Friday, September 28, 2007

Is playing games really just math?

Have you tried Sudoku yet? It is a wonderful "brain - game." Using the numbers 1 - 9, you have to place each digit so that you have one of every number in every row and in every square (3 blocks by 3 blocks). Here is my question .... could you make a game similar to Sudoku using any other numbers ( Would 1 - 5 work?) Are there specific rules or guidelines? Is there a limit to the number of puzzles that can be created?
Some of the answers to these questions may be obvious to you, but not to others. What are your thoughts on this?

Friday, September 14, 2007

"Have you used your brain lately?"

Shannon contributed a logic problem to the blog as a comment to the first post. Though it was not an answer to the question posed, I love it that she wants to exchange problems. Did anyone read her post?? Does anyone have an answer for her or a problem of your own? Would a "bribe" of extra credit help? Do you want to submit answers on the blog (the first to answer correctly would earn the points in addition to the one that posed it), or would you like to submit your answers on paper in class so more people could earn the points? Does anyone have any other suggestions for discussion? I would like the focus of the blog to remain on mathematics, specifically the ideas we learn about in class, but I think there are a multitude of directions that can take. I am open to your ideas.

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Thoughts on Algebra Class

To me, Algebra is similar to learning to read. If you have an excellent understanding of the basics, you can then move on to any type of problem! At times (in fact I predict often) you will ask "WHY DO I HAVE TO LEARN THIS"? That is the question I would like you to discuss. You can search the internet for ideas (there are LOTS of sites on this question), but make sure you document (URL address) where the information came from if it is not your original idea.

Contributing to this blog is an assignment! Any constructive comments will earn you the credit, it can be your idea or a response to another post. As the author of this blog, I receive the documentation on where the comments came from so please take this seriously. I am looking forward to our discussions this year.