The author reflects on teaching Rujuta calculus after successfully introducing her to precalculus. They emphasize the importance of a solid foundation in functions before calculus and discuss the challenges of finding a suitable textbook. “Calculus Made Easy” by Silvanus Thompson has proven effective, sparking interest and facilitating understanding.
Category Archives: discovery
On Crocheting
Last summer, I decided I needed a new hobby, and I had always wanted to learn how to crochet. I went to Michael’s, I picked up some yarn and a few crochet hooks, and I found a couple of different tutorials on YouTube. When I started, having the correct tension of the yarn was difficultContinue reading “On Crocheting”
Impressions from “The Clock We Live On”
Puzzling title, huh? Not unintentionally, I’d say. The Clock We Live On is the title of a remarkable book by Issac Asimov on basic astronomy. I don’t have any data to suggest that reading this book may turn ordinary men and women into astronomers. Still, I know two people, Rujuta and I, who are veryContinue reading “Impressions from “The Clock We Live On””
Learning About Physics as a Homeschooled Student
Like the first day of many college classes, we decided to start with some review. In physics, the law of conservation of energy is very important. It states that energy can neither be created nor not destroyed. However, one form of energy can be converted into another form. What are the different types of energy?Continue reading “Learning About Physics as a Homeschooled Student”
Choosing Physics Resources for the First Year of a Self-paced Study
Rujuta is now willing and prepared to study Physics! She would have been in the eighth grade in a traditional school and we were thinking of how to study beginning physics. She asked me to come up with a “curriculum of sorts”. I gave it a try and here is how we are going toContinue reading “Choosing Physics Resources for the First Year of a Self-paced Study”
MINDSTORMS
That is the main title of a life-changing book, at least for some. The subtitle is Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Its author is Seymour Papert, who was a mathematician and educator. I am still reading the book and will shortly do a longer post. But if you can’t wait to experience some powerful writing,Continue reading “MINDSTORMS”
Installing Ubuntu on a new laptop
Recently, I got a new laptop and I had one main job: install the Ubuntu operating system. My dad had given me the USB Ubuntu boot drive, so I went to Windows’ BIOS setup. At first, I didn’t know how to start. But then, I simply searched how to get to the BIOS setup andContinue reading “Installing Ubuntu on a new laptop”
Sums of Consecutive Integers
Number theory problems can be some of the most difficult problems, but they are usually the most interesting and satisfying to solve. Recently, I was tasked with finding the solution to this problem: Find out which positive numbers cannot be expressed as the sum of two or more consecutive positive integers. The first thing weContinue reading “Sums of Consecutive Integers”
A Function Composition Problem
A topic that has resurfaced during my undertaking of calculus this year has been function composition. During the year, I have been drawn toward the concept of function composition, something that was evident to my father. One day, as we sat down to begin our class, he posed this problem to me: . Find .Continue reading “A Function Composition Problem”
Gelfand’s Algebra and an Application of the Greedy Algorithm
One of the joys of working with children learning mathematics (that means all of us) is to witness the accidental discoveries that they make. Let me narrate my experience of that in this rather long post. The only way to learn mathematics is to do it. And doing mathematics is solving problems. In a delightfulContinue reading “Gelfand’s Algebra and an Application of the Greedy Algorithm”
Free Learner's School 