Monthly Archives: March 2010

A letter to cheating students

Posted on March 29, 2010 by Travis

To all students   planning on copying their math solutions straight out of the solutions manual: Please first consider the following story. Billy needed to compute the general antiderivative of the function 1/x. Stumped, he glanced around the class, and … Continue reading →

Posted in mathify, nerdify, rant | 1 Comment

Newsletter: month forty-eight

Posted on March 28, 2010 by Travis

Dear Ladybug, You are now officially FOUR YEARS OLD!   There’s so much I could say about how you’re growing up and just what kind of funny, sassy, dramatic kid you’ve become, but maybe it’d be best if I just … Continue reading →

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If the shoe fits

Posted on March 20, 2010 by Travis

The Ladybug was playing with her new doll who, in addition to having eyes that close and anatomically correct naughty bits, also sports a cool pair of purple Crocs.   The Queen B and I happened upon her as she … Continue reading →

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Bedazzled

Posted on March 18, 2010 by Travis

The Ladybug and I were sitting on a bench at Target, waiting for the Queen B to return some clothes.   Behind the bench was a glass display case, in which were wallpapered various Target advertisements informing incoming patrons as … Continue reading →

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Eponymy

Posted on March 17, 2010 by Travis

It has always amused me that, despite mathematicians’ twin loves of hero worship and precision, we’re just as bad about correctly naming things as anybody else.   For example, Arabic numbers were invented in India.   By Hindus. The Leibniz … Continue reading →

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