-written proof “by contrapositive” that if n2 is divisible by 3 then n is divisible by 3). But, there are issues, notably in the exercises.
Substandard
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This blog is fuelled, obviously, by annoyance. There are the large annoyances, such as ACARA and VCAA and VIT, and sundry medium-sized annoyances. Seven hundred blog posts, and counting, is a lot of being annoyed. Then there are the small annoyances, and this post is about, pun intended, a small annoyance: subscripts. Continue reading “Substandard”
New Cur 28: Digital Tools
Some titles write themselves.
It’s been a while, but we haven’t forgotten about ACARA and their appalling curriculum. We’ve whacked the curriculum plenty, but there are still a few whacks left on our to-do list.
Witch 110: Misdirection
Eddie Woo’s Mental Connections
Eddie Woo has been annoying for a long time. Eddie knows much less than he realises and his smiling inanities, which are invariably swallowed whole, are a continual distraction from real issues and real solutions. But he’s gotten worse. Eddie Professor of Practice Woo has graduated from being a distraction and an annoyance to being an active menace. Continue reading “Eddie Woo’s Mental Connections”