youtube – MathFour

Rectangles and Triangles – How They Compare

I have been working with eHow.com to get some common math questions answered. One of the questions was, “How are the areas of a rectangle and triangle with the same base and height related?”

Curiously, all rectangles can be cut into triangles. And all triangles can be doubled to make a rectangle. Watch this video – and then get out the construction paper, scissors and glue.

Grab a kid and have some fun watching them discover!

Have thoughts on this? Share them in the comments. And don’t forget to share it on twitter/X.

Teaching Times Tables with a Number Stick

My friend Shawn from #mathchat shared a video about teaching times tables with a number stick. It’s been haunting me ever since!

I have to learn to use one!

I just had to learn how to teach with this thing, and get me one! So I looked around to find out how to do it with other numbers. I found this video of how to do it:

Where do you get one?

As far as I can tell, you gotta rob your mop of its handle, get some tennis grip tape and make one. I can’t find a place to just buy one – anywhere!

So I’m off to buy a mop.

What do you think? Have you used a number stick? Do you own one? Wanna sell it to me?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Polynomial Factoring Practice – with YouTube!

The #PowerMath classes and I were taken with the videos done by Westerville South High School in Westerville, Ohio. Especially the polynomial factoring one called “Teach Me How to Factor.”

The students asked that I put together some optional homework for them on the videos. No sense in watching something that fun and not getting to practice it!

Check out the video. Below it, there’s a free downloadable collection of “homework” problems that match each of the polynomial factoring examples in the video.

And right below that, parents and teachers can get the teacher cheat sheet I created to get a whole bunch of fairly easy polynomial factoring examples.

Get the free downloads here:

What do you think about the video? Can you use the worksheet and cheat sheets for teaching polynomial factoring? Share your thoughts in the comments!

What Are Your Thoughts on This Fearful Parents Video?

Wil showed up at the Math Shack this morning talking about a commercial he saw on TV last night. “Wow, this is what parents are up against!” he said shaking his head.

Check it out for yourself: