Lesson 3.2.1: Adding and Subtracting Polynomials (Days 78-84)

FRACTION BUSTERS

First Verse:

If there's something strange
In your equation
Who you gonna call?
Fraction Busters!

If there's something weird
Got your mind ragin'
Who you gonna call?
Fraction Busters!

Chorus:
I ain't 'fraid of no fraction
I ain't 'fraid of no fraction

Second Verse:
If you're seeing things

LCD's your goal

Who can you call?
Fraction Busters!

An invisible one
Under numbers whole
Ow, who you gonna call?
Fraction Busters!
(to Chorus)

Third Verse:
Then it's time to try
To multiply
And call
Fraction Busters!

Extended Chorus"
I ain't 'fraid of no fraction
Math is for guys and for girls
Hm, I ain't 'fraid of no fraction
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Who you gonna call?
Fraction Busters!

Bridge:
Mmm, if you've had action of a
Freaky fraction, baby
You better call
Fraction Busters!
Ow!

(to Chorus)

This song is clearly a parody of "Ghostbusters" -- as the name of yesterday's lesson was "Fraction Busters," I just couldn't resist doing this parody. This really should have been yesterday's song, but once again I didn't want to have a longer song during the principal's observation.

Today is my 42nd birthday. It is also a full moon. Four years ago was my second Metonic birthday, which was a new moon just like the night of my birthday. There's often a full moon either four years before or four years after a new moon.

It's my tradition to play the "Who Am I? game on my birthday, since the first  question of this game is usually "What's my age?" (followed by "What's my weight?"). So in fourth period, I set up this game and then use a Desmos lesson for the main part of the game. It's on adding and subtracting polynomials with algebra tiles -- except that the tiles look like donuts (rings for x^2, bars for x, holes for 1, with glazed/maple for positive and chocolate for negative).

Indeed, I consider using candy for the prizes, but with pictures of donuts throughout the lesson, it's a no-brainer to use real donuts as the prize.

Since sixth period is one day behind fourth period on block Wednesdays, I really shouldn't be doing the same lesson in sixth as in fourth. But the game is already set up for my birthday, so I do it anyway. It means that sixth period will get the fraction busters tomorrow (and the lessons will be aligned).

I don't play again game in first period, since Math III is taking the Chapter 5 DeltaMath test today. But unfortunately, I find out that I've made another error with setting up the test. I had two questions on inverses of exponential and logarithmic functions, but unfortunately, DeltaMath includes questions with e and ln, even though e doesn't appear in Chapter 5 of the text. In other words, something that the students didn't learn might show up on the test -- thus forcing me to throw out the questions and alert the other Math III teachers of the faulty questions.

Meanwhile, another tradition I have this time of year is to post problems from the annual Putnam exam given to college students. Usually I do this in my highest math class, but with Math III taking the Chapter 5 tests, I'll do it tomorrow. I'll blog about it here later, but I will point out that Question A1, normally the easiest question, is a Calculus problem (involving an ln function, interestingly enough), so instead, I'll show them A5. I liked the question from two years ago about a simple game that Alice and Bob play, and this year's A5 is another Alice and Bob game.

It will be some time until my next post. Usually, I post on block days when fourth period meets. But next week, the finals days are Thursday and Friday, and so the rest of the week are all-classes days, with no block days at all. So instead, my only post will be Friday of next week -- which will be "A Day in the Life" post for the special day "last day before winter break."