Math is all around us. While we all have complained at sometime “when are we going to use this?” (or at least heard it from students) the fact is that math how we are able to understand and define the universe around us. Today’s infographic looks at ten mathematical equations from history that have fundamentally changed how we see the world. [VIA]
When are we going to use this? Why do we learn this? How much math is really out there? This interesting map of mathematics was created to show just how wide reaching and diverse the field of mathematics really can be. From learning to count to simple arithmetic into more advanced areas like calculus and differential geometry to practical applications like statistics, game theory and even economics, this chart has it all. Make sure to check out the wonderful video explaining it all, linked below. [VIA]
From the Numberphile YouTube Channel, this video looks at statistics, probability, and game theory as well as human behavior to provide you an almost(?) unbeatable strategy for winning at Rock-Paper-Scissors. (No mention about Lizard & Spock)
All videos are owned by their respective YouTube channels and users and are embedded here for your benefit to use in class in compliance with the appropriate copyright provisions.
We all love our four (and two) legged furry (and feathered) friends. Some people even love no legged, scaly friends! Have you ever really thought of how much it costs to keep our pets their healthiest and happiest each year, however? Today’s infographic calculates the average annual costs for various household pets including several sizes of dogs, cats, birds, and reptiles. This would be an excellent study in class about budgeting and calculating averages as a compare/contrast activity. [VIA]
“In this print, Escher uses two-dimensional images to depict objects free of the confines of the three-dimensional world. The image is of a rectangular three-story building. The upper two floors are open at the sides with the top floor and roof supported by pillars. From the viewer’s perspective, all the pillars on the middle floor are the same size at both the front and back, but the pillars at the back are set higher. The viewer also sees by the corners of the top floor that it is at a different angle than the rest of the structure. All these elements make it possible for all the pillars on the middle floor to stand at right angles, yet the pillars at the front support the back side of the top floor while the pillars at the back support the front side. This paradox also allows a ladder to extend from the inside of the middle floor to the outside of the top floor.” (Wikipedia)
Show: A New Way to Look at the World is a fantastic interactive site that takes demographics and societal data and displays it in a unique way for the United States, Japan, and the world as a whole. Show would be a great resource for not only history and social studies classrooms (It’s a sociological goldmine!) but also geography and math classes as you can use the data, correlations, and spatial relationships to interpret the maps.
Begin using Show by choosing the region you wish to view, either the United States or Japan (divided by states and prefectures, respectively) or a world map that will deal with countries. You can then choose a category for study, whether they be broad concepts such as basic demographics (population, language, religion, etc.), more specific concepts like natural resources, GDP, and education, to the more unique categories like distribution of Wal-Marts and number of UFO sightings.
Take some time to explore before you try using this unique resource in class or have students use it during a free period or as a different way to research. I got lost in the maps on Show for quite a long time myself and still haven’t seen half of it!
Today’s infographic is a very simple representation of the sight distance of various animals and some other sight-related facts for these critters. This is a fantastic opportunity to introduce infographics into a biology or math classroom to compare and contract the sight of animals from various species. [VIA]
Daily Video — “How Folding a Paper Can Get You to the Moon“
Forget everything you’ve heard about only being able to fold a single sheet of paper seven times.Today’s video from TED-Ed blows that idea out of the water to show how folding a single sheet of paper only .001 cm thick can (theoretically) reach from Earth to the moon. Learn about the concept of exponential growth through this fun theory and find out just why you really can’t fold a single sheet of paper in half too many times!
All videos are owned by their respective YouTube channels and users and are embedded here for your benefit to use in class in compliance with the appropriate copyright provisions.