In my previous article (Math Fallacies, Part 1), I discussed why I enjoy mathematical fallacies and how I believe we can learn a lot from them. I then gave a list of 8 different mathematical fallacies. In this article, I want to discuss these and point out some of the…

A fantastically simple calculation of π. — Buffon’s needle Problem, which was first posed in 1777 by its namesake Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon, is a fantastically simple problem which allows us to calculate, or at least approximate, the value of π through a simple experiment. It can be stated in many different formulations, but we will…

By calculating a very simple integral we can see that π ≠ 22/7 regardless to what we were told in school. I constantly have students coming into my college classes and trying to interchange between π and 22/7. Let’s be clear, 22/7 is a relatively good approximation for π (it…

Coined the “Impossible Puzzle” by world-famous math game and puzzle creator Martin Gardner, the following puzzle is often considered to be the world’s most difficult math puzzle. The main reason for this is its simplicity. At first glance, there simply does not appear to be enough information to solve it…

In a previous article (A Math Teacher’s Nightmare. Incorrect-Correct Maths.), I discussed what I termed “Incorrect-Correct Maths”. These were examples of erroneous basic calculational assumptions leading to a correct solution by nothing more than chance. One such example is the following:

Unfortunately, I have been unable to post for quite a while due to unexpectedly being brought into hospital near the start of May and only recently getting out. I am all good again now and should hopefully be able to get back to posting relatively soon. While in hospital I…

Continuing my series on questions my students have asked me, we look at another algebra-themed question with a very interesting solution, but also a very useful trick for solving it. You can see the first question in this series, along with a discussion on my inspiration for the series here. …

Many of the problems in mathematics involve finding solutions to equations. Over the centuries our number systems had to be expanded to provide solutions for more and more kinds of equations. It is these expansions I want to discuss now. In a previous article, we used a given relation, x⁵=1…

The concept that a mathematical theorem or formula can be beautiful seems to really confuse and often anger non-mathematicians, and for a long time, this was something I never really understood. …