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Alex ~ VIC Maths Notes

@vmnalex.bsky.social

#mtbos #iteachmath | Engelmann | Free notes & resources @ http://vicmathsnotes.weebly.com | Author for OUP Maths | CL @ Ochre

521 Followers  |  175 Following  |  266 Posts  |  Joined: 28.11.2023  |  1.8331

Latest posts by vmnalex.bsky.social on Bluesky

Can You Draw Every Flag in Powerpoint? (Part 1)
YouTube video by Dr. Zye Can You Draw Every Flag in Powerpoint? (Part 1)

This is great and did not go where I was expecting it to
www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5QS...

19.11.2025 08:10 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

❀️ Love this ❀️

@mathforge.org has done what I’ve never been organised enough to do myself, and catalogued every #geometrypuzzle I’ve ever posted on social media. It looks amazing!

17.11.2025 06:33 β€” πŸ‘ 116    πŸ” 40    πŸ’¬ 5    πŸ“Œ 1
Preview
The -ths Factor: Why Teaching Prefixes and Suffixes is the Key in Place Value Disciplinary Literacy of place value

On Friday I write about the connection between the suffix in place value and the prefixes in metric units.

Interested in reading more?

open.substack.com/pub/fantasti...

16.11.2025 17:52 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Because it's for implicit equations as opposed to explicit equations of the form y=f(x)

12.11.2025 11:52 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Great etymology video from @robwords.bsky.social

09.11.2025 22:27 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Inflation hitting so hard, it's affecting the percentages

09.11.2025 22:25 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Do You REALLY Understand Derivative? | Symmetric Derivative and Generalized Pseudoderivative
YouTube video by EpsilonDelta Do You REALLY Understand Derivative? | Symmetric Derivative and Generalized Pseudoderivative

Literally just came across this the other day
youtu.be/oIhdrMh3UJw

04.11.2025 07:11 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

The main other ones I'd drawn attention to are probably sin(0)=tan(0)=0 and cos(0)=1 for y-intercepts and because they show up in integrals regularly, and I want to make sure students don't mistake e^0=cos(0)=1 with being 0 which happens frequently.

29.10.2025 20:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

We usually have already got that sin(45)=cos(45)=1√/2 by osmosis, but making that explicit (useful for intersections too)

We use the fact that tan is increasing from 1/√3 to 1 to √3 for 30 to 45 to 60° to help differentiate those.

That basically leaves sin(60)=cos(30)=√3/2 and the multiples of 90

29.10.2025 20:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

After they've been getting familiar with those and we're trying to improve efficiency, we start memorising the rational ones in tri's: sin(30)=cos(60)=Β½, tan(45)=1 (because rational tends to feel easier to remember)

29.10.2025 20:43 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I'm in the same boat. I call them the half-square and half-equilateral triangle to help Ss remember how to construct the tri's if they forget.

I also use the unit circle definitions (x, y coordinates for cosine and sine and gradient of radius or length of tangent to x-axis) for the multiples of 90

29.10.2025 20:43 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

We only do x^2, log x, and 1/x, so it's a fairly short ladder. But it was /so/ much easier to remember how to label the circle.

Yes, I can do it by considering similarities to the respective graphs, but this subject doesn't go through that.

22.10.2025 09:01 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
circle of transformations with possible transforms listed. signs indicate the sign of the correlation after transformation (without compensating for the reversal of 1/x)

circle of transformations with possible transforms listed. signs indicate the sign of the correlation after transformation (without compensating for the reversal of 1/x)

the bulging rule where the ladder is labelled as a scale across each axis

the bulging rule where the ladder is labelled as a scale across each axis

ladders going from x^-3 to x^-1 to x^0 treated as log(x) to x^1/2 x^1 then through x^5

ladders going from x^-3 to x^-1 to x^0 treated as log(x) to x^1/2 x^1 then through x^5

Got to test something new in #mathstoday. Normally, to decide which transformation to linearise a data set, I'd just show a circle of transformations where each quadrant has the options listed. I recently stumbled upon Tukey and Mosteller's bulging rule and ladder of powers and it's /so/ much easier

22.10.2025 09:01 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

I think I love it even more than discorectangle

21.10.2025 13:14 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 0

I've discovered some people call it a convex angle, which makes some sense, although it suggests a reflex angle should be called concave.
Incidentally, did you know that angles that add uo to 360Β° are called explementary?

20.10.2025 21:47 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 1

Explementary is such a handy word

21.10.2025 10:17 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
Fluency Before Function β€” SpringMath Accelerate, Inc.

Giving a child a calculator too early doesn’t help them learn maths; it helps them avoid learning maths.
Great piece from @amandavande.bsky.social on why fluency must come before function. springmath.org/fluency-befo...

