In a few hours I will know for sure whether or not I "get real!"
As I've studied, I've actually come to have a favorite line from my notes, that I'm sure you would love to know about. Here it is:
I've always used the fact that math is a language, often quite a foreign language, as a way to reassure my own students that I understand what they are going through and to encourage them in how to approach it. Here is proof positive that math is a (foreign) language. It's a good thing I LOVE languages!Now it's YOUR turn to "get real!" Try to translate that line. Oh, come on, give it a try. I won't test you on it! Click on comments to see the translation into English.
3 comments:
Meaning:
Every positive number has one and only one positive square root.
Somewhat stricter translation:
For every positive real number there is a unique positive real number that when squared gives you the first number.
It's (almost) all Greek to me! Way to go H. I think you are definitely getting real. =)
David - most of it IS Greek, but there's a bit of Hindu-Arabic numeration, plus a few modern symbols such as > and ! thrown in for good measure. :)
I usually think of this notation as a type of shorthand. It's pretty cool how you can have a really long-winded, technical sentence condensed down into a short string of appropriate symbols!
When used correctly, notation is really a great way to go. But when used by an untrained novice, it's REALLY obvious! Few things stand out more than incorrect notation! So I always advise my students to either carefully and correctly use notation, or write it out long-hand!
Post a Comment