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Math education in the US is atrocious. If I tried to design a system to create terrible outcomes on purpose, I couldn't do it any better. But I am sure I can prove to you that math isn't beyond you. Let's start with this: can you tell me what an even number is?

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RemovedSep 27, 2022Liked by Holly MathNerd
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Sep 27, 2022Liked by Holly MathNerd

A friend of mine, science-y guy, had quite a jaundiced reaction to the inclusion of Escher, however fine he might be as a graphic artist. He used to say, “might as well have called it ‘Darwin Bozo Gauss’”

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Yes! That book is EXCELLENT. I highly recommend it!

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What you just described is a VERY typical path to mathphobia, yes. And it really is something you can overcome!

Yes, an even number is evenly divisible -- specifically, by 2. 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12....anything you would eventually say if you counted forever by 2.

Does it make sense to you, then, if I tell you that any even number could be represented by 2n? If n is 5, then 2n represents 10. If n is 11, then 2n represents 22. If n is 1, then 2n is 2. Literally EVERY even number can be represented by "2n," for some n. Does that make sense?

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I get it. I have no issue thinking through abstract ideas, but translating them to concrete language is often tricky for me, so it's sort of the same problem from a different angle.

OK. Since you can see that every even number is represented by "2n" for *some* n, can you add onto that understanding that every odd number can be represented by "2n+1" or "2n-1" for *some* n? 11 would be "2n-1" for n=6. 99 would be "2n-1" for n=50. Does that make sense?

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Am I correct in recalling that you've mentioned that one of your side hustles is math tutoring? If so, what a blessing you are to those with whom you teach and share your love for numbers.

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Yes. If I ever win the lottery, I'm going to start a school for traumatized kids and teach math. :-)

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Well, if the lottery doesn't work out 😉 and you decide to start a "Go Fund Me" equivalent, I'll certainly make a donation.

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I can certainly appreciate your math phobia. Mine was engendered by my mother, who got frustrated with me one evening when I was doing math homework and needed help. She had a math phobia, and gladly shared it with me. I recall her looking over my shoulder at the worksheet - I don't even remember what kind of math problem it was - and saying quickly, "Oh, honey, you're just like me! You'll never learn math!" Yep, I never really learned math beyond the elementary level. Ironically, most of my jobs have required math (nothing complicated) competency, and I've always managed to get it done, but only through sheer checking and rechecking my work. I'm certainly not math fluent, or even close and I consider it one of the major drawbacks in my life. Wish I'd had a friend, family member or teacher like Holly.

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Sep 27, 2022·edited Sep 27, 2022Liked by Holly MathNerd

Math makes some kids feel that way — my bugbear was baseball. That feeling when you’re all alone in the outfield and the fly ball is coming towards you and everybody’s watching you…

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When expressed in binary, an even number has as it's last digit a zero.

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Sep 27, 2022Liked by Holly MathNerd

> why the 2 + 2 = 5 brigade still enrages me

"Evil" + "Insanity" + "A Burning Desire to Make You Comply" seems like a reasonable enough answer.

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Sep 27, 2022Liked by Holly MathNerd

I’m a very open minded guy. If there is some object, X, and somebody can take two Xs and then two more Xs, and count them, and they come out to five Xs, well, Bob’s your uncle.

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Sep 27, 2022Liked by Holly MathNerd

(not that I’m holding my breath…)

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The whole part about the woke teachers doing this just to own the “other team” draws parallels to the Malthusian Greens and their desire to starve humanity of cheap and reliable energy.

Like the woke, they play the same game placing high priority on groups they see as victims and marginalized.

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Sep 27, 2022Liked by Holly MathNerd

+1 on forest green. Is that the same as Hunter green to you? I see those two and loden as all being the same color, and yes it’s wonderful. Similarly British racing green, the only color for Jaguars. https://images.app.goo.gl/kSkJy2TVRpfwFu7G7

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Great piece - really interesting. Thanks for the forthright approach

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Thank you!

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THEY. ARE. NIHILISTS. They loath truth (and beauty, and innocence, and integrity, and industriousness, and buildings that don't fall over, ad fininitum). The want chaos, and the destruction of civilization. This is the parsimonious, sine qua non, explanation for why they do and say what they do. There is no deeper, more complicated reason.

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I used to joke that 2+2=5 for large values of 2 (and I could "prove" it using excel where I had 2 cells of value 2.4 but set to round to 1 digit and the sum likewise)

But it's no longer funny. Arguably it never was, but it amused me and a few other people I know.

I agree the 2+2=5 crowd are in fact actively hurting the people they claim to be helping, but it isn't mathematics per se, it's basic arithmetic (sums). Learning basic arithmetic and maybe even slightly more complicated things like multiplication tables up to 12x12 or so and estimation and approximation stops people from being defrauded or conned out of money they often cannot afford to lose.

Mind you it isn't always intentional, but I've had numerous occasions where I've queried the bill at a supermarket or restaurant and discovered that they made a mistake or a cashier has given me the wrong change. If I weren't able to basic addition and subtraction and to have a feel for roughly what the sum should be I couldn't do that. Mostly of course it's only a dollar or two (or equivalent in other currencies) but a couple of times its been significantly more.

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I couldn't agree more. 2+2=4 is true because we define the numbers 2 and 4 and the operators + and = in a certain way. This isn't a matter of Scientific Truth, it's a definition of terms. When the people try to attack 2+2=4, giving various cases where (2 somethings) (plus-like operator) (2 somethings) (equals -like operator) (some arbitrary value that's not (4 somethings), they are changing the terms. We only know it's interesting that 2 oz. of water when added to 2 oz. of ethanol yields less than 2 oz. of clear liquid because you know 2+2=4 and that there must be a change in the terms here. Not all clear liquids are the same and adding different liquids yields different results. If we didn't know 2+2=4, we wouldn't even be looking for the underlying reality that's interesting there.

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YES!! Thank you; this is an astute point and one I wish I'd made in the main piece.

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