Math-mama, yes, that’s me
This is me above - a worried Math-Mama of all those who love maths. And this is the blog that:
1. tells you why I am worried
2. records my wondering across the wonderful mathematical landscapes
3. narrates all that happens to me along the way.
music i write with
Handel
Mozart
Alabama 3
Tarrantino’s films music
People places things (not necessarily in that order)
from Belgrade with love
from my previous life as a painter
the most wonderful person on this planet - my daughter
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Borat’s Last Theorem
I am writing this just few hours after I watched Oxford Murders by Alex de la Inglesia, a film made after the book by the same name written by Guillermo Martinez. It is always difficult to write a good novel on anything which contains mathematical ideas - but it can be done. Keep it simple, let your imagination as wild as you would otherwise, get your maths right, make your characters alive, and you should be OK.
The problem is, people keep trying to make mathematics understandable in a ‘
Thursday, 30 October 2008
... just perfect for vin chaud!
Ok, I hope you don’t get the impression that I am only after wine! But it is was lovely being in Paris in the Autumn, sunny and cold, buzzing with all this frenchness - and to miss sitting in one of the cafe bars, under the heather, enjoying vin chaud - well that would be a crime!
I came to talk to two groups of people, and to start planning a conference that we are looking to make on the teaching of mathematics and science in historical context. It will now happen in Lille, sometime in
Sunday, 26 October 2008
The last of the Oxford wines...
This Friday past was the last day when we had a British Society for the History of Mathematics Council Meeting in Oxford. The president was an Oxford man, and so we met, four times a year, to discuss the things in his college (but not before the meal and a glass of wine each was consumed).
From January we have a new President, so the next meeting will be in Greenwich. And although I love Greenwich and London, and although this will mean much less traveling for me (and therefore less expense
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Mathematics - the queen of sciences
A few high quality, highly publicised documentaries have recently been made about mathematics. They all deal with, in some way or another, the history of mathematics.
So for example, the Story of Maths, which is presented by Professor Marcus du Sautoy on BBC4 ever Monday now at 9pm (two more to go only) traces, in big sweeps, the history of mathematics from pre-history to modern times.
Some people complain. These are the complaints I heard so far:
boring (but then maths is boring to them
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
SAT's dead!
SAT’s are dead - long live the teacher! Who came up with the idea in the first place? To have nation-wide exams for all children in a country? Every three years? Of course I know who came up with them, it is only a rhetorical question...
Although some people will be very upset (I heard few of them in the staff-room already), majority will be relieved. Those that are upset are mainly so because they just don’t know what to do otherwise! What is there to do then pass the test? How can you
About this Blog
