Friday, July 10, 2020

Love Them or H8 Them!


Mathematics has been the bane of my existence.
I was great at arithmetic, and then one day I hit algebra.
I slammed into a barrier I couldn't work past for years:
How can you do math with letters?  Letters are for reading and writing.

You'd think that I would have given up on math at this point in my life.
I did once decades ago when I eked out a B in calculus,
tied my calculus text up with a ribbon, and tossed it in the trash.

But I am drawn to math's stark beauty and economy;
and if I can live long enough, I'll go back and relearn
how to solve the quadratic equation and other mathematical mysteries.  




Meanwhile when I need a laugh I sometimes treat myself to math jokes.
I don't always get the joke, but I will hunt down
what I don't understand until I get it or sort of get it.

And let me tell you, when I taught math to my second and third graders,
I made sure they grasped the math concepts I was teaching,
and we came at them from every possible direction I could think of
and with every hands-on, concrete manipulative I could find.

Here are some of the best jokes and math funnies I came across today. 
You'll either love them or H8 them!
I hope they give you a chuckle or a laugh!


Albert Einstein







A Sine from God





































For my brother Roy:  
Some people say the glass is half full. 
Some people say the glass is half empty.
Engineers say the glass is twice as big as necessary.













Don't tell my kiddos, but I had to double check factorials when I saw this joke,
just to make sure I was remembering correctly.

Factorials on the Loose

The factorial function (symbol: !)
says to multiply all whole numbers from our chosen number down to 1.
Examples:
5! = 5 x 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120
8! = 8 x 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 40320
1! = 1





























A talking sheepdog gets all the sheep into the pen for his farmer.
He comes back and says “Okay, chief – all 40 sheep accounted for.”
The farmer says, “But I’ve counted them and I’ve only got 36!”
The sheepdog replies, “I know, but I rounded them up.” 












I have more, but I'll save them for another day.






Till next time ~
Fundy Blue


On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




    





30 comments:

  1. Find the X - I like that answer. Math wasn't my strong suit either.

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    1. A lot of people find math challenging, Alex. That's unfortunate because math is a language every bit as important to understand as English. It's also a gatekeeper. A lack of math fluency can block you or discourage you from entering certain fields.

      I laugh when I see the solution to "Find X." As a teacher I know that student was a smart aleck or desperate or literal! I've been known to give an extra point or two on tests to students who were creative, funny, or interpreting something differently. even if their answer was wrong.

      Have a great weekend, my friend!

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  2. I must confess that math never touched my soul, except perhaps in geometry for which I felt some real affinity. But I love all these LOLs!

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed them, Debra! Every one of these makes me laugh and brings back so many memories. And that pug, OMG I understand that feeling! LOL I struggled with geometry. I couldn't grasp it. When I was studying first year mineralogy at Acadia, a wonderful professor recognized what was going on, lent me a collection of wooden crystal forms with written explanations, and as I held them and manipulated them, a light went on. Those were the first hands-on math manipulative I ever saw. I spent thousands of dollars on math manipulatives for my school kiddos, and I had plenty of 3-D shapes for my kiddos to work with. I was determined to develop their spatial thinking. Geometry has been so important to our world. I am in awe of those early thinkers who came up with the foundational concepts. Okay ~ I'll stop ~ LOL! You and your Rare One have a great weekend!

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  3. I love these, Louise. Math was difficult for me except when I had a teacher who somehow was able to communicate to me what I didn't understand with other teachers. The best math "teacher" I've ever had, though, is my daughter. She tutored me when she was in high school and I took a math class. She has a talent for making everything clear.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed these, Janie! I love what you shared about your daughter! Thank goodness you had someone when you really needed it. An insightful teacher can see what stumbling block is challenging a student and work to remove it. Sometimes the best teacher is someone who struggled and then got it, because he or she knows what simple things can trip a student up, things so intuitive to someone strong or gifted in math that he or she would never think of it. Stay safe and healthy. What is happening now in Florida is scary and unnecessary.

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    2. You're right: it is scary and unnecessary. We should have another lock down instead of talking about opening the schools. And Disney World is re-opening. I always think it's interesting when people say they didn't like calculus. My daughter has a Ph.D. in math and she doesn't like calculus, either. Says it's worthless!

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    3. I'm just shaking my head at what is happening, Janie. Never, ever would I have thought a pandemic would play out like this in the US. My family in Canada is horrified and urging us to get out. I'm not ready to bolt for Nova Scotia yet, but Terry and I recognize that the only thing that will help us as Covid-19 spreads is to trust ourselves and make responsible choices. LOL, I'm sure the editor in you sometimes cringes at my sentence structure. Favorite pats and/or scratches to Franklin and Penelope and best wishes to you and Carol. Hang tough!

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    4. No cringing whatsoever. We're writing casually, not for publication in a grammar journal.

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  4. Great post Louise, I was and am not academic. Music was my life from a very early age. Loved the photo's made interesting reading.
    Have a good weekend and stay safe and well.

    Yvonne.

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    1. Thanks, Yvonne! Humanity is gifted with multiple kinds of intelligence, and obviously music is one of your strengths. Where would we be without music? Music is so necessary to our souls that I think it has been with us since deep in time. If I could be reincarnated I'l love to return with musical ability and talent! I hope you get to listen to Danny Boy very soon! Hugs to you, my friend!

