“Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics, I assure you that mine are greater.” quote from Einstein, Albert (1879-1955)

Students love to create their own mathematical shapes, and it is a great way to lead into discussion about the names of different geometric shapes, symmetry, volume, etc. Check out the excellent range of paper-based models that can be made here:

Here is a new angle on wildlife photography! Note the tripod – makes me think of triangles… Which leads to a quick note about how to fold a piece of paper into an equilateral triangle. Check out the instructions here:

Some excellent data and interactive graphs are available for Mathematics students from ocean buoys. Check out examples here:

I had an interesting conversation this week with a colleague who has a son studying Mathematics at university level. Apparently, this young man has a very narrow view of the world, with a focus on numbers rather than the wider world of Mathematics. When I mentioned this to a class I was pleasantly pleased to […]

Gina Rinehart, the Australian mining magnate, has just been awarded “The World’s Richest Woman” title. Read more here. We are told that Mrs Rinehart earned a staggering  $2 billion every hour last year.   That equates to $1,077,0540 every 30 minutes of every day. Use the tax table below to calculate how much tax she […]

My sister has just got back from her visit to Christchurch, the New Zealand city affected by earthquakes (see earlier post). She informed me that, while visiting a friend, they felt a sizeable earthquake. She said that, “It sounded like thunder, then ‘bang’ as it hit the house.” She explained that afterwards, those who lived in […]

In 1957, Mrs. William Beston of Morristown, New Jersey, had gave birth to her twelfth daughter. Read the full story and children’s names here. What are the odds of having 12 daughters and no sons? If the probability of having a girl is 1/2, then the chance of having a dozen girls in a row […]

You are sitting down to your Maths homework when a brain haze descends like a fog over your eyes. What to do? You could go online to Ask Dr Math and see if the solution is there (or leave your question for them to get back asap), or ask your parent(s), or post to this […]

Blaise Pascal, the famous French mathematician was not allowed to study the Geometry of Euclid by his father. So, young Blaise worked out the principles of Geometry that Euclid had done centuries before. He also revived the ancient Chinese “mystery triangle” of numbers that looked like this: Heads and Tails Pascal’s Triangle can show you […]