QQC Fifteen

Quote:

"Why didn't they teach this to us in school?"

Question:

Why didn't they teach this to us in school?

Comment:

I liked this quote because the first time I was showed this method, all I could wonder was , "Why didn't they teach this to us in school?" I think there are a few answers to this question. It could have been that the right to left method is more linear, where you don't have to break the problem up to solve it, so it takes up less space on paper. It could be to encourage kids to use scratch paper, otherwise they might do everything in their head. It could be that the left to right method isn't quite as exact as the right to left. Or, it could have to do with the 10,000 hour rule. If it takes the average person almost two to three times longer to do the right to left method than the left to right, maybe they can achieve those 10,000 hours of practice without actually practicing as much. Otherwise, I really don't know why this far more efficient, (in my opinion) way of adding and multiplying etc. wasn't taught to us.

QQC Fourteen

Quote:

"The best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile."

Question:

Can we decide our own futures?

Comment:

I found this quote interesting because I can relate to it. When I applied to college, I applied to fourteen schools, (ironically the number QQC I'm on). Out of all of those schools, there was one more than any other that I wanted to go to, USC Film School. Not to brag, but this particular division of USC is statistically harder to get into than Harvard Law, so I obviously had my work cut out for me. When I got back my acceptance and rejection letters, I had been accepted to USC, and rejected from a few schools with much higher acceptance rates. Looking back on what I wrote on each individual application, my submitted essay(s), film(s) etc, I realized that I had purposely put all of my effort into my USC application. I realized that subconsciously, I was following exactly what this quote was talking about, I stretched myself as thin as possible working on that application because that was the one most worthwhile to me. So, I couldn't help but wonder, had the school I was rejected from been my dream school, or if I wanted to go to Harvard or a school of the like, could the same thing have happened? Could I have put so much effort into that application that I get in there instead?

QQC Thirteen

Quote:

"Effort is one of the things that gives meaning to life."

Question:

Will there be a day when effort no longer exists?

Comment:

My question is, as always, an odd one. But throughout my life I have always heard sayings like, "Back in my day we had to walk to school in the snow" and "technology makes people stagnant". I firmly believe that effort is a big part of what makes life interesting, but I do know a lot of people that would disagree with me, or at least have their own opinion of what effort means. So if this generation doesn't have as much drive as the last and so on, will there be a day when we no longer show any form of effort and the word is just cancelled from our vocabulary? Or will it be like an asymptote and effort will never quite die out?

QQC Twelve

Quote:

Remember people’s names so that they feel appreciated and for your own future benefit when you want something from that person.

Question:

Are there any written statistics proving the correlation between remembering people’s names and living a “successful” life?

Comment:

I found this rule really ironic because my dad and I have been talking about this very thing a lot recently. My dad and I have actually been testing each other regularly to see how many names of people we meet we can remember. We started doing this because he realized that he has a hard time remembering people’s names, which causes a problem when he is trying to get new clients or just talk to people in general. One of the main examples of this is that he and I go to the same restaurant to eat every week, but to this day he still has difficulty remembering some of the server’s names. That is why this rule intrigued me, and also why I was wondering if there were any proven statistics about remembering names and success in business, (how many names can Donald Trump remember?)

Senior Project

My idea for our senior project is a little bit odd, but I think it could be interesting. In many of the homework assignments this year, there has almost always been a puzzle of some sort on the back which relates to math, such as sudoku, chess etc. My idea is that everyone in the class, (in groups or on their own) comes up with a puzzle game based on mathematics.

I think this project could be really interesting because there could be anything from beginners mathematics all the way up until calculus, and it could teach these concepts and theories in a fun and hands-on way. I think that these puzzles could also be made out of several different materials. Some puzzles might be done on paper like sudoku, whereas others could involve entire boards and pieces such as Go.

This project might not be complex enough on its own to be considered a senior project, but I'm sure that with some work and class participation it could be turned into something really interesting. Thank you for considering my idea, I look forward to hearing feedback soon.

QQC Eleven

Quote:

"That oneness has led to intolerance and centuries of bitter, bloody battles."

Question:

Has the number one had at least some affiliation with all wars?

