That Common Misconception About ProbabilityDependent vs Independent EventsA couple posts ago I began talking about probabilities. I want to spend some more time on the topic because it’s one of those concepts that can be obviously easy one minute…
The “ Zero Power Rule” Explainedlesson thirty-sevenExponents seem pretty straightforward, right? Raise a number to the power of 1 means you have one of that number, raise to the power of 2 means you have two of the number multiplied together, power 3 means three…
Can You Solve This Intro Probability Problem?lesson thirty-sixAn urn contains 10 balls: 4 red and 6 blue. A second urn contains 16 red balls and an unknown number of blue balls. A single ball is drawn from each urn. The probability that both balls are the…
How Do We Know Prime Numbers are Infinite?lesson thirty-five: Euclid’s TheoremIn the last lesson, we discussed the search for large prime numbers including primes 1 billion digits long! If currently the largest known prime number is 17,425,170…
Prime Numbers & The Sieve of Eratostheneslesson thirty-fourWhen it comes to number envy, primes definitely steal the show, and for good reason. They’re fundamental, mysterious and hard to come by. They’re valuable for encryption and at the heart of some of…
lesson thirty-threeThe Division Algorithm as Mental Mathmental math series, part 14Did you know the division algorithm is already a mental math process?
Could You Pass New York’s Algebra I Exam?Only 63% of NY Students Did This YearYesterday there was an interesting article in the New York Times discussing New York’s Regents Algebra I exam. This year the exam, which aligned with new standards, had…
lesson thirty-twoExploring Number Parityand an Introduction to ProofsNumber parity is the grown up term for talking about whether a number is even or odd. Today we’ll take this elementary concept, define it formally and use it…
What Do Fractional Exponents Mean?lesson thirty-oneFractions as exponents?! Don’t worry, it’s just notational shorthand for powers and roots. Once you understand it, they’re easy as pie!
lesson thirtyStrategies for Mentally Adding Number Listsmental math series, part 13Every once in a while you come across a list of numbers to add that leaves you reaching for your calculator. Today we’ll look at some…
An Unusual Number Solutionlesson twenty-nine, part 2Ready for the solution to Wilfred’s number problem???Here’s the problem from last lesson:Wilfred heard that there is only one whole number between 2 and 200…
Understanding Exponent Propertieslesson twenty-nineAn Unusual Number ProblemWilfred heard that there is only one number between 2 and 200,000,000,000,000 which is a perfect square, a perfect cube, and a fifth power, and has decided to…
Intro to Distance, Rate & Time Problemslesson twenty-eightThis past weekend I visited my parents. I was on a stretch of highway about five miles from the edge of the small town where they live when I was passed by four cars in the space of a few minutes …
lesson fiveA King, 1000 Bottles of Wine, 10 Prisoners and a Drop of Poisona mathematical riddleReady for the solution?
Common Core Math is Not the Enemywhy you hate it and why we need new perspective in educationWe are not computers. We are not machines. We do not think procedurally.
Why Was 5 x 3 = 5 + 5 + 5 Marked WrongViral Math Problem ExplainedA lot of you have been asking about WHY this viral math problem is marked incorrect. And that’s a great question! It seems a little absurd, doesn’t it?