Categories
Radicals The Real Number System

Simplifying Radicals

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Cool mistake!

A meta-question: what can we learn from a mistake like this, compared to a set of classwork on simplifying this expression?

Categories
Building Functions Negative Numbers Sequences and Series Series The Real Number System

Arithmetic Series and Subtracting Signed Numbers

MMsequences

What feedback would you write on this kid’s paper? Why?

(Thanks, KN!)

Categories
Radicals The Real Number System

Over-rationalizing

photo (6)

 

What’s the fastest way that you could help this student?

Yo, thanks KFouss!

 

Categories
Negative Numbers The Real Number System

1 – (-1)

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Why?

Thanks again to Chris Robinson.

Categories
Arithmetic Negative Numbers The Real Number System

Order of Operations, Negative Numbers

Say something smart about this in the comments. When you’re done, go check out the blog from whence this mistake came.

Categories
N-RN.2 Radicals

A classic: Subtracting radicals

This mistake is a classic in my classroom. What does the student understand about combining like terms, but what is the conceptual model that makes this sort of mistake so enticing?

Categories
exponents N.RN.1

Classic: Zero exponents

What makes this idea so attractive to students? Why should it be true that 2^0=0? How do you help them see the light?