Casting Out Nines

At first glance mathematics and persuasive communication – writing, and particularly public speaking – would seem to have little in common. After all, mathematics is an objective science, whilst speaking involves voice quality, inflection, eye contact, personality, body language, and other subjective components.

However, under the surface they are very similar.

Above anything else, the success of an oral presentation depends on the precision of its structure. Mathematics is all about precision. It is therefore not so odd to think that applying some of the concepts of mathematics to oral presentations could make them substantially more effective.

As they say in the film industry, three key factors go into making a successful movie: the script, the script, and the script. Likewise, three key factors go into making a successful speech: the structure, the structure, and the structure.

Not convinced? Then let’s start with something less radical.

I think we can all agree that good speaking is related to good writing. If you can write a good text, then you are well on your way to preparing a good oral presentation. Therefore, if you improve your writing, you will also improve your speaking.

To simplify matters, from now on we will talk mainly about good writing, because in most cases the same ideas apply directly to good speaking.

Know what you are doing

Many commercial companies do not live up to their potential – and sometimes even go bankrupt – because they fail to correctly define the business they are in.

Perfume companies, for example, do not sell fragrant liquids, but rather love, romance, seductiveness, self-esteem, etc. Bio-food companies do not sell organic produce, but rather honesty, purity, nature, etc. Automobile manufacturers do not sell transportation, but rather freedom, adventure, spontaneity, prestige, etc. The fact is, each industry, even each individual product, may have to determine what it is truly all about – and there are thousands of them!

Writers are lucky. There are numerous variations to what we do, but there are really only two fundamental types of writing. It is important to recognise this, because not only are they quite different, in some respects they are exactly opposite. So unless we clearly recognise which type of writing we are doing – and how it differs from the other one – we will almost certainly commit serious errors.

What are the two types? And how do they differ?

Creative Writing

Texts such as short stories, novels, poems, radio plays, stage plays, television scripts, film scripts, etc.

The fundamental purpose of creative writing is to amuse and entertain. Expository Writing

Texts such as memos, reports, proposals, training manuals, newsletters, research papers, etc.

The fundamental purpose of expository writing is to instruct and inform.

Essential attitude towards expository writing

Because the objectives of creative and expository writing are so different, before striking a key you must adopt the appropriate attitude towards the type of writing you are doing.

Creative writing attitude

Everyone wants to read want what you are going to write.

After all, who doesn’t want to be amused and entertained?

Expository writing attitude

No one wants to read what you are going to write.

Most people don’t like to be instructed and informed. They probably would much prefer to be doing something else.

The importance of recognising and adopting the “expository writing attitude” cannot be over-stated, because it can dramatically change the very nature of what you are writing. Here are a couple of examples.

A. Corporate image brochure

I was once commissioned to write a corporate image brochure. Two things are certain about these expensive, glossy booklets:

• Almost all companies of any size feel compelled to produce them.

• Virtually no one ever reads them.

Starting from the attitude that no one would want to read what I was about to write, I created a brochure that people not only read. They actually called the company to request additional copies to give to friends, clients and professional colleagues!

B. Stagnating product

On another occasion, I was commissioned to develop an advertising campaign to revitalise a product with stagnating sales. Applying the expository writing attitude, I discovered that three of the product’s key benefits were not being properly exploited. Why? The manufacturer felt that everything about their product was important, so for years they had been systematically burying these three key benefits under an avalanche of other information of less interest to potential buyers. The new campaign sharply focussed on the key benefits; virtually all other information was moved to the background or eliminated. As a result, sales shot up some 40% in the first year.

With some nuances, this self-same expository writing attitude can be – and should be – applied to speaking, as well.

Essential approach to expository writing

Because creative writing and expository writing have essentially different objectives and attitudes, they require essentially different approaches.

Creative writing approach

Play with language to generate pleasure.

In other words, use your mastery of the language to amuse and entertain.

Expository writing approach

Organise information to generate interest.

Clever use of language will never make dull information interesting; however, you can organise the information to make it interesting. Forget about literary pyrotechnics. Concentrate on content.

We are now going to leave creative writing, because most of what we write, and say, is expository.

What do we mean by “good writing”?

We are now ready to return to the notion of how mathematics applies to good writing, and by extension to good speaking.

When someone reads an expository text or listens to an expository speech, they are likely to judge it as good or not good. You probably do this yourself. But what do you actually mean when you say a text or a speech is “good”.

After some struggling, most people will usually settle on two criteria: clear and concise.

Mathematics depends on unambiguous definitions; if you are not clear about the problem, you are unlikely to find the solution. So we are going to examine these criteria in some detail in order to establish objective definitions – and even quasi-mathematical formulae – for testing whether a text or a presentation truly is “good”.

A. Clarity

How do you know that a text is clear?

If this sounds like a silly question, try to answer it. You will probably do something like this:

Question: What makes this text clear?

Answer: It is easy to understand.

Question: What makes it easy to understand?

Answer: It is simple.

Question: What do you mean by simple?

Answer: It is clear.

You in fact end up going around in a circle. The text is clear because it is easy to understand . . . because it is simple . . . because it is clear.

“Clear”, “easy to understand”, and “simple” are synonyms. Whilst synonyms may have nuances, they do not have content, so you are still left to your own subjective appreciation. But what you think is clear may not be clear to someone else.

This is why we give “clear” an objective definition, almost like a mathematical formula. To achieve clarity -i.e. virtually everyone will agree that it is clear – you must do three things.

1. Emphasise what is of key importance.

2. De-emphasise what is of secondary importance.

3. Eliminate what is of no importance.

In short: CL = EDE

Like all mathematical formulae, this one works only if you know how to apply it, which requires judgement.

