Effective GDC Use #2
Continuing my discussion on promoting effective and wise use of a calculator (GDC) by our students, I wish to highlight what I consider maybe the first and simplest piece of GDC advice to students: “When...
Effective GDC Use #1
The region R is enclosed by the graph of \(y = {\rm{\pi }} - 3\arccos \left( x \right)\), the y-axis and the line \(y = 2\). (a) Write down a definite integral to represent the area of R. ...
P.o.t.D.- 250 Problems
I started writing problems for my Problem of the Day (P.o.t.D.) section on this site 15 months ago - and there are now 250 problems available - equally distributed between HL and SL. The distinction between...
Some fun with primes ... and Geogebra
Prime numbers are fascinating, mysterious and useful. The topic of prime numbers can pop up in a maths lesson at many different ages and ability levels. The announcement two weeks ago of a ‘new’ largest...
primitive Pythagorean triples
Over the years, I’ve got the impression that students are as fascinated with Pythagorean triples as they are with prime numbers. Many mathematical papers, books and websites delve into the various intriguing...
Problem: 12 circles circling a circle
Early in the school year, I like to offer my first-year IB maths students - especially HL students - some challenging problems. I like creating problems of my own that students can solve using mathematics...
P.o.t.D. - 150 Problems !
Over the past six months, I’ve toiled away at composing problems to add to my two Problem of the Day lists – one list of problems for Maths SL and a second list of problems for Maths HL. Last week I...
Challenge Problems (#10)
To me - and to most people who enjoy mathematics - solving a problem that requires insight, perseverance and creative use of mathematical knowledge and techniques can be a very enjoyable and rewarding...
Measuring the earth's radius 1000 years ago
This past weekend I was reading a review of a new history book, The Silk Roads by Oxford historian Peter Frankopan, in which the reviewer states that the Islamic mathematician and scientist al-Biruni...
Perplexing Pentagons (Exploration Idea #499)
Recently, a Maths SL student asked for my thoughts about her writing an Exploration (IA) on tilings of the plane (Euclidean tessellations). I must admit that my initial thought was that it would be easy...