Mathematical headaches? Problem solved!
Hi, I'm Colin, and I'm here to help you make sense of maths
Mathematical headaches? Problem solved!
Hi, I'm Colin, and I'm here to help you make sense of maths
Funny thing. Type $(2 + \sqrt{3})^{20}$ into Wolfram Alpha. (Or, if you’re really lazy, click this link.). It’s 274,758,382,273.999999999996 or so. The higher the power you pick, the closer $(2 + \sqrt{3})^n$ gets to an integer value — although it never quite gets there, because $\sqrt{3}$ is irrational. So, how
Read More →Former Formula 1 driver @MBrundleF1 asks: These election opinion polls. I've never been approached, nor has anybody I know, about a poll on anything whatsoever. Who are these people? — Martin Brundle (@MBrundleF1) April 5, 2015 (Obviously, he didn’t ask me specifically, but I thought it was a good question.)
Read More →My dear readers, it is not often I become angry. Rage is not an emotion that frequently troubles Flying Colours Towers. A sharp word for a student who is trying to wind me up, perhaps once in a while, but rarely a rant. As the man says, you wouldn’t like
Read More →A challenge question: The curve with equation $y=e^{kx}$ is tangent to the curve with equation $y=x^2$. Find $k$. Curves tangent to other curves? Well, why not! Tangent just means ‘touching’ — so as long as there’s a point common to both curves where the gradients are the same, we’re good.
Read More →At granny’s house, it always seems to go the same way after lunch: Bill and his cousin chase each other around the dining room, while the adults try to make head or tail of their toys. This Sunday was no different: the toy in question comprised a large number of
Read More →When you said you wanted to do maths A-level, I imagine people pursed their lips and said “oo, it’s a big step up.” They’re right, to an extent: every October I get deluged with panicked students who realise that the ‘coast through it all doing just enough’ approach that served
Read More →A student asks: “I’ve got my calculator paper coming up — I’m not really struggling with anything, I just get nervous! How can I make sure I do as well as I know I can? That’s a great question! First up: keep reminding yourself that you don’t really struggle with
Read More →Gosh, who would have thought it? 15,000 students (at the time of writing) have signed a petition to get EdExcel to change the grade boundaries for Thursday’s non-calculator GCSE paper. Good luck with that. The boundaries will have been set using magic statistics, and either have been or will be
Read More →In this month’s thrilling instalment of the world’s #1 maths chatter podcast, @reflectivemaths (Dave) and I discuss… The number of the podcast: 1000000000000066600000000000001, Belfigore’s prime. The rollercoaster question and the role of common sense in exams Colin’s reading: The Trachtenberg Speed System of Basic Mathematics Traffic maths and simulations —
Read More →On Twitter, @tessmaths asks: What's the thing you will do in the last lesson before GCSE maths exam this week? #mathsTLP — Tess Maths (@tessmaths) May 31, 2015 … which is such a good question, it would be rude not to answer. Here’s what I’ll be doing with my GCSE
Read More →