Speed versus accuracy in math

Just go read this very interesting story at Ragamuffin Studies blog: Taming the speed demon.

Comments

Kelly said…
Thanks for the link! It was a great read!
10:08 PM, October 28, 2007
Anonymous said…
Hi,

Thanks for the reference. Nice read.

I appreciate and enjoy your dedication to teaching an sharing Math.

I commented the following on Ragamuffin's blog. Your readers might be interested in as well:

-----------------------------------
Hi,

Your post was very touching.

I've always been very good at Math but certainly not the quickest at doing arithmetic.

A couple of comments that may be helpful to you and others:

1. Mathematical reasoning and doing arithmetic quickly are not the same skill. Arithmetic is largely an algorithmic mechanical process. Some people can mechanically process data more quickly than others. Others can do abstract reasoning better but not do so well at arithmetic. Einstein was a prime example of this. He could come up with brilliant formulas but then needed help to do the calculations.

2. Making arithmetic errors can have different causes and different solutions. I realize that making errors in calculation is different than being able to do arithmetic quickly.

I have a couple of articles I've written on my blog, WildAboutMath.com that may be of interest:

Good storytelling ability related to good mathematical skills. This article touches on how Math is different from arithmetic although it's not the main focus of the article.

How to get past "stupid" Math mistakes. This one discusses some possibilities for where errors in calculation come from and ways to address them.

Sol
2:34 PM, November 12, 2007
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Conversion chart for measuring units

Image
I was just sent a link to this site; all it is, is a handy one-page printable conversion chart for various US measures, metric measures, and US vs. metric measures. Includes even a comparative Fahrenheit vs. Celsius thermometer. http://metricconversioncharts.org/
Read more

Meaning of factors in multiplication: four groups of 2, or 4 taken two times?

Someone asked me about the interpretation or meaning of the two numbers in multiplication, such as 4 × 2. Do you view it as four groups of 2 , or as four, taken two times ? Here's their question: "...I noticed that your explanation about how to interpret a math phrase, such as 4 × 2, is different from how I have understood it and taught it to my older daughter who was using RightStart Math at this level. Let me explain:  I see that you are using the first factor to denote number of groups and the second factor tells how many are in each group (4 × 2 would be interpreted 4 groups of 2).  On the other hand, I have taught and thought of it reversed, with the first factor telling how many are in each group and the second factor telling you how many groups (4 × 2 would be 4 taken 2 times).  I know that the difference in explanations does not ultimately change the product, but I am wondering what you thoughts are.  When I conceptually picture what I'm doing I see it as 4
Read more

Geometric art project: seven-circle flower design

Image
I got inspired by the blogpost Art School | Geometric Design with Islamic Art where Deborah shows how to make a neat flower design with seven circles , using a compass, and then coloring it using 2, 3, or 4 colors (or however many of your own). I think it ties in neatly with mathematics, and lets students practice drawing circles with a compass.  My girls loved the art/math project. Here are pictures they made: Here are step-by-step instructions for the flower design: 1.  Draw a line and a circle so that the circle's center point is on the line. Then mark the points where this circle intersects the line. 2. Use those points as center points, and draw two more circles. The radius is the same all the time, so make sure you don't change it on your compass!We used 5 cm as the radius, and that made the whole design fit neatly on a regular letter size paper. 3. Now note the two points marked in the picture. They will be used as center points in the next
Read more