Tag Archives: amusing story

Diagonal is not straight

Posted on May 25, 2016 by aofradkin

Zoe and I often play games where one of us makes a figure with some objects (stones, chips, snap-cubes, etc.) and the other one has to make an identical figure.  Today, for this purpose, we were using an old Russian … Continue reading →

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Gruesome Math

Posted on November 13, 2015 by aofradkin

Zoe has a recent fascination with blood – not the real kind (luckily), but the kind that appears in stories when someone gets hurt.  Here is an example of how an innocent math problem turned into a gruesome tale.  I was … Continue reading →

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My very own Beautiful Oops!

Posted on October 24, 2015 by aofradkin

Katie really likes crepes, but she hasn’t had them in a while. I used to like making crepes, but I haven’t done it in quite a longer while. Earlier this week, Katie complained about #1, which reminded me of #2. … Continue reading →

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Counting Geese

Posted on July 7, 2015 by aofradkin

Zoe, grandma, and grandpa were walking in the park.  They noticed a flock of geese by the pond.  “There are so many geese!” Zoe exclaimed.  “How many geese are there?” asked grandma.  Zoe began counting, carefully pointing to each goose … Continue reading →

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String theory and practice

Posted on June 10, 2015 by aofradkin

Part I: Zoe Zoe really liked her aquamarine pants with two strings. She liked playing with the strings, and she liked counting them: one, two.  Then, one day, she pulled a little too hard on one of the strings, and … Continue reading →

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A mathematical monologue

Posted on April 20, 2015 by aofradkin

Not too long ago, Katie was happy to do random arithmetic problems that resulted (semi)-naturally from our conversations.  However, recently, when I try to turn something into a calculation for her she says, “I don’t want a problem” or “I … Continue reading →

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A one-legged teacher

Posted on March 30, 2015 by aofradkin

This is a follow-up post to Fingers are not like Hands.  My husband suggested that Zoe was able to tell me how many hands everyone had because I asked her only about people she knew.  The thinking was that she just … Continue reading →

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A math-inspired poem

Posted on February 13, 2015 by aofradkin

It’s hard for me to believe, but this is post #100 on this blog!  For that reason, I decided to post something different and wacky – a poem!  Can you spot the math in it? This tale is of a … Continue reading →

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A delicate balance

Posted on September 22, 2014 by aofradkin

You are captured by a bandit, but not by an ordinary bandit – an enlightened one.  He will let you go if you solve his brainteaser (otherwise he will keep you and make you solve boring problems every day).  In … Continue reading →

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The Joys of Puddles

Posted on June 19, 2014 by aofradkin

This evening I went on a walk with Zoe.  We were walking along a secluded path, far away from any cars, so I let her run a little bit ahead of me.  Suddenly Zoe comes to a stop and I … Continue reading →

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