Sam's Blog

Is the picture accurate?  Convince me. http://a.yfrog.com/img644/50/kxe3.png (do research)

Alright, dedicated students.  You can't get enough math, so you want to spend some time preparing for next month's AMC 8, right?  Here are some resources: AMC 8 problems, with solutions, from 2004 -  http://209.222.159.179/d-publication/d1-pubarchive/2005-6pub/2005AMC8/html/05-8TM,p10-17problems.html A sampling of problems from various AMC 8, 10 and 12, from the people who make the tests -  http://209.222.159.179/a-activities/a7-problems/problem81012archive.shtml Books designed for math competition preparation -  http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Store/contests.php?contest=amc A reading list for World Math Olympiad hopefuls -  http://209.222.159.179/a-activities/a4-for-students/reading-list.shtml Also, see me!  I have at least one whole book and an old test.  I'll post more resources as I find out about them.

If you are in my Algebra 1 class at TMS, and you've lost your concept list, here it is (only through concept 15): Algebra 1 Concept List / Corresponding Kahn Academy Videos 1 Integer Operations PA: +/- negative numbers & PA: mult/div negative numbers 2 Simplifying Expressions None- Sam Lecture 3 Evaluating Expressions DM1: Variables and expressions Evaluating expressions with two variables Evaluate a formula using substitution Evaluating a polynomial at a given value 4 Two-Step Equations ALG: Equations 2 5 Multi-Step Equations DM1: Multi-step equations 1 6 Translate Expressions none – Sam Lecture 7 Fraction Busters DM1: Multi-step equations 2 8 Proportions DM1: Understanding

I wondered what they meant all summer... I want this to sink in so I am writing it down: "In general, the Christoffel symbols of a coordinate system measure the failure of its coordinate vector fields to be parallel." - O'Neill Why couldn't they just come out and say  that to begin with?

I wouldn't go anywhere near saying that school is now irrelevant, but if you happen to be absent, or want to get ahead, or don't have access to a competent teacher, your life is much easier now than it was at any time in the past.  The links below will be useful essential in my Algebra class, and are also just amazing examples of how the internet will change education. Open Source Text Book: http://www.ck12.org/flexbook/book/1374 Not going to be central to my curriculum, but it can't hurt if a student is absent. and of course, http://www.khanacademy.org/  Now...to see how my old curriculum and the Kahn curriculum overlap.

Ok. I'm gonna try to blog again. I don't know why exactly... I guess to help organize my thoughts, and have a record of them; they tend to be so ephemeral. So here is what I am thinking about: Singapore Math. I am wary of fads, but there seems to be plenty of logic behind it. My concern is that it is a K-12 program that we are talking about implementing midway through, in 6th grade. However, I believe that they offer a book to get students caught up... Also, the books are way cheap. Like $15. But I hear they are softcover, so we'd be lucky if they last 2 years. Also, I've always been a fan of personal disclosure. So, as far as my master's program goes... I'm so stressed out. Oh my god. I am supposed to study for the GRE, read Evan's thesis and The Geometry of Spacetime concurrently, and learn some group theory. It is as hard as it sounds. Alright. Hopefully this will continue a little throughout the summer, and really start back up in the fall