IntMath Newsletter: vision, wealth and slopes
By Murray Bourne, 28 Oct 2010
28 Oct 2010
In this Newsletter:
1. Math application: 20/20 vision and trigonometry
2. Math application: Statistics and wealth distribution
3. Math tip: The slope of the 3 main trigonometric curves
4. Friday math movies: Math education and cell animations
6. Final thought: Dealing with mistakes
Welcome to the hundreds of new people who have signed up for the IntMath Newsletter!
1. What does 20/20 vision mean?
Suitable for: Everyone. This article ties trigonometric concepts into something that's important for all of us - good vision.
We often hear the expression 20/20 vision. What do the 2 numbers mean? |
2. Singapore wealth - mean and median?
Suitable for: Everyone. The wealth distribution of a country affects its stability, so this is an important application of statistics.
When we have a distribution with a high mean but a low median, what does it look like? |
3. Explore the slope of the sin, cos and tan curves
Suitable for: Everyone. The slope of a straight line is easy - find vertical rise and divide by horizontal run. But what is the slope of a curve? This is an important concept and worth thinking about, even if you've never heard of calculus yet.
I broke this up into 3 separate articles to make it more digestible.
a. Sine curve Use an interactive graph to explore how the slope of sine x changes as x changes. |
b. Cosine curve What is the value of the slope of the cosine curve? Use an interactive graph to investigate it. |
c. Tangent curve You can investigate the slope of the tan curve using an interactive graph. |
4. Friday math movies
Suitable for: Everyone.
a. Arthur Benjamin's formula for changing math education
What math topic is most useful for people in their "real life"? Friday math movie: Arthur Benjamin's formula for changing math education |
b. David Bolinsky animates a cell
Our bodies truly are beautiful and amazing. |
5. Final thought: Dealing with mistakes
Donald Trump had a very successful career in real estate until he ran into serious financial difficulties during the 1990s and basically went broke. He has since recovered and is now worth around US$2.6 billion.
The following quote by Trump applies to all math students!
"Make your mistakes work for you by learning from them."
Donald Trump
Until next time, enjoy whatever you learn.
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