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Browse Middle School About Math
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Selected answers to common questions:
    Art and mathematics.
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    Medicine and mathematics.
    Music and mathematics.
    Poetry and mathematics.
    What is mathematics?
    Was math invented or discovered?

How Numbers Will Change in the Future [10/29/2003]
I'm asking my students to develop new number systems. I was hoping to show them what other people are speculating about future number systems, but I was unable to find anything.

The Importance of Geometry Constructions [12/29/1998]
Why are geometry constructions important? What do we learn from them? Where have they appeared in math history?

The Importance of Math [08/23/2000]
Why is math a core subject?

Integers in Daily Life [05/31/2002]
How are integers (especially negative integers) used in daily life?

Investigating Numbers is Illogical [10/15/2001]
Why do we have to be interested in maths and numbers so much?

Is Algebra Useful in the Real World? [10/27/2002]
We are having a court trial about why we do or do not need algebra.

Is a Sheet of Paper a 2D or 3D Object? [05/17/2008]
Our teacher said that a piece of paper is a two-dimensional object that has no height, but some of my classmates and I disagree. We think a piece of paper still has a height, even if it is very, very, small, and that it is therefore a three-dimensional object. Who's right?

Is Full Equal to Empty? [06/15/1999]
1/2 full = 1/2 empty, so when we multiply both sides of the equation by 1/2, won't we get full = empty?

I Solved It. Now What? [10/16/2003]
I can solve an equation like 12 = 5x + x + 6 to get x = 1, but I don't know what it means, or what I'm supposed to do next.

Larger Than and As Large As [08/01/1999]
If the percussion section has 6 people, does the expression "the brass section is three times larger than the percussion section" mean that the brass section is 3*6 = 18 people or 4*6 = 24 people?

Learning Math Formulas [02/22/2001]
Why is it important to develop math formulas, and why is it important to memorize them?

Learning to Like Math [12/04/2002]
I cannot concentrate in math, no matter how hard I try. How can I pay better attention in math?

Making Math Interesting [08/15/2000]
Do you have any tips for how I can stay focused in math going into the 7th grade this coming year?

Making Math Seem Easy [3/8/1996]
How can you make math seem more easy to do?

Math and Fashion [01/27/2003]
How is math used for fashion?

Math and the Bible [01/24/2002]
How can I integrate math and the Bible?

Math and the Law [11/24/1998]
Examples of how mathematics is used by lawyers to win cases.

Math and the Piano [09/27/1998]
How is math is related to the piano? What about tempo, pitch, and tuning?

Math Anxiety [04/04/1997]
Do you have any information about math anxiety?

Mathematical Models [07/17/2002]
What is a mathematical model, and how would it be used?

Mathematics As Analogy [12/16/2003]

Mathematics, Logic, and Intuition [05/27/2003]
How is math related to logic and intuition?

Math in Dance [09/30/2001]
Can you explain possible ways that math and dance could be related?

Math in Everyday Life [09/22/2000]
I need to write a story about all the ways in which math relates to everyday life over the course of one day. Could you help me with some examples?

Math in Everyday Life [10/17/2002]
How do you use math in your everyday life?

Math in the Real World [2/19/1996]
I would like to know some examples of mathematical applications in the real world.

Math is Power? [03/13/2003]
What do people mean when they say that 'math is power'?

The Math of Time [05/15/1997]
What is the connection between math and time?

Math Used Every Day [11/20/2001]
What type of math do I use every day?


Mod Function and Negative Numbers [04/28/2000]
What is the correct value for the function MOD(-340,60)? Microsoft Excel returns the value 20, while Lotus 1-2-3 returns the value -40. Can you explain the difference?

Multiple Solutions [02/08/2002]
Why is there more than one way of doing one type of math problem?

Multiplying by 1 [09/01/1998]
Why doesn't a number change when you multiply it by 1?

The New Math [07/05/2000]
What is the "New Math?"


Order of Operations Dispute [09/26/2000]
The problem reads: N divided by (division sign)ml where n=12, m=6, and l=3. I believe the correct answer should be .6666, as 12 divided by 18 equals this...

Patterns in the Perpetual Calendar [03/17/2000]
Why do years that have the same calendar repeat in a pattern of 6 years, 11 years, 11 years, 6, 11, 11, etc.? And why do leap years with the same calendar occur 28 years apart?

Percent Increase and "Increase by a Factor of ..." [08/01/2006]
If we start with 1 apple today and tomorrow have 2 apples, then we have a 100 percent increase. But can't I also say there was an increase by a factor of 2?

Plural and Derivation of 'Hypotenuse' [5/16/1996]
What's the plural of hypotenuse?

Point and Line [04/07/2001]
How does something without dimension create something with dimension?


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