How Do You Learn Math Best???

Seriously, and further to our classroom discussion, when considering things like Accelerated Math, graphing calculators, computers, the internet, YouTube, wikis, podcasts, blogs, etc....Is it a wonder at all that students learn anything in my classroom? What works the best for you? Or... what suggestions do you have that may improve what we're doing on a day to day basis in class. Please be honest, but also please be respectful of the fact that we're in a learning environment...

This is and should be a conversation starter...so let's hear what your classmates have to say:

The Pythagorean Theorem

I know this is weird but, on Tuesday Mr. Max went and tried explaining what the Pythagorean Theorem really is. I found it incredibly boring, I was barely paying any attention - I was half asleep. I understood it was part of the curriculum to do this allover again, personally it barley made any sense to do so,(then again everyone isn't like me) so, I'm just gonna provide you with some websites that will give you a hazy look a what he did (I don't even know everything he did, I was surprised when he turned the light on, though mental math was fun! lol lol).

Proof of the Theorem
http://www.cut-the-knot.org/pythagoras/index.shtml
Java Applet
http://sunsite.ubc.ca/LivingMathematics/V001N01/UBCExamples/Pythagoras/pythagoras.html http://www.ies.co.jp/math/java/geo/pythasvn/pythasvn.html (I like this one, I like puzzles)
http://oneweb.utc.edu/~Christopher-Mawata/geom/geom7.htm (I think this one is the easiest to understand)

Pythagorean Triples
http://www.math.uic.edu/~fields/puzzle/triples.html
http://www.cut-the-knot.org/pythagoras/pythTriple.shtml

Oh, he also went on about who Pythagoras is. LoL, I'm reading a book about astronomy right now and I happened to be reading a section about Pythagoras, I found he became quite insane (my personal opinion again). If anyone wants the details SEND ME AN EMAIL (semba04@mts.net or semba04@gmail.com) I'd love to share it with you, though I might post it anyway (on some boring day) (because I find that stuff extremely interesting).

Ah, yes. We also programed our calculators and spreadsheets to calculate the hypotenuse of a right (angled) triangle (which I found fun, again my opinion).

Wiki Assignment Rules

Wiki Assignment

1. Your assignment goes on: ___________________ , use the password on the whiteboard, but please leave the password out of your scribe posts.
2. You're essentially teaching someone how to do a 'type-problem' from Accelerated Math, from start to finish. Show the entire problem, the objective, any relevant instructional materials, whatever....and I believe that I said in class that it should be something you struggled with yourself, but that you're competent with now.
3. Remember that once a question/objective has been selected, it's not available for anyone else's assignment. Check carefully before you post.
4. It's a wiki, so SAVE YOUR CHANGES every time you make some changes....works in progress are fine, but there will be a final due date: .
5. No last names/identifiers in your posts...We've talked about this in class...please remember to be 'mostly anonymous'....

Standard Form Linear Equation

Ax+By+C=0

"A" and "B" are both coefficients of x and y. "C" is a constant term (just a number).

application: Solve for y:
Ax+By+C=0
By=-Ax-C
y=(-Ax/B)-(C/B)

y=mx+b
Therefore we see that m=-A/B and b=-C/B

Parallels and Perpenducilars

Parallel - two lines (rays, segments) are parallel if they are COPLANAR and EQUIDISTANT throughout their length.

Coplanar - A set of points is said to be coplanar if and only if they lie on the same geometric plane.
Equidistant - Equally distant. For example, any two points on a circle are equidistant from the center.

Perpendicular - two lines (rays, segments) are perpendicular if they are COPLANAR and Intersect at a 90 "degree" angle.

Point Slope Form

y-y1=m(x-x1)

Where m=slope & (x1,y1) corresponds to specific points on the coordinate
example: Consider the line 2x+3 and write its equation in point slope form
Graph the line: y=2x+3
Slope=2
Y-Intercept=3
x__________y
-1_________1
0__________+3
-2_________-1


y-y1=m(x-x1)
y-1=2(x-(-1)) or in simplified form y-1=2(x+1)
OR
y-3=2(x-0) or in simplified form y-3=2x
OR
y-1=2(x-(-2)) or in simplified form y+1=2(x+2)