The IntMath Newsletter - 1 Sep 08

By Murray Bourne, 02 Sep 2008

1. Lessons from the Olympics
2. Math tip - Inflation and Hyperinflation
3. The latest IntMath Poll
4. From the math blog
5. What does September mean at your school?

1. Lessons from the Olympics

The speech by IOC President Jacques Rogge at the spectacular opening of the 2008 Olympic Games contained some great points:

Remember that the Olympic Games are about much more than performance alone.

They are about the peaceful gathering of 204 National Olympic Committees - regardless of ethnic origin, gender, religions or political system.

Please compete in the spirit of Olympic values: excellence, friendship and respect.

Dear athletes, remember that you are role models for the Youth of the World. Reject doping and cheating.

As he spoke, I felt that his words were relevant to students, too.

Ever thought that your education should be "more than performance alone"? While you are at school or college, I encourage you to mix well with others regardless of their ethnic origin, gender, religions or political system. Aim for (and give) excellence, friendship and respect in whatever you do. Be a positive and ethical role model. And it's also a good idea to reject drugs and not to cheat.

2. Math tip - Inflation and Hyperinflation

I wrote a special article about inflation and hyperinflation for this edition of the IntMath Newsletter.

You can read the article here: Hyperinflation.

There are some good applications of math in the article, including percentages, exponential growth, logs, and semi-log curves. There are many social implications as well.

3. Poll results

Still on the theme of inflation, the IntMath Poll during Jul/Aug asked readers the following question.

"The following costs have risen a lot in the past year. Which one affects you the most?" The response from 1,000 readers was as follows:

54% Gasoline
28% Food
8% Electricity
7% Rent
4% Mobile phone

Since the poll went live, the price of oil has dropped around 30%, but it’s still much higher than one year ago and it can only ever go up over the long term. My advice is to plan your future transport with this in mind.

The current poll asks readers "How is Your Math Anxiety?". You can vote on any page in Interactive Mathematics.

4. From the math blog

a) Tools for making a math website
A reader asked what tools I use to produce the Interactive Mathematics site.

b) Hyperinflation
Inflation is a concern all over the world right now, but some countries are experiencing uncontrolled hyperinflation. What does hyperinflation mean and what does it look like?

c) Friday Math Movie - Deep Brain Stimulation
Here's a guy who is actually a cyborg - his normal functioning depends on the computer implanted in his shoulder.

d) Google calculator - handy, but not always correct
Google's handy calculator doesn't always get it right, even with simple subtraction.

5. September - Back to School?

What does September mean at your school? For many readers in the Northern Hemisphere, it is the start of the school year.

But not for everyone.

My story: Where I came from (a small town in Australia), September brought the end of the icy cold winds of winter, and the beginning of the final term of school (we had 3 terms per year). September meant it was just another few months to go until we would enjoy summer and the long Christmas/New Year holidays.

Have a good week.

1. Stevie Lim says:

September in my school (in Singapore) means holidays 🙂 Exams are over and now we can relax. Yay.

School starts again in October. 🙁

2. Benjamin Tay says:

September in my school comprises of a week of happy holidays after exams. We return to school and have to start preparing for exams again in August. =(

3. sara says:

september in uae is the begining of a new school year i starterd this week and am so excieted ,, actually not so excited but i feel school is better than vacation .... again i started a new math book !! woooow

4. Ate Joy Joy says:

September, in our country(Philippines), is such a relaxing month for its the end of our midterm examination.â˜» It is also the month of our school's annual week-long intramural. We are always waiting for this month...Know why????

Cause September is the start of CHRISTMAS!!!!â˜»

5. Samuel says:

I'm Australian and I'm coming to the end of my high school studies. Next month is my Higher School Certificate (big exam) and then I'm finished. 🙂 This time I'll have a nice looong holiday before I start university next year.

Ate Joy Joy - what's an intramural?

6. pragyan sharma says:

i am an INDIAN,
& i am an IIT-jee aspirant (one of the toughest exam of india).
so i need to strong mine fundamentals & intmaths newsletter realy helping me.

I'm somalian teacher,september is our end holiday of every year. students are gettiing new classes of the school, others are leaving to Universities, teachers are bringing the results of each exam of the year.
According to somalia septemper means, every students and teachers are starting the new year, because there is blowing of winds in August and one can learn in August of every year.

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