As soon as fractions are introduced into equations, a lot of students flounder. Using a simple technique, these two videos show you how to get around the problem.

The next level is to solve equations containing brackets and bars. Please click on the comic to enlarge if necessary.

I find it useful to try to sketch a picture of what I am trying to understand. I know this is because I am a highly visual learner. Here, Hexa illustrates how each type of equation can be illustrated, and solved, by using a balance beam. Please click on the comic strip to enlarge if [...]

As you will see in the introductory paragraph, the following puzzle can be solved by anyone, no matter what their math ability is, through pure logic. It ranks as one of my favourite puzzle that I have ever seen. Please click on the file name to see the pdf file.
The Three Prisoners Puzzle

Just reading the paper in the morning leads me to use simple math shortcuts and tricks. Here are a few math shortcuts (and why they work), one that used while reading my morning paper. Please click on the file name below to see the pdf file.
Some Mental Math Shortcuts

Have you ever seen a poll of 900 people and the results are supposed to represent how 4 000 000 people in British Columbia feel.  How accurate is this poll?  And if they say, “this poll is accurate to within 3.3% of the actual answer, 19 times out of 20″, what does that mean, and [...]

I like the story of Rene Descartes for it has some interesting ideas. One is, that by observing something we all see, and asking (and answering) a brilliant question, great things can happen. I always think of the three types of people who do this: the genius,  the entrepreneur and the inventor. Please click on [...]

Brackets and bars in mathematics translate as “both” or “all” in English. Here we get a video that demonstrates how to solve an equation containing a bracket or a bar. The video appears below.

Using the concept of a “border guard”, Icosa explains to Dodeca how to short cut some of the work in solving equations.  Please click on the comic strip to enlarge if necessary.

Hexa and Octa, with Tetra’s help, carry on with the solutions to last week’s “homework”.  Please click on the comic strip to enlarge of necessary.