mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Bit more advanced but nice: find equation of line and its parallel line through the third point. Use linear function as dot product of coefficients with coordinate vector to relate net change in linear function to the distance and the magnitude of the vector of coefficients in the linear function. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Students might benefit from looking at some factoring of particular integer output values when stuck. x=0, 1,-1, etc. Also useful to drop the -12 and factor x^2-x to find axis of symmetry. Some university students still have issues with this topic. 010
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 28/05/2026Looking forward to co-leading a minicourse at MAA MathFest this August in Boston with Paul Zorn about an innovative course for UGs to prepare them for upper level math w/ complex theme. Lots of beautiful, useful, and empowering math content for students to chew on and enjoy. #MathEducation 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 21/05/2026You could do some things with James Tanton's exploding dots. In enrichment with my math circle students, we played with base 2 and the sum 1=1/2+1/4+... using "reverse explosions". Can go far if desired, like squaring the above series. Other bases too. 110
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 29/04/2026Truly a classic. Lots of things to enjoy. Biased as I am (NYU Courant alum). To be fair, I also like the Rademacher-Toeplitz book for instance and the Russian series (bit higher level) Mathematics: its content, methods and meaning. 010
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 18/04/2026Not sure what you did last time versus this. Hope you did explain the lovely math behind this method too. Thanks for posting. 000
Reposted by @mathprofbob.bsky.socialMTEP 2.0 @mtep2-0math.bsky.social · 06/04/2026What should teachers know in math and stats? Join MTEP 2.0 for the April NIC Cast on the MET III Report and explore key insights for preparation and practice. 📅 April 24 | 12–1 p.m. CDT 🔗 mtep.info/zoom #MTEP #NCTM #AMTE #NCSM #MTBoS 001
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 24/03/2026Dual enrollment encompasses a wide range of things since early college courses have a wide scope. I hope your discussion includes nuance and makes the distinction between dual enrollment courses for advanced students, particularly STEM intending, versus those geared towards non-STEM future majors. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 16/03/2026Enrichment setting, but should work in school too: show YBC 7289 and discuss how anyone might have figured out the special case of 1-1-sqrt(2) and then how to work off that. Integer triples known also. Interesting that it predates Pythagoras by a lot. The variety of proofs also. #MathsToday 121
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 20/02/2026Please show the inscribed inspirational words over that abomination. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 05/01/2026At JMM 2026: great talk by Nick Trefethen yesterday (Gibbs lecture) -- truly beautiful and wonderfully accessible for non-experts to show fabulous work. Check out the survey paper on archiv.org. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 18/12/2025Brand new issue of AMS Notices has cover and story from Mason math colleagues and a lovely history article from A. Rice. What a nice treat! 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 16/12/2025I would use two stages: (1) x+iy in polar form, angle t, then (2) look at the angular part alone, cos t + i sin t. Can see that this combo has derivative in t of i times itself and value 1 at t=0. If cosh and sinh are known, motivate by noting force law and toss a - in for spring a la Hooke. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 15/12/2025Older: What is Mathematics (Courant/Robbins+Stewart), Calculus: A genetic approach (Toeplitz); The Enjoyment of Mathematics (Rademacher/Toeplitz). + any book in MAA Anneli Lax series (my favorite from HS - Chinn and Steenrod). Newer: Problem Solving (Zeitz), Mathematical Omnibus (Fuchs/Tabachnikov) 000
Reposted by @mathprofbob.bsky.socialMTEP 2.0 @mtep2-0math.bsky.social · 14/12/2025Join the January NIC-Cast! 📅 Jan. 30, 1–2 p.m. CST Dig into modules that help future secondary math teachers develop critical consciousness and confront anti-Blackness in math ed. 👉 mtep.info/zoom | bit.ly/JanuaryNICCast #MTEP #NCTM #AMTE #NCSM #MTBoS 011
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 15/12/2025Not an A Level teacher here. When you say exponential form of a complex number, do you mean x+iy (rectangular) =r exp(i theta) as polar or something else? I did teach this kind of thing a lot and have motivations. 100
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 01/12/2025Logan books are good; Strang's book has some really nice connections across topics using equilibrium vs. dynamics rather than ODE vs. PDE, but is a challenge for many students; classic Lin and Segal is excellent but maybe more advanced than you intended. 020
Reposted by @mathprofbob.bsky.socialMathematics Institute of the Triangle @trianglemath.bsky.social · 13/11/2025Good luck to all taking the @joinmaa.bsky.social AMC 10B or 12B tests tomorrow! We're sure that you've taken advantage of studying past questions and maybe even contributing your own solution strategies at artofproblemsolving.com/wiki/index.p... . #mtbos #mathTestmaa.orgAmerican Mathematics Competitions – Mathematical Association of America 012
