Solving puzzles

bart.deferme · 2016-09-16 17:08:19

Hello all
I'm a maths teacher in Belgium. Uptill last year I was teaching maths in my mother tongue (Dutch), but since the 1st of September I'm doing CLIL and I'm teaching maths in English next to Dutch.
Most of the vocabulary can be found on the wonderful website "mathisfun.com", but some of the things we use I cannot really find. I hope you can help me.

1. In our school books we use several steps to solve a problem: GIVEN - ASKED - SOLUTION - ANSWER - CHECK. Are these correct or do you call it different in English? In our school English teachers put the focus on British English, so I prefer B.E., but A.E. or any other is better than nothing.

2. At the end of an equation, we write "Oplv.V.=" which means Solution Set of an Equation. Do you also shorten it? If so, how?

3. I guess you call "1/3" a third and "2/3" two thirds. One of the students of our school (who is American) told me. Do you call "1/4" a quarter or a fourth, or do you use both names or s.th. else?

That's all for now.
Thanks
Bart

Bob · 2016-09-16 20:05:30

hello Bart

Welcome to the forum.

I'm a UK teacher (retired).

GIVEN - ASKED - SOLUTION - ANSWER - CHECK.

This looks good to me.

"Oplv.V.="

I don't recognise that. If I had x^2 = 9 then I might write solution set = {3,-3) but x = 3 or -3 is more common. I haven't met an abbreviation for 'solution set' in English.

One third and two thirds are correct. In the UK we say one quarter although I think most people would understand one fourth. Also a student could say 'one over three' etc.

Bob

ps. Brexit? Don't blame me; I voted 'REMAIN'.

bobbym · 2016-09-17 06:52:36

Hi;

CHECK

Yep! If you get your students to do that last little thing, their superiority is guaranteed. Most that I see do not!

And I do not just mean plugging in, which is a very basic method of check, I mean most people never ask the question of how can I check this result I got. They trust the math, they trust the method they used.

Isaac Newton wrote:

If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been due more to patient attention, than to any other talent.

The great Bobby Baldwin once told me, "to excel, you do not have to work much harder than everyone else. You only have to work a little bit harder, that will be enough."

Everyone makes mistakes, fools make more.

So get them to check. Get them to mistrust answers whether they come from books, computers, geniuses or their deepest feelings and efforts.

bart.deferme · 2016-09-18 05:46:42

Hi both
I'm very happy I found a solution for my questions. The internet is full of things, but sometimes you might not find that one specific thing. Thanks to you I know it now.
And about the CHECK: yes, in Dutch as well it's a big problem. So it's not only a British problem. We face the same problems, whether there's a BREXIT or not.
We already had exchanges with 2 British schools in the past. One in Bernard Castle (near Durham) and now one in Reepham (near Norwich). We hope we can keep exchanging with the school in Reepham.
Thx a lot!

bobbym · 2016-09-18 12:51:01

Hi;

I am not British which I am sure will make the whole of England stand up and cheer. I did not have a vote about Brexit but I voted that the Big "O" should stop annoying our allies with his viewpoints about that issue and come straight home and deal with our urban problems. He did not listen to me.

bart.deferme · 2016-09-18 18:07:10

Hi
I have another questions about special binomial products.
The first one is (a+b)²=a²+2ab+b² as we all know, we call it the square of a binomial, right?
The second one is (a+b)(a-b) = a²-b², how do you call this one? The only thing I found was add times subtract, but it sounds too easy compared to our name for it.

bobbym · 2016-09-18 19:18:59

Hi;

I call the second one "the difference between two squares."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difference_of_two_squares

math9maniac · 2017-04-04 02:40:29

bob bundy wrote:

I'm a UK teacher (retired).

Dear Bob, if you do not mind my asking, why did you retire from teaching?

wim · 2021-03-24 08:35:05

When I was learning Dutch the first thing I did after buying Woordenboeken was buy W W Sawyer's book translation 'Wiskunde zonder Omslag' and I also bought 'Vademecum van de wiskunde' by Otto Teller .

The first one I had already read a few times as 'Mathematicians Delight' . I had a good Maths Teacher who recomended it. The language is a bit dated ( 1943 ) but it is widely available now in English as a free PDF.

Having W W Sawyer help me learn Dutch as I reread a favorite book was erg Gezellig

wim · 2021-03-24 09:08:33

In your question on how to end a set of equations :

Most people are lazy and simply use QED

but if its at the end of a mathematical statement QEF is an alternative. If Euclid used it who are we to disagree.

"Q,E.F." is an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "quod erat faciendum" ("that which was to be done"). It is a translation of the Greek words used by Euclid to indicate the end of the justification of a construction, while "Q.E.D." was the corresponding end of proof of a theorem Latin abbreviation for quod erat demonstrandum: "Which was to be demonstrated." Q.E.D. may appear at the conclusion of a text to signify that the author's overall argument has just been proven.

QED and QEF are normally less formally written omitting the full stops

Math Is Fun Forum

#1 2016-09-16 17:08:19

Solving puzzles

#2 2016-09-16 20:05:30

Re: Solving puzzles

#3 2016-09-17 06:52:36

Re: Solving puzzles

#4 2016-09-18 05:46:42

Re: Solving puzzles

#5 2016-09-18 12:51:01

Re: Solving puzzles

#6 2016-09-18 18:07:10

Re: Solving puzzles

#7 2016-09-18 19:18:59

Re: Solving puzzles

#8 2017-04-04 02:40:29

Re: Solving puzzles

#9 2021-03-24 08:35:05

Re: Solving puzzles

#10 2021-03-24 09:08:33

Re: Solving puzzles

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