HowtoThink JMM2016

How to Think
Brilliantly and Creatively

In Mathematics
FIVE PRINCIPLES FOR
K-12 STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
James Tanton
MAA, Mathematician-at-Large
www.maa.org/ci
Who I am
– and the power of a pressed-tin ceiling.
Designed by Macgregor Campbell @mainsequence

What do I mean by “brilliant” math thinking?
All the things our community practices and/or strives for every day:
* Setting the stage for epiphanies … lots of mulling.
* Using patience and perseverance to just “nut things out”
* Seeing the big picture; making connections
* Developing intellectual agility (which does not equate with intellectual speed)
* Asking “WHY?” and “WHAT ELSE?” and, better yet, “WHAT IF?” questions
over “WHAT” questions.
* Engaging in joyful intellectual play

– being willing to innovate, to just try things, to flail (and even fail!)
These skills pervade all types of thinking, all subjects of learning.

LIFE SKILLS!
FIVE PRINCIPLES OF MATH THINKING:
N  N  1
1  2  3  ...  N 
2
Multiplication as a geometry problem.
It also explains
the traditional
algorithm.
One can almost do this in one’s head!

This area model provides a wonderful story-line throughout all of K-12.
See www.gdaymath.com for the full power of area throughout the curriculum.
Obviate common student mistakes.
e.g.
No need to memorize. No “FOIL.”
A picture makes it clear what to do!
A PICTURE  INSIGHT and DEEP UNDERSTANDING

Avoid tedious grungy work!
Mathematicians will work hard to avoid hard work!

This means:
* Pausing before leaping into action

* Being confident to rely on your wits,
to “nut your way” through things
Applies even to simple arithmetic.
e.g. What’s 43 take away 27?

e.g. What is 15% of 62?
Answer: 6.2 + 3.1 = 9.3
e.g. What is 17½ % of 80?
e.g. What is 815 divided by 5?
Answer: Double and divide by 10: 1630 / 10 = 163
e.g. One kilogram is equivalent to 2.2 pounds.

So 34 kilograms is equivalent to ……. 68 + 6.8 = 74.8 pounds.
Teach this principle within basic algebra too:
e.g. Solve
e.g. Solve .
Many students are “programmed” to cross-multiply no matter what.
A math people wonder: Why do work you are only later going to undo?
e.g. Expand and simplify: .
A parabola passes through the points (2,5) and (3,-6) and (10,5).
What is the x-coordinate of its vertex?
Avoiding Hard Work Answer:

We have two symmetrical points: (2,5) and (10,5).
And a parabola has a symmetrical U-shaped graph.
The line of symmetry must be half way

between x = 2 and x = 10.
Vertex is at x = 6.
Sketch a graph of the parabola . .
From the previous example:

If we find two symmetrical points on a symmetrical graph all becomes pretty clear.
What x-values are interesting for the given equation?
We see putting
x = 0 and x = 4
both give y = 7.
x = 0 gives y = 7
x = 4 gives y = 7
Vertex at x = 2
When x = 2 we have y = 3.
YOUR TURN!
Find a value k so that just touches

the x-axis.
Answer:
This is the heart of the mathematical enterprise.
A classic Greek example:

Divide by two:
High School students (2009):
The Galilean Ratios:

A playful question …
What must the answer be?
This type of self-reference often appears in mathematics.
e.g.
What is if ?
What is ?
What is ?
Consider the set of all elements that are not in their own assigned sets
….
Why is negative times negative positive?
Multiplication = Areas of rectangles.

Wild idea … Allow rectangles to have negative side lengths!
Consider 17x18
Playing can cement standard ideas.
e.g. SINE and COSINE

SQUINE and COSQUINE
Create a cultural change in the classroom.
From students asking …
to students asking …
for which one answers …

Actually …
Mathematics in the classroom is moving away from memorizing formulas and
performing rote “plug-and-chug.” (WooHoo!)
We’re looking for an equation that must be

EQUATION OF A LINE: true for a point (x,y) to be on the line.
We like to believe that lines have the

property “rise over run” always the same.
And feel free to manipulate this equation

for the context at hand. (Maybe multiply
through by x-2, at the very least.)
DISTANCE FORMULA = PYTHAGORAS’S THEOREM!
HARD!
Solve
Well … This is about squares again. We have .
But there is more. Let’s keep it a square.

Find . Where does a star have height one-half?
COMMENT: The numbers stick in your mind after a while.
Doing , for example, becomes just as easy.

Please memorize the following division rule for 9:
Read the number from left to right

and write down the partial sums of its digits.
e.g.
Aren’t you just burning to know why this works?

Who memorizes … ?
Absolutely no shame in not knowing!
One needs to struggle and flail with ideas in order to truly understand them, to
truly internalize them.
Often (usually!) one needs to see why something doesn’t work in order to
properly understand why what works does.
Example: ZERO IS HARD!
Is zero even or odd?
Is -0 the same as +0?
Is zero even a counting number? What does it count?
Why can’t we divide by zero?