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 13/11/2025What would the disservice be? I think the big disservice is often done in teaching the chain rule, not using simplest examples and prior knowledge. So f(2x) for instance has compressed graph horizontally, doubling slope of tangent to graph. f(x+a) slides, no slope change. 2f(x) and f(x)+b too. 120
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 12/11/2025Another rationale is solving F=ma problems like falling body by finding velocity first, then displacement, then asking about harmonic oscillator for instance. 030
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 08/07/2025Emphasis on meaningfulness and sense-making as central to mathematical development. Memorization is fragile and recovery is difficult (as in forgot my password or lock cutter at my gym for forgotten combinations) but reasoning from basic meaning back to some fact is possible. #MTBoS #TeachMath 011
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 25/06/2025I am currently working with my co-author to finish up our textbook using complex number topics to prepare students for success in upper-level math courses. It mixes proving with investigating and gives students a nice taste of beautiful, accessible yet deep mathematics. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 25/06/2025Just retired from George Mason University. I had the privilege of teaching many wonderful students, interacting with great colleagues and friends, and never losing my love of mathematics. So grateful. Figuring out what's next after book project. 100
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 19/05/2025I was lucky to have been a grad student at Courant when he was director. Never took a class from him but he was part of my oral exam for candidacy (as was Fritz John), which was quite an experience. He gave a minilecture during my exam! I learned so much from his works and his personal example. 030
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 14/05/2025Yesterday I posted final grades for university courses for what may be the last time. Felt weird. Figuring out how to be active in mathematics during retirement will be an interesting challenge. Book project will use up all of that for the short term, but beyond that it is not yet clear to me. 010
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 04/02/2025I refer to this as "math hacking". What could give an answer of ln(x) ... guess x ln(x) and then fix it. We should call the general idea in books "integration by (missing) parts" since we never have two product rule terms in sight. Use this later to approximate ln(n!) as sum, useful for series. 020
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 26/01/2025Looking forward to Calc 2 class tomorrow. Will attempt to get students to think more deeply about integration as averaging and tie it back to Fundamental Theorem on an interval. Sets up lots of further discussion on uses of integrals. #iTeachMaths 010
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 23/01/2025In my Intro to Advanced Math college course, we investigate and prove things about complex numbers and functions. Student answers to day 1 prompts makes we wonder what really happens before college regarding complex numbers. It seems to vary quite widely, even among US students. 000
Reposted by @mathprofbob.bsky.socialAMTNJ @amtnj.bsky.social · 21/01/2025🧮 Math & Special Ed Educators! Join us on April 8 for a full-day PD event at Rutgers. ✨ Strategies for math intervention ✨ Tools to help all student grow ✨ Time to connect with educators 📅 When: April 8, 2025 | 8:30-1 (Lunch included!) 🎟️ Register now amtnj.org #MathEd #TeacherPD #SpecialEd #K12math 041
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 23/01/2025Will you follow up with Newton polynomial interpolation? Stage is set. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 23/01/2025depends on grade level, but zometools are really fun. Not sure if a basic 3-D printer fits that budget either. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 22/12/2024Sophs with what background? It's fun to do hyperbolic and spherical geometry, with Escher prints as some motivation. Circle/limit prints map into upper half plane setting, where math is easier. Soph/early junior math majors/minors have loved it. They find the Mobius subgroup generators for UHP. 110
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 11/12/2024I draw a right triangle with letters a, b, and c in the usual spots. We either have a hypotenuse relabeled as x or one side is x. Side case splits depending on whether we have c or have a. So the basic forms come from one picture with label choices. Final exam now. Easy to give advice b4 grading. 010
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 07/12/2024This week my student inquiry was about complex deg. 1 rational functions mapping the upper halfplane onto itself. They decided which generators of the full group do this, using some nice thinking. Then we looked at the UHP version of Escher prints and worked out the hyperbolic metric. #iteachmath 010
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 26/11/2024Besides those mentioned, if this is for secondary Ss, any book in the Anneli Lax series (MAA press). Many classics. Strogatz book on calculus. Several from my grad school friend Mark Levi, particularly those from Princeton U. press. Math circle titles too. More advanced: Tabachnikov and Fuchs. 000
mathprofbob.bsky.social @mathprofbob.bsky.social · 22/11/2024I am reading student essays on some beautiful math. This is about ordinary primes that do or do not factor as Gaussian integers. They are tackling ideas about relaxing a problem, using fixed points of involutions, and how visuals communicate differently from formulas. In context. #iTeachMath 020