19.10.2025 14:47 β€” πŸ‘ 48    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 2
Post image

easy change

18.10.2025 06:36 β€” πŸ‘ 4    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
differentiating x^2, x^3, and x^4 by factorising (x+h)^n - x^n using the factorisation of a^n - b^n and letting h β†’ 0 without expanding the second factor.

differentiating x^2, x^3, and x^4 by factorising (x+h)^n - x^n using the factorisation of a^n - b^n and letting h β†’ 0 without expanding the second factor.

differentiating x^n by factorising (x+h)^n - x^n using the factorisation of a^n - b^n and letting h β†’ 0 without expanding the second factor, where there are n terms of x^(n-1)

differentiating x^n by factorising (x+h)^n - x^n using the factorisation of a^n - b^n and letting h β†’ 0 without expanding the second factor, where there are n terms of x^(n-1)

the (hopefully) fully corrected version and x^n

18.10.2025 05:58 β€” πŸ‘ 3    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

First principles, yeah, heaps. By factorising rather than expanding? Surprisingly, no!

18.10.2025 04:12 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

This was wrong too, lol #OnARoll

18.10.2025 03:57 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
differentiating x^2, x^3, and x^4 by factorising (x+h)^n - x^n using the factorisation of a^n - b^n and letting h β†’ 0 without expanding the second factor. *corrected x^4 working

differentiating x^2, x^3, and x^4 by factorising (x+h)^n - x^n using the factorisation of a^n - b^n and letting h β†’ 0 without expanding the second factor. *corrected x^4 working

18.10.2025 03:23 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

Doesn't surprise me

18.10.2025 03:22 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
differentiating x^2, x^3, and x^4 by factorising (x+h)^n - x^n using the factorisation of a^n - b^n and letting h β†’ 0 without expanding the second factor.

differentiating x^2, x^3, and x^4 by factorising (x+h)^n - x^n using the factorisation of a^n - b^n and letting h β†’ 0 without expanding the second factor.

Can't say I'd thought to do this before. #mathstoday

18.10.2025 02:23 β€” πŸ‘ 18    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 6    πŸ“Œ 0

Would appreciate any reposts to try and get to the bottom of this

13.10.2025 08:52 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
16 principles of task design with Nathan Day

16 principles of task design with Nathan Day

Loved discussing some excellent maths tasks in @nathanday.bsky.social’s session. Great to have the opportunity to dig into what makes them so good and how they could be adapted. #MathsConf39

11.10.2025 15:20 β€” πŸ‘ 9    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Queries:
1. Are the two methods actually distinct and have been inadvertently conflated somewhere along the line?
2. Which (if either) should be favoured as an introductory/straight-forward/trend-agnostic method?

11.10.2025 04:11 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
average percentage method applied to data over 2 years to determine seasonal indices and deseaonalised sales; sales in millions of dollars

average percentage method applied to data over 2 years to determine seasonal indices and deseaonalised sales; sales in millions of dollars

simple average method applied to data over 2 years to determine seasonal indices and deseaonalised sales; sales in millions of dollars

simple average method applied to data over 2 years to determine seasonal indices and deseaonalised sales; sales in millions of dollars

differences in seasonal indices: 
-0.0093950283	0.0278223623	-0.0145401985	-0.0038871355

differences in deseasonalised values (in millions of dollars)
0.032382259	-0.04141642	0.025299911	0.017857768
0.019279611	-0.035355481	0.015528388	0.011324438

differences in seasonal indices: -0.0093950283 0.0278223623 -0.0145401985 -0.0038871355 differences in deseasonalised values (in millions of dollars) 0.032382259 -0.04141642 0.025299911 0.017857768 0.019279611 -0.035355481 0.015528388 0.011324438

Additional example over 2 years, quarterly.

They're out JUST enough that you could get marked incorrectly from an assumption of one method or the other because it looks like a rounding error

11.10.2025 04:11 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
seasonally adjusted time series showing original data, and deseasonalised values using average percentage and simple averages methods which are generally equivalent but have deviations

seasonally adjusted time series showing original data, and deseasonalised values using average percentage and simple averages methods which are generally equivalent but have deviations

same graph without the original data to exaggerate discrepancies

same graph without the original data to exaggerate discrepancies

differences between seasonal indices
0.001	0	0.001	0	-0.001	-0.002	-0.002	-0.001	0	0.002	0.002	0.002

differences between seasonal indices 0.001 0 0.001 0 -0.001 -0.002 -0.002 -0.001 0 0.002 0.002 0.002

Here's the catch: they're not equivalent (nuisance 2). They produce VERY similar results, but not exactly the same (algebraically distinct). And the difference is enough that it could look like a rounding error to 2-4 decimal places occasionally.

11.10.2025 04:11 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0
text refers to average percent method: data as percentages of the average for the year which are then averaged

text refers to average percent method: data as percentages of the average for the year which are then averaged

text refers to simple averages method: calculates average for each quarter across all years, then written as a percentage of the overall average

text refers to simple averages method: calculates average for each quarter across all years, then written as a percentage of the overall average

text lists average percentage and simple average as the same

text lists average percentage and simple average as the same

Some texts describe the "average percentage" method but call it "simple average", but "average percentage" is pretty consistently as above (feels very self-referential tbh).

11.10.2025 04:11 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 1    πŸ“Œ 0

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