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  5. lol the graph sure is true, spreadsheets win the day for work. Forgot all about factorials. I think I forgot a lot more than that too haha even though I had little issues with math.

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    1. Hey, Pat! I'm certainly enjoying your Instagram posts. I'm still figuring out Instagram ~ I operate strictly on a need to know basis, and Instagram is becoming more necessary. I really laughed when I found that graph. Thank goodness I didn't have to stay on top of calculus. I do miss being able to calculate the cooling rate of a body though ~ LOL. Have fun this weekend!

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    2. Yeah, instagram is becoming one to use if you want to get out there. I was glad when calculus wad over. although after taking it university math was a joke

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  6. The factorial function, I learn something today, I always loved maths, didn't do calculus, but algebra, trig and geometry fascinated me. When our young Japanese student was living with us for a year, I sat with her sometimes as she did her homework. One night we were working out the square area of a roof, but wanted the answer to be half of it. I did it in my head, on paper, she used a calculator, and when I showed her my answer she said " But Jean, you are right. HOW did you get that?" In my day no calculators, my Dad was so good at maths, engineering on the farm and then building boats , my Mum was a whizz at English, and a superb dressmaker. Maybe some of their skills were passed onto me. X is here, that is a winner!!!

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    1. Hi, Jean! I thoroughly enjoyed what you shared. It's awesome that you had a dad who was strong at math. Math was a challenge for my father. I remember when he was taking statistics for his Masters degree. He was so stressed out over the final exam that his professor, who happened to be a priest, gave him a shot of good Scotch whiskey before he started. He scraped by with a B which was the passing grade. Likewise me when I took statistics. I hope things are going a little easier for you and Hugh. Hugs to you!

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  7. Math was a weak point of mine as well. Algebra definitely doesn't make much sense, the real life examples teachers give make no sense either.

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    1. That's sad to hear, Adam. As a society, we really need to address math education. I strongly believe that with proper instruction starting in kindergarten kids can understand and enjoy math. I hope that you and Daisy are doing well, my friend!

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  8. You can probably guess that I HATED math too! My favorite one here was finding the X!
    My sister hated math too and she teaches Advance Math to middle school, about like you, I guess! AND she lives in Colorado! :-)
    Take care!

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    1. Hi, Kay! You are not alone, Kay, and as I said to Adam, it makes me sad. I'm betting that your sister is a great math teacher because she has insight into what derails kiddo. Middle school ~ Lord love her! It takes a special person to tackle middle school students. We all have our niche ~ That was my mother's favorite age to teach! You take care too, Kay. It's lovely to hear from you!

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  9. Hi Louise,
    I love maths too, it was my favourite subject in school. I always tell people that I get into a conversation with 'If my husband was in charge of the finances we would be broke, it I was in charge of the mechanics the car would not start :-). I like the jokes, particularly the one with the Russian doll. I have one and there are several others inside the one when you unwind it at the centre. If I had put that ad up in Walmart I would be ashamed of myself ha ha!!

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    1. Thanks for sharing, Brenda! The finances/mechanics story made me laugh! The Walmart one floored me. I'd be ashamed too! All the best to you, my friend!

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  10. "A Sine From God" - okay Louise...I have to tell you, I just BARELY got by Calculus...I think I got a C- lol...and that was my teacher being generous. I agree that letters don't belong in math, or at least in my brain. I remember learning Algebra and just not getting it at all. I rely heavily on online calculators these days lol! Great funnies! :) I really laughed hard at the Russian dolls...is that what they're called? Oh my gosh, that was a GOOD one!!!

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    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed the funnies, Rain! I thought the Russian doll one was hilarious. I do love my calculator, although I taught for so long that I can't break my estimating habit. LOL I hope all is well with you and Alex. I keep thinking of you out in the wilds of New Brunswick! And all the fur babies. Take care!

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  11. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed your poke of fun at Math. Having taught 6th grade math for years... this was so refreshing!

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    1. Thanks, Dreaming! You are a true heroine to teach 6th grade math! Take care!

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  12. Hi Louise, Geoff here.
    I came to your Blog via Brenda, she left comments on a few of my posts and when visiting her Blog noticed a picture of some pretty lady on a boat. I love boats and the water and so decided to visit. I'm glad I did. "Here it is." is the one that made me burst out laughing.
    By the way, carpenters are also very good at numbers, maybe not so much in calculus but certainly in arithmetic.
    Anyway, I'm now a follower, Geoff.

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    1. Hi, Geoff! So sorry - I missed your comment. Thanks for visiting!

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  13. I hated math growing up. Still do. My oldest daughter loves it though. Thank goodness, because when the pandemic hit, I had my other daughter facetime her for math help when they went to e-learning. I do appreciate those teachers who take time to make tutorials on YouTube. It's saved a few homework assignments for when big sis isn't there to help. Love the memes. The cantaloupe one made me LOL!

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    1. Hi, Theresa! I'm sorry I missed your comment. It has been a crazy month. I'm glad that your oldest daughter could help your youngest with math. What I would have given for math tutorials in high school and university or an older sibling who could have helped me! All the best!

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Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.