Comment:

When I think about it, the number one really has had some affiliation with most known wars. The belief that there is only one god or one chosen religion, that there is only one proper form of government or that there is only one way we can go: slaves or no slaves. So what I was wondering was, if the number one has created all of these problems, what would happen if we started believing that there was two or three of everything. Two main religions, two forms of government etc. Would some of our problems go away, or would more arise. While two religions might not ever get into a battle with each other because they are both "the chosen ones" then wouldn't they start attacking all of the other religions, doubling religious battles? So which is worse, the number one, or a higher number?

QQC Ten

Quote:

"Their method of defining numbers with fractions is surprisingly similar to the way in which numbers with fractions are represented using binary in computers today."

Question:

If binary is reminiscent to an abacus, could binary be taught through an abacus?

Comment:

My question is odd, (as always) but I have a reason for asking it. If binary is not only reminiscent to an abacus, but possibly derived from it, then binary could be taught not only to younger children, but older people as well. By bringing something a bit more familiar to someone that didn't grow up in the technological age, a lot of older people would be able to not only use, but understand how a computer works. Also, a lot of kids could learn how a computer functions early on. I know that this knowledge isn't critical, but I know that people have been trying to teach me binary for a long time, but I still don't understand it. If it could be simplified and explained in an older, more familiar way, then everyone could get just a little bit more educated.

QQC Nine

Quote:

“In prehistoric times, people would use their flint axes and cut grooves, so they could keep records of numbers.”

Question:

If we didn’t have actual written numbers, how were we able to count tally marks?

Comment:

I thought it was really interesting to see that a method of counting that we still used today originated in prehistoric times. What I was curious about though, was that (even though we could follow along with our fingers and toes) how were we able to count and keep track of all of the tick marks if there weren’t real numbers yet, (such as 1, 2, 3 etc.)? Did we carry slabs around with the tally marks carved into it, because that seems rather impractical, (granted, it might not have been at the time)? What I am also curious about now is how long will we use tally marks? We have been using this method of counting since early man, so will we continue using it for the rest of time, or will there be a point where we discover a more convenient way of keeping track of things? These are odd questions, but they are questions that I am genuinely curios about.

QQC Eight

Quote:

“At the university, Gauss was attracted by philology but repelled by the mathematics courses, and for a time the direction of his future was uncertain.”

Question:

Why is it that so many mathematicians don’t seem to actually like mathematics?

Comment:

I know that this is an odd question, (especially since the wording of this quote makes me wonder if “repelled by” is a good thing or a bad thing) but it made me think. In several of the readings we have done this year, there seems to be a common trend where some of the most famous mathematicians actually don’t like mathematics. This made me wonder, did the only pursue mathematics because they had natural gifts in the subject, were they forced into it, what is the common trend? I think this question could also potentially answer many questions about insanity in “geniuses”. If all of these famous mathematicians don’t actually like what they are doing, then why wouldn’t they have problems mentally? I think this is something that should be researched further because it could possibly answer many of the questions about insanity and genius.

QQC Seven

Quote:

"He averaged about 800 printed pages a year throughout his long life, and yet he almost always had something worthwhile to say and never seemed long-winded."

Question:

Was everything that he published his original work, or was some of his research a variation of someones' work?

Comment:

I found this line to be of particular interest because it reminded me of something I hear quite often. Lately, I have been hearing the line, "So many things have been created, that it is impossible to have an original thought anymore". When I read this quote, the first thing that popped into my head was that line. This got me to wondering, were all 800 or so pages a year original thoughts, or were they thoughts created by something someone else said? It is an odd question, but I believe it is an important one, because while math is about facts, in many ways it is also about creativity. Math is all about problem solving and deep thinking, and if you aren't looking at a problem from all angles, you might not find the answer you are looking for. So what I am saying, is that if we really aren't capable of having original thoughts, then eventually creativity might disappear all together. In my personal opinion, it is very difficult to be a critical thinker without creativity, because then you're outlook might become just a bit too one-sided.

QQC Six

Quote:

"This beautiful formula reveals a striking relation between the mysterious number pi and the familiar sequence of all the odd numbers."

Question:

Was phi discovered thanks to this formula?

Comment:

When I read this quote, I couldn't help but wonder if the formula discovered was the same one that helped us discover phi. I know that pi is used for unit circles and discovering the circumference of circles and spheres, but I couldn't help but wonder if Leibniz's research contributed to phi. Phi and pi follow similar properties since they are both numbers that can help us recognize patterns and "unique" shapes, so that is why I was curious about it.