tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post2492534920417697349..comments2024-02-16T23:32:12.073-08:00Comments on The Exponential Curve: Real World ApplicationsDan Wekselgreenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08696028020767073620noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post-79021222094527884652008-12-09T13:31:00.000-08:002008-12-09T13:31:00.000-08:00Does anyone know a good book to get specifically a...Does anyone know a good book to get specifically about curves and their application to man-made structures (i.e. bridges, rollercoaster, etc.)?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post-25104046341173628642007-07-08T20:29:00.000-07:002007-07-08T20:29:00.000-07:00This post really caught my eye because I distinctl...This post really caught my eye because I distinctly remember asking that exact question myself in high school. I was a terrible student who preferred to sleep and draw on my pants. Well, I eventually went on to study science at Harvard and worked for years as a video game programmer. My "real" life ended up including quite a lot of math applications. Ironically, though, I think the pushing of applications were a large part of my confusion. They give a false sense of what mathematics *is*, and there are inherent difficulties in using math to interpret experience that turn teaching into babbling.<BR/><BR/>The proper response to the question, I believe, is a quote I read recently that goes something like this: "When you decide to stop studying math, listen closely. That sound you hear are doors closing."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post-45156355706029329742006-11-23T09:39:00.000-08:002006-11-23T09:39:00.000-08:00Since you're doing solutions of systems of equatio...Since you're doing solutions of systems of equations, you might point out that such systems are at the heart of physics and computer science. For example, each one of the matrices that your kids put together represents a transformation from one space to another. When their video games rotate the camera, they're doing matrix multiplication with 3x3 matrices.<br /><br /> -- xnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post-20167180210558399052006-11-20T12:32:00.000-08:002006-11-20T12:32:00.000-08:00In calculus, I do go over some applications (espec...In calculus, I do go over some applications (especially in Calculus I...in Calc II, there isn't as much time for applications). However, I rarely get the "when are we gonna use this stuff?" question anymore. I believe that the reason for that is because this is my common answer:<br /><br />Have you ever been to a museum and seen priceless works of art? Do you enjoy music? What about television or video games? [after getting at least one "yes"...] Okay, are any of these things going to be directly relevant to your future career? No? Then why not do away with them?<br /><br />I'll tell you why: because they're a part of our heritage. And mathematics, too, is a part of our intellectual heritage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post-44877918732129961552006-11-19T18:26:00.000-08:002006-11-19T18:26:00.000-08:00Thanks for the comments so far.
Here is a good ...Thanks for the comments so far. <br /><br />Here is a good summary of how <a href="http://www.math.toronto.edu/mathnet/questionCorner/complexinlife.html"> complex numbers</a> are used.<br /><br />Keep 'em coming!Dan Wekselgreenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08696028020767073620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post-44249103842575303192006-11-16T18:44:00.000-08:002006-11-16T18:44:00.000-08:00http://rightontheleftcoast.blogspot.com
/2006/02/w...http://rightontheleftcoast.blogspot.com<br />/2006/02/when-are-we-ever-gonna-have-to-use.html<br /><br />I split the url up over two lines so that you can see the whole thing. It may not be exactly what you're looking for, but it makes for a great story!Darrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15730642770935985796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post-60300518049437706372006-11-16T16:20:00.000-08:002006-11-16T16:20:00.000-08:00One of our teachers did an activity with logs with...One of our teachers did an activity with logs with a murder mystery using Newton's Law of Cooling. The kids really got into the idea of being CSI like peopledruinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12363634340959613461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30226356.post-16851342314425051732006-11-15T21:20:00.000-08:002006-11-15T21:20:00.000-08:00I had a student ask my on MySpace when she's going...I had a student ask my on MySpace when she's going to use the quadratic formula in real life. I pointed her here:<br /><br />http://plus.maths.org/issue30/features/quadratic/index-gifd.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com