Questions Pupils Ask! Introducing ... Maths-Man! (Or the Importance of Messing Around)
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Questions Pupils Ask! Introducing ... Maths-Man! (Or the Importance of Messing Around) Author(s): Colin Foster Source: Mathematics in School, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Jan., 2007), p. 15 Published by: The Mathematical Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30215980 . Accessed: 26/09/2013 14:11 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. . The Mathematical Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Mathematics in School. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 129.171.178.62 on Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:11:30 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
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Transcript of Questions Pupils Ask! Introducing ... Maths-Man! (Or the Importance of Messing Around)
Questions Pupils Ask! Introducing ... Maths-Man! (Or the Importance of Messing Around)Author(s): Colin FosterSource: Mathematics in School, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Jan., 2007), p. 15Published by: The Mathematical AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30215980 .
Accessed: 26/09/2013 14:11
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
.
The Mathematical Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access toMathematics in School.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 129.171.178.62 on Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:11:30 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
questions
PUpils ask
Introducing maths-man! (or The Importance of messing fround)
by Colin Foster
Working on implicit differentiation with my Year 13 class had led us to draw graphs like y = x2 + y2 on a computer graph-drawing program when a student asked whaty = x3 + y3 would look like. As I hadn't the foggiest idea, I typed it in. We were pretty surprised, and tried a few more. When we got toy = x2 + y3 someone cried out, "It's a person!"
We had to admit there was a distinct resemblance. "But it's got no arms!"
Adding y = - 0.3 fixed that, but we couldn't find a way of limiting their length.
Someone suggested a parabola instead, and after a bit of tweaking ("How can we make the arms go out a bit?") we settled on y = 0.5x2 - 0.3.
Eyes, nose and mouth gave us opportunity to review equations of circles / ellipses, and pretty soon we had the amiable fellow at the top of the next column.
In a spare moment later, I "filled him out" a little, and now he stares down at us from his position on the wall!
A bit silly? Yes. A waste of time? I think not.
Sometimes it's important to mess around. 79
Note Some versions of graph-plotting software will give only the right-hand portion (x > 0) initially, and a separate equation has to be constructed to produce the remainder.
Keywords: Questions.
Author Colin Foster, King Henry VIII School, Coventry. e-mail: [email protected]
Mathematics in School, January 2007 The MA web site www.m-a.org.uk 15
This content downloaded from 129.171.178.62 on Thu, 26 Sep 2013 14:11:30 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
