So What Learning

Are you a geometry teacher? A geeky parent? Or maybe you just love circles for whatever reason? If so, you'll want to know about this fun (and tasty) classroom activity before Thanksgiving arrives next week. (Common Core State Standard: G.C.2) If you're a perfectionist like me, you've thought about how to divide pies fairly before. But since I'm terrible at estimation and hand-eye coordination, I have to use math instead (to the detriment of my guests every Thanksgiving). Watch below to see how to use geometry to slice fairer pumpkin pie portions (without using a ruler!): Explanation Thales' Theorem shows that any right triangle inscribed in a circle will have a diameter as its hypotenuse. Therefore we can use any right angle to find the center of a circle, as shown in the video above. Equivalent ideas for other seasons include divide pizza slices more evenly and finding the center of circular wood stock for drilling. Did you find this interesting? If so, ...

Learning math is supposed to be fun and useful - but it's not always presented that way. As students, we're often led to wonder, "When will I ever use this stuff?". And as adults, we're not always sure we can provide the answer. Yet it becomes increasingly hard to deny that math is as important today as it has ever been. Careers in STEM are expected to grow by the millions within the next decade, and it's not limited to just computer scientists and engineers. Fields such as medicine, law, and business are also being shaped by science and technology. Beyond the classroom lies a world full of real problems waiting to be solved, and many of those solutions will be built on mathematical thinking. So What Learning aims to bring that broader context into the everyday classroom. We're here to produce uplifting content that highlights the many modern applications of math. We're here to supplement educators by producing short video concepts and lesson plans...