NQOTW

Intersecting Powers and Roots

Here is an interesting little question. Its answer is simple, and not hard to see just by graphing examples; yet the algebra is easy to get wrong, as we’ll see several times. And subtle errors deserve study.

Diluting a Solution: Math vs. Reality

Here is a little question about making a formula to dilute a solution; we’ll see how to do the algebra, and also how what we teach in math classes isn’t quite real.

Function Transformations as Composition

(A new question of the week) We have discussed transformations of functions and their graphs at length, but a recent question suggested a slightly different way to think about them.

Clarifying Definitions: Triangle, Rectangle, Circle

(A new question of the week) Several recent questions involved details about definitions of geometrical objects, so I thought I’d group them together, because each is relatively short. We’ll be looking at the definitions of triangles (do we need to say “exactly three sides”?), rectangles (did Euclid use an exclusive definition?), and circles (can the …

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