I don’t really understand exponents!
Paper-folding maybe …
An age-old question:
What’s 0.9999… ? What’s ….99999? What’s …999.999…?
So
So So
IS ANY OF THIS TRUE?

Lots of deep questions to be had. (Usually deemed “elementary”!)
Why is the value of pi the same for all circles?

Why circles all the time? Is there a value of pi for a square?
Why are quadratics called QUAD?

What have they got to do with the number four?
Why do factor trees always give the same list of primes in the end, no matter
the choices you make along the way?
Why are the powers of 11 the rows of Pascal’s triangle?
Is 0.9999… equal to 1 or is it not?

Why is 0! equal to 1?
What is “tangent” in trigonometry called “tangent” from geometry? (And secant

“secant”?)
Why is the graph of an inverse function just a reflection across the diagonal line?
Why does the shell method work? (After all, unrolling a shell does change its
volume!!)
Why is log base “e” the natural logarithm to use?
It is okay not to know.

It is not okay not to want to find out.
Something fun: Sketch the graph of . What do you notice?

Admitting that you don’t know is the most powerful of principles.
Top-notch math people have the confidence …
To pin down what it is they don’t know

To muddle and try things
To make lots of mistakes
To use insights about what doesn’t work to understand what does.
To ask questions and consult resources
– and respond to answers with personal skepticism!
“Do I really believe that?”
To have fun with it all!
All sound like good life management to me!

THANKS!
JAMES TANTON
[email protected]
How to Think Brilliantly and Creatively in Mathematics:
A Guide for K–12 Educators and Their Students.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
8:00 am–8:50 am.
This lecture is a guide for thinking brilliantly and creatively in mathematics for K–12
educators, their students, and all seeking joyful mathematics doing. How do we model and
practice uncluttered thinking and joyous doing in the classroom? Pursue deep understanding
over rote practice and memorization? Develop the art of successful flailing? Our complex
society demands of its next generation not only mastery of quantitative skills, but also the
confidence to ask new questions, explore, wonder, flail, persevere, innovate, and succeed.
Let’s not only send humans to Mars, let’s teach our next generation to solve problems and get
those humans back if something goes wrong! In this talk, James Tanton, MAA, will explore
five natural principles of mathematical thinking. We will all have fun seeing how school
mathematical content is the vehicle for ingenuity and joy. All are so welcome to attend!
The sponsor for this lecture is the MAA Council on Outreach.

HowtoThink JMM2016

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

HowtoThink JMM2016

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

HowtoThink JMM2016

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

How to Think

Brilliantly and Creatively

Designed by Macgregor Campbell @mainsequence

* Setting the stage for epiphanies … lots of mulling.

* Using patience and perseverance to just “nut things out”

* Seeing the big picture; making connections

* Engaging in joyful intellectual play

These skills pervade all types of thinking, all subjects of learning.

One can almost do this in one’s head!

No need to memorize. No “FOIL.”

A picture makes it clear what to do!

A PICTURE  INSIGHT and DEEP UNDERSTANDING

Mathematicians will work hard to avoid hard work!

* Pausing before leaping into action

Applies even to simple arithmetic.

e.g. What’s 43 take away 27?

e.g. What is 17½ % of 80?

e.g. What is 815 divided by 5?

Answer: Double and divide by 10: 1630 / 10 = 163

e.g. One kilogram is equivalent to 2.2 pounds.

Many students are “programmed” to cross-multiply no matter what.

Avoiding Hard Work Answer:

The line of symmetry must be half way

From the previous example:

Find a value k so that just touches

A classic Greek example:

The Galilean Ratios:

What must the answer be?

This type of self-reference often appears in mathematics.

Multiplication = Areas of rectangles.

e.g. SINE and COSINE

From students asking …

for which one answers …

We’re looking for an equation that must be

We like to believe that lines have the

And feel free to manipulate this equation

Well … This is about squares again. We have .

But there is more. Let’s keep it a square.

COMMENT: The numbers stick in your mind after a while.

Doing , for example, becomes just as easy.

Read the number from left to right

Aren’t you just burning to know why this works?

Is zero even or odd?

Is -0 the same as +0?

Is zero even a counting number? What does it count?

Why can’t we divide by zero?

What’s 0.9999… ? What’s ….99999? What’s …999.999…?

IS ANY OF THIS TRUE?

Why is the value of pi the same for all circles?

Why are quadratics called QUAD?

Why are the powers of 11 the rows of Pascal’s triangle?

Is 0.9999… equal to 1 or is it not?

What is “tangent” in trigonometry called “tangent” from geometry? (And secant

Why is log base “e” the natural logarithm to use?

It is okay not to know.

Something fun: Sketch the graph of . What do you notice?

Top-notch math people have the confidence …

To pin down what it is they don’t know

All sound like good life management to me!