Pi day unravelled
Today is Pi day... you know like 3.14..... Working at a middle school it's a big deal i guess, cousin Kelly can confirm that too. How did we ever both end up working at Middle schools???
Anyway, If you don't know it, my confession is that i am not mathematically inclined at all! It is a big fat blank in my head when it comes to doing math. I just don't get it at all. Believe me, I have tried! All my life teachers have said, "if she would only apply herself, she would be fine". What the heck does that mean? Apply myself? Oh believe me I apply myself. The problem with math is when i see numbers they may as well be symbols with no value. A math person sees the number 3 and sees 3 parts, I just see a number that is the equivalent to nothing or unicorns or rainbows or mostly a squiggly line.
I had an instructor once say, "You have Math Anxiety". You think? Its not like i CAN'T do math, I can... I mean in high school I took Algebra, Geomtry, Advanced Algebra, Trigonometry (ok so i dropped that) plus chemistry and physics (ok so I dropped that too) and I never failed and I usually got by with a B average in class. But I had to work really really hard. This is why in college I chose to be a Literature major. I get Shakespeare and Poetry, but math. PUKE! I admire and am envious of people who math just comes naturally to them. They are lucky. I will stick to books though.
So here is my Pi poem written by Joan Aiken, whose father is my favorite poet, Conrad Aiken. Maybe if math were put into poetry more often, maybe i would understand it better? Hmmm...
Happy Pi day!
Anyway, If you don't know it, my confession is that i am not mathematically inclined at all! It is a big fat blank in my head when it comes to doing math. I just don't get it at all. Believe me, I have tried! All my life teachers have said, "if she would only apply herself, she would be fine". What the heck does that mean? Apply myself? Oh believe me I apply myself. The problem with math is when i see numbers they may as well be symbols with no value. A math person sees the number 3 and sees 3 parts, I just see a number that is the equivalent to nothing or unicorns or rainbows or mostly a squiggly line.
I had an instructor once say, "You have Math Anxiety". You think? Its not like i CAN'T do math, I can... I mean in high school I took Algebra, Geomtry, Advanced Algebra, Trigonometry (ok so i dropped that) plus chemistry and physics (ok so I dropped that too) and I never failed and I usually got by with a B average in class. But I had to work really really hard. This is why in college I chose to be a Literature major. I get Shakespeare and Poetry, but math. PUKE! I admire and am envious of people who math just comes naturally to them. They are lucky. I will stick to books though.
So here is my Pi poem written by Joan Aiken, whose father is my favorite poet, Conrad Aiken. Maybe if math were put into poetry more often, maybe i would understand it better? Hmmm...
Happy Pi day!
Pi in the Sky
By Joan Aiken
Who'll solve my problem?
By Joan Aiken
Who'll solve my problem?
asks the moon
Moving across the sky
Who'll calculate my radius
And multiply by Pi?
The shining flood of light I pour
The shining flood of light I pour
By half a world is shared
And yet this area,
figured out
Is merely Pi r2
The laws of Pi all circles must
The laws of Pi all circles must
Unquestioningly obey
Yet lovely as a lily,
I Float heedless on my way
My proud contention this,
My proud contention this,
which once The ancient Romans held:
Luna se moven -- briefly put
The moon is self-propelled.
Night's Queen I trace a silvery
Night's Queen I trace a silvery
Circumference of sky
And share my cold and regal sway
With nobody but Pi.
Comments
I really did get an F in algebra in highschool and my teacher said the same stuff. I tried too, but no matter what I do, my head just goes blank-really quickly. Ryan often says, "oh, there she goes, you mentioned a number so now she's not listening." You should have seen me when we were buying our house! Mortgage smortgage, whatevs, just let me sign somewhere, I'm better with letters.
GPA went through the roof!
Algebra=puke
Statistics=meow
I think if this internet stuff was around way back when I was in college--I would have failed for sure! (Which, by the way, I did drop calculus--I can't even spell it--my freshman year--and then went on to ace statistics!) I am kind of an abstract person. . .it's a wonder that I couldn't grasp any of that abstract math! :0)
See, Statistics is where it is at!
See? I told you, if there are any numbers involved at all... no dice.