A 14 yr old's math derivation
October 1st, 2021 at 11:47:23 AM
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As I've mentioned in another thread, I am teaching (as a home school teacher) Advanced Algebra and Calculus to a 14 year old student who is "autistic-gifted."
He loves math. Sometimes when I show him something new, he sits at our whiteboard and plays around with the concept, trying different things.
Today's lesson was on finding the inverse of a matrix, and applications for that in solving linear equations. After an hour, I proposed we take a break and he spoke up and said "Can I show you something?" Naturally, I said yes. He said "Here's an equation that I figured out. I am very proud of this and have this equation on my bedroom wall." And he wrote out this:
First, I was impressed by the equation because we haven't yet formally studied series and the summation sign -that will be in a few weeks. I studied his equation and tried to convert it to algebra and I couldn't quite understand what he had written. I asked him "Could you show me a proof?" and he said "here":
I was very surprised and studied it for awhile and finally said:
In this account, I've included his error, because that's additional information that tends to indicate that this was his own work. I should mention that he has access to the internet only when he borrows his Mom's computer, and relies mainly on YouTube to teach himself math. He does not seem to have discovered other internet resources on math.
Perhaps I'm overly impressed, but this is a 14-year-old high school freshman who i am teaching senior-level math courses to. (I am reminded of his age because he sometimes wears a tee-shirt with the math symbol for sqrt(196) on the front.) In the past, I have tutored several students on subjects that they clearly had zero interest in. Teaching math to this young man is an absolute delight.
He loves math. Sometimes when I show him something new, he sits at our whiteboard and plays around with the concept, trying different things.
Today's lesson was on finding the inverse of a matrix, and applications for that in solving linear equations. After an hour, I proposed we take a break and he spoke up and said "Can I show you something?" Naturally, I said yes. He said "Here's an equation that I figured out. I am very proud of this and have this equation on my bedroom wall." And he wrote out this:
First, I was impressed by the equation because we haven't yet formally studied series and the summation sign -that will be in a few weeks. I studied his equation and tried to convert it to algebra and I couldn't quite understand what he had written. I asked him "Could you show me a proof?" and he said "here":
I was very surprised and studied it for awhile and finally said:
In this account, I've included his error, because that's additional information that tends to indicate that this was his own work. I should mention that he has access to the internet only when he borrows his Mom's computer, and relies mainly on YouTube to teach himself math. He does not seem to have discovered other internet resources on math.
Perhaps I'm overly impressed, but this is a 14-year-old high school freshman who i am teaching senior-level math courses to. (I am reminded of his age because he sometimes wears a tee-shirt with the math symbol for sqrt(196) on the front.) In the past, I have tutored several students on subjects that they clearly had zero interest in. Teaching math to this young man is an absolute delight.
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
October 1st, 2021 at 12:34:24 PM
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Senior level? If you meant high school, I'd say at a high school for the gifted maybe. Otherwise this is college level to me
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!” She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
October 8th, 2021 at 5:20:52 PM
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Here is a joke that was told to me by my math student.
Why did the mathematician tend to confuse Christmas and Halloween?
Because dec(25) = oct(31)
Why did the mathematician tend to confuse Christmas and Halloween?
Because dec(25) = oct(31)
So many better men, a few of them friends, are dead. And a thousand thousand slimy things live on, and so do I.
October 8th, 2021 at 5:25:10 PM
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Good one !
It’s all about making that GTA
October 9th, 2021 at 3:20:19 AM
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took me awhile to get to here, cheating by looking it up
I assumed this was over my head, but once you know the notation meaning, it's not ... https://coolconversion.com/math/binary-octal-hexa-decimal/Convert_decimal_number_25_in_octal_
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!” She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
