christianp, 11 days ago

@DavidKButler we're certainly not making a link between the two. But it's not wasted effort - even if "real maths" and "fun maths" are two separate subjects, at least they've seen that "fun maths" exists and is worth spending time on

DavidKButler, 11 days ago

@christianp I think sometimes we could make the everyday maths a little more like the fun maths though.

Like we often do colour and movement in the "fun maths" thing, and there could also be colour and movement in everyday maths class.

And fun maths often emphasises creative thinking, while everyday maths often emphasises following directions.

christianp, 11 days ago

@DavidKButler I don't disagree!

RobertJackson58585858, 11 days ago

@christianp @DavidKButler

Gentlemen, 50 years ago I did maths at Warwick. Looked forward keenly to topology after seeing some "fun" stuff.

In one of the topology lectures he said with his back to us "I can write on the board faster than you can take notes".

Because that's all it was. No handwavy "this is what we're trying to distinguish when we talk of ..... Spaces compared with ..... Spaces".

Just appalling, in hindsight.

But we knew no better.

DavidKButler, 11 days ago

@RobertJackson58585858 @christianp Topology is a classic case. I’ve met many students severely disappointed by doing a maths course called Topology after experiencing things with donuts and teapots and Mobius strips called Topology.

RobertJackson58585858, 11 days ago

@DavidKButler @christianp

Also, I suppose, it depends in part what is considered "fun" ... I recall being on holiday before university with my parents & they had a bottle of Mateus Rosé Portuguese wine in its uniquely shaped bottle ... I sat there happily trying to calculate its volume with calculus.

Some would say it's an application.