How would you make maths seem fun?

If you spoke with someone who knows nothing of maths and when asked seemed scared of the subject and mostly finds it seems boring because it's appearance seems bland - graphs, formulae, etc.

How would you make maths seem fun?

I was looking at this book - Slicing Pizzas, Racing Turtles, and Further Adventures in Applied Mathematics

http://www.amazon.com/Slicing-Adventures-Mathematics-Princeton-Puzzlers/dp/0691154996/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2

What else is out there that tries to make maths fun?

I know that Marcus du Sautoy has produced some fun things for the BBC

[video="youtube;5RAtFSEkFho"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAtFSEkFho[/video]

Thanks in advance for your answers!

Reply 1

Joinedup

20

Original post by Protagoras

If you spoke with someone who knows nothing of maths and when asked seemed scared of the subject and mostly finds it seems boring because it's appearance seems bland - graphs, formulae, etc.

How would you make maths seem fun?

I was looking at this book - Slicing Pizzas, Racing Turtles, and Further Adventures in Applied Mathematics

http://www.amazon.com/Slicing-Adventures-Mathematics-Princeton-Puzzlers/dp/0691154996/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_2

What else is out there that tries to make maths fun?

I know that Marcus du Sautoy has produced some fun things for the BBC

[video="youtube;5RAtFSEkFho"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RAtFSEkFho[/video]

Thanks in advance for your answers!

Well people who 'don't like maths' often complain that it's pointless so applied maths dressed up to seem appealing is a frequently chosen route.

Ian Stewart has written several good (imo) books
as has Martin Gardner
Christopher Zeeman was an early TV mathmo http://www.richannel.org/christmas-lectures-1978-christopher-zeeman--linking-and-knotting
as was Johnny Ball

but TBH I also think Johnny was on to something here http://www.sussexlife.co.uk/education/johnny_ball_on_why_the_right_teacher_really_does_make_all_the_difference_1_3780737

I think kids are turned off at a young age by many teachers who are insecure about their own numeracy and inadvertently communicating that to their pupils... and to some extent by a system that doesn't encourage pupils to play with it - Johnny's TV shows were fun but it didn't relate to school maths... your 70's and 80's school maths was still sitting down doing dozens of exercises which were then marked right or wrong, possibly for failing to follow the arbitrary official procedure.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/can-you-spot-teacher-failed-6720023

Reply 2

TimeWalker

18

I'm self teaching maths. In my recent experience, maths becomes easier if you think about the abstract concepts of it. Non-maths people tend to get caught up in the notation and the numbers which, if you don't appreciate what's happening abstractly/conceptually, can be frustrating.

Reply 3

Jamdroid

2

Original post by TimeWalker

I'm self teaching maths. In my recent experience, maths becomes easier if you think about the abstract concepts of it. Non-maths people tend to get caught up in the notation and the numbers which, if you don't appreciate what's happening abstractly/conceptually, can be frustrating.

I completely agree.

I love Maths and that's how I think of it. If you think of it as just remembering what to do in an exam; where's the fun in that?

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Reply 4

to4ka

3

Not including stuff in text books of the sort:

"Here's the proof but you don't need it for the exam" (you don't really need to bother with understanding the material)

"Differentiation is the opposite of integration." (dude, like, trust me, I know maths better than you).

"Here's some formula; make sure what x and y stand for because you won't be told that in the exam." (again, why bother understand the concept when you have a formula for it)

"Why is the scalar product important, you ask? Well you can find angles between vectors duh. And that's useful because you will be examined on that."

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OP

Original post by Ser Alex Toyne

Why so glum chum?

Reply 7

the bear

20

you cannot make failure fun

:redface:

Reply 8

The Warsmith

18

Original post by Protagoras

Why so glum chum?

Maths isn't fun...in any shape or form. So methinks.

Reply 9

username1560589

20

Original post by to4ka

"Differentiation is the opposite of integration." (dude, like, trust me, I know maths better than you).

This is the fundamental theorem of calculus. I don't see anything wrong with stating it.

Reply 10

Zacken

22

Original post by to4ka

"Differentiation is the opposite of integration." (dude, like, trust me, I know maths better than you).

I disagree with this. What may be obvious with some people won't be obvious to others.

I could just as well say "gosh, don't tell me that a set (subset of the reals) is closed iff every accumulation point of that set is in itself, I know more maths than you" - yet it may still need saying to a beginner to the field of real analysis which is part of the audience that the book caters to.

Reply 11

Muttley79

20

Original post by Joinedup

your 70's and 80's school maths was still sitting down doing dozens of exercises which were then marked right or wrong, possibly for failing to follow the arbitrary official procedure.

It may have been in some classrooms but not all!

You can't make maths fun - it is fun already! It's about solving interesting problems in real-life not 'sums' and learning 'methods'. Real maths is creative and exciting!

Reply 12

TeeEm

19

Maybe I got out of bed on the wrong foot today, but I find this thread utterly annoying.

Reply 13

Protagoras

OP

3

Original post by TeeEm

Maybe I got out of bed on the wrong foot today, but I find this thread utterly annoying.

The point of this thread is for everyone to share things that they think makes maths fun - in the hope that other people will find new things to stimulate some thinking about ideas, concepts, histories, etc.

The first reply was exactly what is needed and I've browsed some of the books and videos mentioned.

Marcus du Sautoy speaks about mathematician's lives on BBC radio, which is good to lay back and listen to. - Poincare, Cantor, Galois, etc. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00srz5b/episodes

Melvyn Bragg with a podcast about mathematics http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00545hk

Reply 14

the bear

20

how would you make chewing brillo™ pads fun ?

Reply 15

TeeEm

19

Original post by Protagoras

The point of this thread is for everyone to share things that they think makes maths fun - in the hope that other people will find new things to stimulate some thinking about ideas, concepts, histories, etc.

The first reply was exactly what is needed and I've browsed some of the books and videos mentioned.

Marcus du Sautoy speaks about mathematician's lives on BBC radio, which is good to lay back and listen to. - Poincare, Cantor, Galois, etc. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00srz5b/episodes

Melvyn Bragg with a podcast about mathematics http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00545hk

I am sorry I do not meet with your requirements ...

Reply 16

Kevin De Bruyne

21

http://www.simonsingh.net/Simpsons_Mathematics/book/

Reply 17

chazwomaq

18

I like this talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_meyer_math_curriculum_makeover?language=en#t-477254

The basic idea is - take out information from the typical math textbook problems, and let the students suggest or even make up the information you actually need before you even start to solve the problem.