From Scientific American: Daniel Tammet can recite 22,514 digits of pi. He holds the European record for such a feat. So, I guess there is a competition? The article covers an interview with Mr. Tammet in which he discusses memory and I.Q. tests.
As I peruse the internet I am fascinated with the many different ways people spend their time. How long did it take Daniel Tammet to memorize that many digits of pi?
Typing pi to 22,514 digits in a continuous (no spaces) stream, in a Word document with smaller than average margins, using Times New Roman, size 12 font, single-spaced, would take 5 or 6 pages of paper.
An interesting relation: Suppose Mr. Tammet can recite 2 digits per second (a reasonable estimate). Then it would take approximately 3.13 hours to recite 22,514 digits. In other words, it would take close to pi number of hours to recite pi to 22,514 digits.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Daniel Tammet Can Recite 22,514 Digits of pi From Memory
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Arabic Tiling or Tessellation
This was created in Geometer's Sketchpad, put could just as well be created with a compass and straight-edge.
1. Start with a circle. Draw lightly if using a pencil, because the circle will be erased later. Make certain the center point is marked.
2. Using the same diameter, draw circles around the original one, using the intersections as the center points. Each outer circle intersects the center of the original circle.
3. Continue until six circles are drawn around the original.
There are a couple of interesting asides:
Six circles, with a constant diameter, fit perfectly, overlapping at the center points, around a center circle with that same diameter.
Also, six circles of the same diameter, fit perfectly around a center circle with that diameter.
4. Draw sets of parallel lines through the intersection points. Again, if using a pencil, draw lightly because the lines will have to be erased.
5. Continue, drawing the parallel lines in the 3 possible directions.
6. Erase the original circle design. Continue drawing parallel lines in the three different possible directions. Use the intersection points as guides.
7. More of the same.
8. For my design, I continued until I could draw a hexagon, whose sides were the width of 6 rhombuses.
9. Using the lines, starting from the center, draw a pattern of stars and hexagons. I chose to put a star at the center, but it could easily have been a hexagon.
10. Erase (delete) the lines and start coloring the stars...
11. ... and hexagons.
12. Finished (points were also deleted).
Friday, April 10, 2009
Social Interaction and Cell Phones
A Quick Plug for TED - I love this site
The TED website is a great source of talks by interesting and inspirational people. TED stands for Technology, Education, Design. The video production is minimal, and that is probably an overstatement. However, the focus is, therefore, entirely on the presenter and is, in a way, refreshing.
Social Interaction and Cellular Devices
In this presentation, Renny Gleeson, talks about the way we socially interact with cellular devices. I dedicate this to all teachers who struggle with monitoring cell phones in the classroom. Compared to the examples that Mr. Gleeson presents, with the exception of the guy on the motorcycle, our students have these people beat in creative, sly methods of using the cell phone.
A brief list of a dozen ways that students can be sly using the cell phone. All of these examples are actual accounts*.
1 Backpack on lap - the backpack is on the lap with a compartment, the one containing the cell phone, unzipped allowing free access to texting. When caught the student just acts like the teacher is nuts. (Backpacks on laps should be restricted.)
2 Under the desk - one of the most common methods of texting. This one can be detected quite easily because the students don't realize that even though THEY cannot see the phone, the teacher can. When caught, act like the teacher is seeing things and claim she is nuts.
3 In the desk - used in middle and elementary schools where the administrators made the mistake of ordering desks with 'cubbies'. This is much more effective than the 'under the desk' method, even though the students are usually younger. Fortunately younger students don't always think to claim that the teacher is nuts.
4 In the front hoodie pocket - teachers should be suspect of all students wearing hoodies with front pockets. If they don't, they are nuts.
5 In the saggy, baggy pants pocket - teachers should be suspect of all students wearing saggy, baggy pants, especially since they are outmoded and no teenager concerned about his image would be caught wearing them. Any student with hands in the pockets for a sustained duration of time should be suspect, otherwise the teacher is nuts.
6 Switch the cell phone for an mp3 player when caught - then when sent to the dean, blame the teacher for allowing mp3 players in class on special occasions and claim to be confused about the classroom rules. The dean thinks the teacher is nuts for allowing mp3 players on special occasions.
7 Carry two phones then when discovered using the phone swap the working phone for one that doesn't work - then when sent to the dean, claim the teacher is nuts.
8 The calculator excuse - when caught in math class, claim to be using the calculator function. Act like the teacher is nuts when she doesn't buy the logic.
9 What time is it? - when caught, in any class, claim to be needing to check the time (even though at least 90% of the time a student can see the classroom clock). Then act like the teacher is nuts for not buying it.
10 Claim that you were using the cell phone as a 'translation' device - take the Spanish teacher's cell phone out of her purse and then when caught and sent to the assistant principal, and in the presence of your father who has been called to the school, claim that the teacher always lets the students use her phone as a translation device, and of course that is why you are justified to have removed it from her purse. Act like you are the only sane one and everyone else is nuts.
11 Feign ignorance - when caught, by the teacher, while using the cell phone, the student feigns complete innocence and claims the teacher is completely nuts, because she obviously imagined things. When using this method, a student will try to turn the phone off so the teacher can't check the texting history.
12 Actually use the cell phone for an mp3 player - used on that special occasion when the mp3 player is allowed (see #6).
*These methods work because, unlike my generation, the students are able to text without looking at the key pad. I haven't found a correlation between a students grade in class and their skill in using the cell phone.
Origami and Mathematics - Robert Lang Gives a TED Talk
In his TED talk, Robert Lang discusses folding beyond paper cranes, taking origami to new heights using mathematics. 
Visit Robert Lang's website to see his paper art. The site provides folding patters for pieces such as this 'Flying Katydid'.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Most Students Fear Math
Study: Most colleges students fear math,
so the headline reads.Ok, let's forget the grammatical error (from a publication that claims, as a subtitle, "100 years of journalistic excellence").
The headline had me laughing. My inner sarcastic voice was saying, "Duh!"
I wonder how much the study cost? I wonder if a straw poll of the university math professors could have given a close result? If I were a person that bets, I'd put money on the professors having the same results with a poll put in their boxes and no funds lost.
According to this research, done at the University of Granada in Spain, 6 out of 10 students have math anxiety and the anxiety is reported more in the Health Sciences than in Technical Education. (I think the ratio is probably higher in the U.S. - if I were a betting person, I'd put money on it.) And I'm certain that I'd rather have an engineer, than the doctor, figure out the mathematically correct dose of medication for my child.
If anyone wants to know this kind of information, they should just ask a math teacher. Sphere: Related Content
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