August 2019

Barron’s SHSAT Prep Book

I’m excited to announce that the SHSAT Prep Book I co-authored for Barron’s has been published!

This book is designed to prepare middle school students for New York City’s Specialized High School Test (SHSAT). The SHSAT is the sole admissions criterion for entry into New York City’s specialized schools, which include Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, and Brooklyn Tech. The test is free, and every middle school student in the city is eligible to take it.

This new book reflects the recent changes to the content of the SHSAT, which was re-designed to better represent the standard 7th and 8th grade curricula. It includes an overview of all of the math and ELA content covered on the exam, as well as three complete practice tests.

The book was written with co-author Young Kim, and is currently available on Amazon and in Barnes and Noble stores in New York City.

By MrHonner, ago

Color Me Polynomial — Quanta Magazine

My latest column for Quanta Magazine highlights one of math’s most misunderstood objects: the polynomial. Polynomials may be the bane of an algebra student’s existence, but polynomials help us see the mathematical structure around us.

At some point in school you were probably asked to combine, factor and simplify polynomials. For example, you may remember that x² + 2xy + y² = (x + y)². That’s a neat algebra trick, but what is it actually good for? It turns out that polynomials excel at uncovering hidden structure, a fact Huh used to great effect in his proof. Here’s a simple puzzle that illustrates how.

My column explores how certain polynomials, called chormatic polynomials, can tell us about the structure of certain graphs, and vice versa. This intimate connection lies at the heart of some interesting results in graph theory, including some big theorems that were proved only recently.

To learn more, read the full article, which is freely available here.

By MrHonner, ago
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox

Join other followers: