A little follow-up to my post yesterday about integrating ln(x). loopspace.mathforge.org/CountingOnMy... #UKMathsChat #ALevelMaths #ITeachMaths

#mathstoday I may have derived the Gauss Shoelace Formula with my year 10s. Spot the name of my OneNote page 🫣

#mathstoday Our SoW puts similar triangles after right-angled trig, and volume and SA before both. Being the bloody-minded individual I am, I may have already introduced some trig and, today, had fun finding the volume of a frustum using all of the above. Lots of "Ohhhh" moments.

#mathstoday Absolutely loved working through some Madas discriminant problems with my FM group. So much discussion about problem solving, layout of algebra, graph sketching. And a thunderstorm to distract us in the middle. Being a maths teacher is great!

New academic year, new Step Support Programme website! Over the summer we have updated our website, had a bit of a tidy up, and added some new content. One of the new features is a "Check in test' for students who have completed the foundation modules complete with marksheme. maths.org/step/

#mathstoday A new, lovely, FM group have been tackling some quadratics and were (re)introduced to the discriminant today. Lots of fun and engagement. They all thanked me and went 2 doors down where they all complained, roundly, about the discriminant. My colleague was unbearably happy 🫣🤣

It's that time of year again - your annual reminder that if you're a Maths teacher and looking for suitable resources for your classes across KS3 to KS5 then do check out www.draustinmaths.com. The site is five years old this week 🎉🎉 and in that time it's amassed over 1000 resources! 1/3

Just a reminder that if you are about to start teaching #ALevelMaths, this book is available from the Mathematical Association @mathematicala.bsky.social online shop. In my completely unbiased opinion, it's really quite useful.

From Charlie Stripp's Linkedin: The results are excellent news, with A Level Maths numbers up from 107,427 to 112,138, an increase of 4.4%, A Level Further Maths numbers up from 18,082 to 19,390, an increase of 7.2% and Core Maths numbers up from 12,810 to 15,327, a whopping 19.6% increase.

If the storm - or the cricket - is keeping you indoors and you just feel the need to read something about addition to take your mind off things ... I may have just what you're looking for. loopspace.mathforge.org/CountingOnMy... #mathsky #UKMathsChat #ITeachMaths

#mathstoday My A level group were reluctant to move on as some, who had missed it, were sitting an assessment. Were they keen to revisit material or to plough on to topics new? No. So they got annoyed that they couldn't work out how to make 24 using 3 3 8 and 8 +×÷-() as needed. Evil chuckle from me

#mathstoday Started FM vectors with my L6 today. I really enjoy teaching it, as long as I ignore the textbook. How do you introduce the scalar product? I remember seeing some interesting discussions on this but I can't find them. Perhaps it was in the dark place.

#mathstoday Loci in the complex plane today. Love this stuff - possibly more than my FM group, it seems. Also can't bring myself to end with the small number of offerings in the textbook 🫣

#mathstoday My first foreign holiday in many years and I received a slightly worried plea from a FM pupil, clearly somewhat on edge. I don't normally even read my Teams messages during a break but clicked on the wrong app. Oh well. Fun maths, and Teams is now off.

#mathstoday #alevelmaths

#mathstoday Teaching some modulus-argument form today but could use an exams expert. I tend to ask my pupils to give their answer using the principle argument, but the textbook doesn't. How is it treated in the exam - perhaps they specify in the question.

#mathstoday Re-exploring straight line graphs by creating a table of values from x=-3 to x=3 and using y=mx+c (literally that) to see if I can, once again, entice some thought about how to plot quickly, but without a table of values. I'm quite contrary that way 😁

#mathstoday I snuck a binomial expansion into an integration question today and was a little delighted to see (3+x)^-2 = (3(1+x/3))^-2 before the customary 3^-2 (3+1/x)^-2 It seems my "hard work ain't been in vain for nothin'." (bonus marks if you know the quote).

#mathstoday Whilst discussing the Trapezium Rule today, one of my FM pupils told me that "You can walk into a cave but you can't walk into a vex". Any guesses as to context 🤣

New from @alexjw.bsky.social: A spreadsheet showing entry requirements for 2025-26 Maths degrees in England and Wales. This includes the reported actual grades of undergraduates (most common and lowest). public.3.basecamp.com/p/AXFLJMvqQV...

#mathstoday A lovely bit of L6 trig work combining graph transformations with solving equations. I may have used the verb, to concertina, which is definitely one of the transformations, right?

#mathstoday Such a gentle approach needed for my middle set year 10s for circle theorems. Small successes and constantly asking, "What can you find out that you \bf{know} is true? That you're not saying just because it looks like it should be true?" We're getting there.

#mathstoday I discovered that a pupil who'd joined my class in year 11 had no idea how to find the LCM of 3 numbers. "I know it's to do with Venn Diagrams". Reader, there was nary a circle in sight during our extended venture into prime factors and multiples thereof. Love these interactions.

New blog post: Exciting maths news of 2024, a round up by the Finite Group community. aperiodical.com/2024/12/exci... #MathsSky #mathchat #MathsToday #ConfusedByMathsHashtags

For those who like to know which way the wind is blowing, this is excellent. earth.nullschool.net?fbclid=IwY2x...

All of the Oxford 1st year lectures (and many more) are on their Youtube: www.youtube.com/@OxfordMathe...

#mathstoday More fun with FM2 and integration. Volume of revolution just around the corner for even more centre of mass delights. Last lesson we stumbled back into GCSE (somewhat harsh GCSE) for proof that CofM lies 2/3 along the median from the vertex. It was remarkably satisfying.

#mathstoday Lots of chain rule today. My FM group have mostly recovered from my deriving it. 😁 Really enjoying this group as they come up with some great questions. Keeps me on my toes.

#mathstoday FM2 began (well, the second lesson) for a couple of FM pupils who want to do an extra module. Vertical circular motion today. Love tackling the problems where the particle leaves the circle.

My favourite story is how we got the cross and dot product. 1. After being invented, complex numbers became useful to describe transformations in the plane. 2. Hamilton wanted to do it in 3D and eventually discovered you needed 4D and found the quaternions.

#mathstoday I began thinking about a Desmos activity for my year 11 in which they could make a Christmas tree. Then I got carried away, thought about climbing sine curves (tinsel) and translating polar graphs. I'm not sure it's suitable for year 11 anymore... Oops

#mathstoday (but yesterday), we took some time in the FM lesson to differentiate e^x and ln(x) from first principles, using the limit definition of e. I was teasing them to guess ln(x), given that e^x differentiates to itself. No correct guesses 😁

#mathstoday A disappointing lesson on graphs with year 11. We were plotting, sketching, thinking, problem solving. Although, when I say we... They couldn't have cared less. Tiredness was evident, alas.

#mathstoday Spent a lot of time sketching today, particularly graphs like y=(x^2-4)/(x^2-1). Lots of discussion including even functions, dividing top and bottom by highest power of x for lim x->inf, and we explored sketching the gradient function. Pearson book has a bizarre approach to inflexion

#mathstoday A great time differentiating from first principles. Challenged my FM group with 1/x, sqrt{x}, cuberoot{x}. One pupil managed cube root unaided. Very impressive. One pupil asked, "Isn't it easier to multiply by the exponent and reduce it by 1?" There are moments... 😂

I found this in my collection of mathsy, interesting problems and without thinking too hard, gave it as a challenge to my FM class. I have found 4 (x,y) solutions and they are correct but I don't feel my justification is clear. I liked the squellipse (made that up) discussion though.

#AlevelMaths I taught the sliver of proof (in the AS bit) today and was, again, wondering about the use of <=> when tackling problems that textbook suggests require "jottings". ie. Working towards, say (x-y)^2>=0 then restarting and going back to the initial problem. Do mark schemes allow <=> ?

Below is a link to my Problem Solving booklet aimed at helping pupils prepare for entrance tests and/or interviews for mathematics courses at university. Or you may just want some extention problems to play with. Enjoy! www.drfrost.org/downloadable...

🎓 #UKEd #UKTeaching #EduSky OK, I've started this - list of #UKMathsChat Teachers and Adjacents. Please Repost to raise awareness. Reply if you wish to be added. bsky.app/profile/did:...