User Joseph O'Rourke - Mathematics Educators Stack Exchange

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Joseph O'Rourke

Member for 9 years, 2 months
Last seen more than a week ago

Twitter
cs.smith.edu/~jorourke
Northampton, MA, USA

52 Questions

Score Activity Newest Views

82 votes

21 answers

24k views

Why are induction proofs so challenging for students?

asked Nov 18, 2015 at 16:32

17 votes

5 answers

12k views

What is the most difficult concept to grasp in Calculus 1?

asked Aug 14, 2019 at 12:53

46 votes

18 answers

12k views

How to explain the flipping of division by a fraction?

asked Apr 9, 2015 at 21:12

16 votes

6 answers

10k views

Explanation for cutting a Möbius strip at one-third its width

asked Feb 11, 2015 at 1:54

34 votes

15 answers

9k views

Justifications for: Why learn mathematics?

asked May 10, 2015 at 21:07

20 votes

3 answers

5k views

Pedagogical challenge: Homeomorphic vs. Homotopy equivalent vs. Homologous?

asked Jul 16, 2014 at 23:31

37 votes

12 answers

5k views

Beautiful planar geometry theorems not encountered in high school

asked Nov 15, 2019 at 23:49

11 votes

11 answers

4k views

Ideas for explaining 4D and higher dimensions

asked Apr 5, 2020 at 23:43

22 votes

9 answers

3k views

"A computer program IS a proof": Introducing rigor via programming

asked Jun 20, 2014 at 22:06

19 votes

4 answers

3k views

Does anyone teach logarithms via slide rules?

asked Jan 2, 2020 at 23:54

7 votes

1 answer

2k views

Jason Padgett's "Struck by Genius"

asked May 10, 2014 at 1:18

16 votes

11 answers

2k views

Natural occurrences of a to the (b to the c)?

asked Mar 19, 2021 at 0:16

4 votes

2 answers

1k views

Is the Wronskian still assumed for graduate education?

asked May 19, 2022 at 23:46

21 votes

2 answers

1k views

Can we avoid confusion over using "let" as a quantifier?

asked Feb 24, 2020 at 0:00

15 votes

6 answers

1k views

Iconic image to explain the fundamental theorem of calculus?

asked Oct 11, 2018 at 23:06

28 votes

5 answers

1k views

Wonder as motivation

asked Mar 9, 2015 at 12:00

9 votes

5 answers

1k views

Motivation for polynomial long division

asked Sep 1, 2018 at 13:39

13 votes

4 answers

995 views

Is Calculus Necessary?

asked Aug 11, 2017 at 14:10

15 votes

5 answers

954 views

Should the cross-product in $\mathbb{R}^3$ be discussed in Linear Algebra?

asked Apr 1, 2014 at 23:35

14 votes

4 answers

912 views

Proofs that make theorems less clear

asked Mar 13, 2016 at 0:27

10 votes

4 answers

890 views

Why are proofs by contradiction counterintuitive?

asked Sep 23, 2016 at 23:44

12 votes

8 answers

793 views

How best to explain the logarithm to the mathematically naive?

asked May 24, 2015 at 23:43

24 votes

1 answer

728 views

Is there a Piagetian age at which proofs can be comprehended?

asked Apr 18, 2015 at 2:28

3 votes

4 answers

702 views

What is an algebraic explanation of why the product of the slopes of perpendicular lines is $-1$? [duplicate]

asked Nov 14, 2020 at 1:22

10 votes

0 answers

628 views

Use of Lockhart's Measurement in a course?

asked May 2, 2019 at 23:09

4 votes

2 answers

609 views

Advice: How to cite literature for high-school students?

asked Oct 17, 2020 at 23:49

18 votes

5 answers

531 views

Against introducing precise definitions first

asked Sep 14, 2016 at 0:24

1 vote

3 answers

505 views

When are students taught implicit and parametric representations of curves?

asked Nov 2, 2020 at 21:01

7 votes

3 answers

473 views

Is induction or recursion easier to understand?

asked Jun 9, 2017 at 0:27

3 votes

1 answer

461 views

Calculus via a constructivist approach

asked May 19, 2018 at 0:47

1