Math and Kids.1

Photo by Junko



If I had one Euro for every hour I've spent helping a kid with his/her math homework, I could probably afford a nice vacation along the Mediterranean. Of course, parenting doesn't work that way, unless perhaps one of your kids computes his or her way to early wealth, and decides to send you there.

On many an occasion, I've just about lost it when working with my kids on math problems. To be able to concentrate on logic problems, you need to not feel rushed, to not face distractions, and to not give up until you can find solutions.

The beauty of math is the correct answers must be logical. Often as not, if you find yourself stuck with an illogical answer, you've made an error earlier in the problem sequence.

I was trying to explain this to my 13-year-old today -- about the importance of working backwards from a wrong answer until you uncover the error; then you can correct it, and proceed to the right answer. At least at the lower levels of math, there isn't much ambiguity to worry about.

The other point I tried to get across today is that much of math is about recognizing patterns in numbers. So, the sequence 1-2-4-8-16-32-64-128-256-512 is a doubling pattern. (The upper realms of this binary sequence may be familiar to computer users when you stick a k behind them.)

Another sequence had him stumped for a while. It is 1-4-9-16-25-36-49-64-81-100. Do you recognize what this one is?*



Anyway, I'm far from an expert in math, and rarely do I get the opportunity to work with my kids under the optimal conditions. Normally, I'm cooking, cleaning, responding to requests from the other kids, answering the phone, and trying to contain the sense of panic that seems to grip many children when they cannot figure out their math homework.

I panic, too, but that isn't helpful, so usually I shut out all the white noise and sit down with the student and try to regain that perfect state of mind where the beauty of logical patterns becomes once again visible, digit by digit.

Maybe I should have been what my father wanted me to be: An actuary.

Duck with Fish (by Julia)

Nope, because I like the other kind of doodling just as much as numbers.

* Answer: The squaring sequence: 1 squared, 2 squared, etc.