Empty Sets and Vacuous Truth
I’m going to start this post with a simple question about the empty set, and gradually dive deeper. There will be connections here to previous discussions of conditional statements in logic.
Why
Why is a Linear Equation Called Linear?
(New Question of the Week) From time to time we get a question that is more about words than about math; usually these are about the meaning or origin of mathematical terms. Fortunately, some of us love words as much as we love math. But the question I want to look at here, which came …
How to Convert a Fraction to a Decimal – and Why
(Archive Question of the Week) Fractions are a frequent source of questions from elementary students. I plan to devote several posts to various aspects of this, from using a common denominator to add fractions, to flipping and multiplying to divide fractions, to converting between improper fractions and mixed numbers. Here, I want to look at …
How to Convert a Fraction to a Decimal – and Why Read More »
When Math Doesn’t Make Sense
(Archive Question of the Week) One of my favorite questions, from 2001, asked about how to convince a skeptical friend, when a clear mathematical result goes against their intuition. Why should they believe the math? It led me into thoughts about the relationship of intuition to math, whether (and when) math can be trusted, and …
Why, in Logic, Does “False” Imply Anything?
In a class on symbolic logic, students are taught the truth tables that define the “logical connectives” ∧ (and), ∨ (or), ¬ (not), and → (if … then). Everything makes sense until they are told that if p is false, then is true whether or not q is true. How can we say that “If pigs fly, then 2 is …
Extraneous Solutions: Causes and Cures
The other day a student I was helping face to face asked how she can know when to check for extraneous solutions of an equation. I gave her a quick version of my standard answer, and the light went on! Today I want to share these thoughts here, because they are very important in several …
Why Do People Treat dy/dx as a Fraction?
(New question of the week) Here is a recent question from Fida, another long-time “patient” of ours at Ask Dr. Math:
Why Must the Number of Variables Equal the Number of Equations?
(New question of the week) Now that we are receiving questions at the new site, we will be periodically posting some of those questions and answers, in addition to going back to particularly interesting questions from the old archive. This question (which I have slightly edited) came to The Math Doctors earlier this month, from …
Why Must the Number of Variables Equal the Number of Equations? Read More »
Why We Care About “Why”
(Archive question of the week) One day back in November, as I entered the community college where I teach, a man came in behind me with his son, probably about 3 years old. It was the first snowy day of the year, and the father stood on the mat wiping his feet, while the little …
WHY Do We Add or Multiply in Probability?
Last time, we discussed how you know whether to add or multiply (or something else) in compound probability problems (like finding the probability that you will flip heads and roll an even number). But as I’ve said before, it’s often easier to remember a formula if you know why it is what it is. I’ll …