Mathematical Documentaries

This is a nice collection of mathematics-themed documentaries:

http://www.cosmolearning.com/mathematics/documentaries/

There are 30 or so documentaries here, many from the BBC’s Topics in the History of Mathematics, such as Non-Euclidean Geometry and the Birth of the Calculus.

Other documentaries of interest include biographies of Florence Nightingale (whose contribution to statistics is often overlooked) and John Nash (Nobel prize winner and subject of the film A Beautiful Mind).

There are also a number of traditional lecture series available as well.

By patrick honner, ago

Math Lesson: European Debt Crisis

My latest contribution to the New York Times Learning Network is a Math Lesson designed around exploring loan repayment and risk assessment in the context of the European Debt Crisis.

https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/crunching-the-numbers-exploring-the-math-of-the-debt-crisis/

In this lesson, students interact with some cool infographics, collect debt data, run the numbers on possible loan repayment schedules, and explore an elementary notion of “risk” in finance.

By patrick honner, ago

Math Quiz: NYT Learning Network

Through Math for America, I am part of an on-going collaboration with the New York Times Learning Network.  My latest contribution, a Test Yourself quiz-question, can be found here:

https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/30/test-yourself-math-nov-30-2011/

This problem is related to the increase in on-line education services being offered by established colleges and universities.  How much money is there to be made in this business?

By patrick honner, ago

Weavings and Tilings

At the Bridges Math and Art Conference in Portugal I learned quite a bit about mathematics and weaving.  One of the many simple and fun ideas I left with was using weaving to explore tilings of the plane.

With some graph paper to plan your tiling, some pre-cut construction paper to assemble them, and some patience to work through the process, you can produce some nice results.  Here are some examples from a recent Math for America workshop I led on Math and Art.  More images can be seen on my Facebook page.

By patrick honner, ago
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