As a recovering mechanical engineer, math always came relatively natural for me at least until I got somewhere around advanced differential equations and matrices. Those issues however probably had more to with my college liquid consumption habits than my ability to do math, but that's a whole different story.

Unfortunately the math gene has not exhibited itself to the same degree in the rest of my immediate family. Helping my children with math homework has long been a struggle especially when it comes to algebra and geometry. Max seems to have more of an affinity for basic arithmetic and doing general calculations in his head than his older sister, but both have had a hard time coming to terms with some of the slightly more advanced operations like solving quadratic equations. Wrapping your head around many of these ideas and coming to terms with what they really mean is a struggle for many people.

The problem appears to be the way math is taught by most teachers. Even for me, numbers were always presented as something concrete and immutable when in truth they are abstractions of other ideas. Cornell math professor Steven Strogatz has begun a column in the New York Times titled the Elements of Math where he goes right back to the fundamentals and builds up numbers and what you can do with them in entirely different than I have ever seen before.

In part 2, Rock Groups his explanation of odd, even and prime numbers is absolutely brilliant. Whether you are a math whiz or a dud, it's a worthwhile read. Those who already know how to solve systems of multiple equations with multiple unknowns will likely gain some important insights that could make it easier to explain stuff to those that need assistance. Those that are struggling with traditional teaching methods will likely finally have that proverbial light pop on.

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Steven Strogatz on the Elements of Math – Series – The New York Times
Articles in the Steven Strogatz on the Elements of Math series from The New York Times.

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My phone is currently reporting that it's 99 degrees outside here in Detroit and we've been ordered to close all the window shades here in the Ren Cen to minimize the load on the AC and the electrical supply. I'm not looking forward to the walk over to the garage later to get in my car.

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In most other countries they tend to pop up and then fade into the sunset with far greater frequency than they do in the United States but it happens here too. Remember the Reform party? or the Whigs? Roger Ebert has a great post on why the split in the Republican party that has given us the dreaded tea party may actually be the beginning of the end for the GOP. With such a vicious split in the GOP it seems unlikely that they could be the natural ruling party. The Tea partiers are now espousing ever more extreme positions that are at odds with the majority of American's views and the "rational" Republicans are just placating them in order to hold onto what power they have.

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The Republicans exit history – Roger Ebert's Journal
All I know is just what I read in the papers. — Will Rogers Me too. Or hear on TV, or see on the net. That's all most of us knows. I'm sure the President and Senators and government officials…

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