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October 18, 2006
Intrinsic value
I've been working at the school late every night, including my birthday. This is a good thing.
See, I love making contests for the kids. Solve a complex math problem, get a reward. Previous prizes have been UNO game systems, a marshmallow launcher, science baubles, chess sets, stuffed animals, homework passes, that sort of thing. Their goal is to get the prize, and my goal is to get them to learn math.
A few weeks ago, someone donated a sweet $200 MP3 player as a prize. I almost started giggling when I showed all the kids the prize. They were so eager that they almost started vibrating in their 300 seats. I created this problem (taken with my NEW camera, by the way). I put the text in the drawing so that my students' frantic google searches for a solution won't point them to the blog.
Here's the beauty of this problem. It can be solved at a very low level, using graph paper and guessing/checking. It can be solved at a higher, much more elegant level. I love this problem, and so has every other math teacher that looks at it.
They had solutions within two days. A few kids cheated, but were unable to explain a really complex task. What I really loved was watching kids working in teams after school, because at my school, they help each other. Kids were absolutely YEARNING to learn math (although the yearning was for a music player). A few times, it drifted into just learning math to learn math. One kid accidentally learned the rules for the equations of perpendicular lines, and then began showing it to others. They were frantically looking in the books for skills they had forgotten, searing certain knowledge into their young brains. Quite a few came up with the correct solution, and we had a really rich discussion on other variations of this rule. We agreed that there has to be a runoff contest, similar problem. They also want to help create the next contest. I see kids slowly discovering the value of doing something challenging just because it is challenging.
I've got the ideas, I've got an amazing group of kids. I want to make this something regular. I need some contributions of schwag. Anyone want to help?
Posted by G at October 18, 2006 08:25 PM
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Comments
The question is not whether kids can solve this problem, but whether adults can solve it 30 years later...and I only say that because I can't.
Posted by: kayo at October 18, 2006 11:11 PM
Dude, I just got done finishing an online quiz for my AP Stats class 'n' my brain is too fried to do any more math problems, even for geometry, my favorite type of math. There's only enough info for me to find the area of the whole triangle, which is 20 units, 'n' I can't figure anything else out. The approach I WANT to do is find the areas of the three triangles surrounding the square, add 'em up 'n' subtract that sum from the total area of the whole triangle, but I don't know how.
Another approach I actually used is cuttin' down the triangle from the top point 'n' find the lengths of the bases in which the left triangle has the length base of 4 'n' the right, 6. I used the pythgrm. thm. This is what I have so far:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y96/djfunny/stupidmathprob.jpg
I can't go any further b/c of lack of any more info.
I hope there's no obvious answer or I'll be pissed that I worked 'n' spent twenty minutes on your blog. I hope I'm just forgetting a certain geometry formula. Come back w/ a solution, PLEASE, so my could rest.
Posted by: Doug at October 19, 2006 12:26 AM
Fantastic work Mr. B... I love your style.
Have you considered adding a paypal account to your blog with the specific purpose of people possibly making donations for you to purchase these prizes. These are 'OUR,' kids too, and you shouldn't bare the mantel of affording all these prizes. God knows I could drink a few less bourbons and help a kid learn, "If Tye is standing at the end of the bar and one bartender is 10 feet away from him to his left at 30 degrees; and another bartender is 20 feet away from him at 45 degrees, how long will Tye have to wait to get a drink?"
Posted by: tye at October 19, 2006 07:41 AM
It's highly refreshing to read about a teacher that actually likes there job. I have several friends in education, and all they do is complain. I wonder how much of that negative energy actually spills out onto the kids that they teach.
At least it sounds like your positive energy is certainly having an effect.
You're a good boy, G. Keep it up. :-)
Posted by: Stephen J. Xanthos at October 19, 2006 10:03 AM
I'll be glad to contribute a modest gift card for Virgin or something.
Posted by: Joe.My.God. at October 19, 2006 11:56 AM
I have no idea how to solve that problem. eh
My curiosity, though, was engaged by an "Uno game system." What the hell is an Uno game system? The last time I played Uno, it just involved cards (and drinking).
Posted by: GayProf at October 19, 2006 03:07 PM
Give them this one.
Posted by: Andy at October 19, 2006 04:45 PM
Ugh...math gives me the chills...
Posted by: .25 Crisis Kid at October 19, 2006 06:16 PM
I wish we had teachers like you back when I was in school.
Posted by: mike at October 19, 2006 06:42 PM
"One kid accidentally learned the rules for the equations of perpendicular lines, and then began showing it to others." Brilliant! It's exciting how excited you are about it! I wish you'd been *my* math teacher, perhaps I wouldn't have loathed it like I did.
Posted by: goblinbox at October 19, 2006 11:06 PM
Every week when i watch The Wire on HBO, I think of you and know that you are less of a mess than Mr. Prezbalewski.
I can juggle 5 major advertising projects, but put me in front of 2 dozen kids and FORGETABOUTIT!!!
Posted by: bryce at October 19, 2006 11:19 PM
Hey G! It's Larry - Carl's friend from DC. We met over Labor Day weekend. Anyway, I can never pass up a good math challenge so I think I came up with 2 6/7th.
Posted by: Larry at October 20, 2006 01:24 AM
You know, Apple is very into education...I wonder if they'd donate some of their free iTunes music gift cards. Just a thought.
Great problem, by the way. I won't even bother attempting to solve it because I never took geometry. :(
Posted by: Alan at October 20, 2006 10:49 AM
I woke up this morning thinking about this problem. Damn you and your harmonic means!!! Is the answer 2.85?
Posted by: Greg at October 20, 2006 11:33 AM
Great idea! I wish I had teachers like you back in the day. I would be happy to donate $$ for some prizes also. Let me know how I can help.
Posted by: Bubala at October 21, 2006 11:48 AM
Something to do with y = mx +b, right? It's the only algebraic equation I remember.
Posted by: Marty at October 22, 2006 11:48 AM
Happy Belated Bday!
Posted by: Mr. HK at October 22, 2006 01:12 PM
Was it Barbie or Malibu Stacey that said, "Gee, math is hard!!"
Posted by: Blobby at October 22, 2006 05:05 PM