Math and science ... torture or blessing?

Why do we teach math and science? Think about it. What's the purpose of torturing our children with concepts they have such difficulty grasping? Do we like pain?

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I hear a lot of people asking these questions from time to time. They are completely missing the point.

Math and science are two disciplines heavily connected with thinking rationally and logically, where emotion doesn't influence the outcome. 2+2=4 each and every time, no matter how you feel about it. Gravity is a fact of life, so leaping from a building because you truly believe you can fly won't change the truth that you will have a nasty fall. Children need to understand logic and deduction, so we use math and science to train them to analyze the world around them.

Without suitable grounding in math and science, people wander around and expect the world to change to suit their whims. Life doesn't work that way. Logic takes time to learn and understand. Following a path of consequence is nearly impossible without some training (even if only a little). We teach our children to deduce what will happen if they do something bad, but that is also true with any activity in life. Math and science are structured systems, which train minds to consider significant factors, form a theory, then test to see if it's true.

Even if you don't have a career in the sciences, the training you have will give you a definite advantage over anyone without it. Logical, critical, disciplined, thinking is a useful skill for life. So, yes, keep on torturing your kids minds with difficult concepts and help them learn for the betterment of their future living.

- M

ps. Sorry this was late. Apparently I "scheduled" this post to drop in 2027. Oops.

Pi day! It's nearly upon us. Spread the word!

Sure, I'm a nerd, but even us nerds get to have fun. One of those times is about here. Pi day. Not only that, but once a century Pi day! Okay, what is Pi? Well, it's a mathematical constant that is an infinite number. In plain language, it describes the outside of a circle.in relationship to a slice across the circle's middle. As a number, it is most often shown as 3.14, as a symbol it is π. That's Pi. This constant is used for all sorts of things, like determining: area of a circle or the volume of a sphere. Simply put, modern society puts a lot of faith in Pi.

If you don't get the joke ... ask a nerd,
let them be the center of attention for a change.

Anyway, what's Pi day? Well, once a year, on March 14th, we celebrate 3.14 day (Pi day). Yup, math nerds are still nerds; we don't party, we divide and conquer! This year we can extend Pi day to a fantastic degree: 3.141592653. That breaks down to: 3/14/15 at 9:26 am and 53 seconds. Okay, we are fudging a little bit on the year (substituting 2015 with 15) so this is once a century and not ever--it's still once a lifetime though. Make sense?

So ... 3/14/15 ... memorize it and celebrate Pi day with all of us. I bought my wife and I a t-shirt (she's wearing it now, I'm proud to say) and we will celebrate it happily. Join us! It's not often you can be a stylish nerd. Maybe you can even get a t-shirt to commemorate the event.

- M