In this case, you must first decide what is of key importance, i.e. what are the key ideas you want your readers to take away from your text? This is not always easy to do. It is far simpler to say that everything is of key importance, so you put in everything you have. But there is a dictum that warns: If everything is important, then nothing is. In other words, unless you first do the work of defining what you really want your readers to know, they won’t do it for you. They will get lost in your text and either give up or come out the other end not knowing what it is they have read.

What about the second element of the formula, de-emphasise what is of secondary importance?

That sounds easy enough. You don’t want key information and ideas to get lost in details. If you clearly emphasise what is of key importance – via headlines, Italics, underlining, or simply how you organise the information – then whatever is left over is automatically de-emphasised.

Now the only thing left to do is eliminate what is of no importance.

But how do you distinguish between what is of secondary importance and what is of no importance? Once again, this requires judgement, which is helped by the following very important test.

Secondary importance is anything that supports and/or elaborates one or more of the key ideas. If you judge that a piece of information in fact does support or elaborate one or more key ideas, then you keep it. If not, you eliminate it.

B. Conciseness

How do you know that a text is concise?

If this once again sounds like a silly question, let’s try to answer it.

Question: What makes this text concise?

Answer: It is short.

Question: What do you mean by short?

Answer: It doesn’t have too many words.

Question: How do you know it doesn’t have too many words?

Answer: Because it is concise.

So once again we end up going around in a circle. The text is concise because it is short . . . because it doesn’t have too many words . . . because it is concise.

Once again, we have almost a mathematical formula to solve the problem. To achieve conciseness, your text should meet two criteria. It must be as:

1. Long as necessary

2. Short as possible

In symbols: CO = LS

If you have fulfilled the criteria of “clarity” correctly, you already understand “as long as necessary”. It means covering all the ideas of key importance you have identified, and all the ideas of secondary importance needed to support and/or elaborate these key ideas.

Note that nothing is said here about the number of words, because it is irrelevant. If it takes 500 words to be “as long as necessary”, then 500 words must be used. If it takes 1500 words, then this is all right too. The important point is that everything that should be in the text is fully there.

Then what is meant by “as short as possible”?

Once again, this has nothing do to with the number of words. It is useless to say at the beginning, “I must not write more than 300 words on this subject”, because 500 words may be the minimum necessary.

“As short as possible” means staying as close as you can to the minimum. But not because people prefer short texts; in the abstract the terms “long” and “short” have no meaning. The important point is that all words beyond the minimum tend to reduce clarity.

We should not be rigid about this. If being “as long as necessary” can be done in 500 words and you use 520, this is probably a question of individual style. It does no harm. However, if you use 650 words, it is almost certain that the text will not be completely clea r- and that the reader will become confused, bored or lost.

In sum, conciseness means saying what needs to be said in the minimum amount of words. Conciseness:

• Aids clarity by ensuring best structuring of information.

• Holds reader interest by providing maximum information in minimum time.

C. Density

Density is a less familiar concept than clarity and conciseness, but is equally important. In mathematical form, density consists of:

1. Precise information

2. Logically linked

In other words: D = PL

Importance of precise information

Suppose you enter a room where there are two other people and say, “It’s very hot today.” One of those people comes from Helsinki; in his mind he interprets “hot” to mean about 23°C. The other one comes from Khartoum; to him “hot” means 45°C.

You are off to a rather bad start, because each one has a totally different idea of what you want to say. But suppose you say, “It’s very hot today; the temperature is 28° C.” Now there is no room for confusion. They both know quite clearly that it is 28° C outside and that you consider this to be very hot.

Using as much precise information as possible in a text gives the writer two significant advantages:

• Mind Control

Let’s not be embarrassed by the term “mind control”, because this is precisely what the good expository writer wants to achieve. He needs for the reader’s mind to go only where he directs it and nowhere else.

Because they can be interpreted in unknown ways, ambiguous terms (so-called “weasel words”) such as “hot”, “cold”, “big”, “small”, “good”, “bad”, etc., allow the reader’s mind to escape from the writer’s control. An occasional lapse is not critical; however, too many weasel words in a text will inevitably lead to reader confusion, boredom and disinterest.

• Reader Confidence

Using precise information generates confidence, because it tells the reader that the writer really knows what he is talking about.

Reader confidence is important in any kind of text, but it is crucial in argumentation. If you are trying to win a point, the last thing you want is the reader to challenge your data, but this is the first reaction imprecise writing will provoke. Precise writing ensures that the discussion will be about the implications of the information, i.e. what conclusions should be drawn, not whether the whole thing needs to go back for further investigation.

Importance of logical linking

Precise data (facts) by themselves are insufficient. To be meaningful, data must be organised to create information, i.e. help the reader understand.

There are two important tests to apply when converting data into information:

1. Relevance

Is a particular piece of data really needed? As we have seen, unnecessary data damages understanding and ultimately undermines confidence. Therefore, any data that do not either aid understanding or promote confidence should be eliminated.

2. Misconceptions

The logical link between data must be made explicit to prevent the reader from coming to false conclusions. For example: a specific situation may be confused for a general one; credit for an achievement may seem to belong to only one person when it really belongs to a group; a company policy may appear to apply only in very specific circumstances rather than in all circumstances, etc.

To ensure that a logical link is clear, place the two pieces of data as close to each other as possible, preferably right next to each other.

When data are widely separated, their logical relationship is masked and the reader is unlikely to make the connection.

What do you want? What do your readers want?

I frequently ask non-professional writers what they are thinking when they sit down at the keyboard to compose their text. The answer is usually something like, “How do I want to present my material?” “What tone and style should I use?” “In what order should I put my key ideas?” And so on.

However, if you start with the correct attitude, i.e. no one wants to read what you write, your first task is none of these. Ahead of anything else, you must find reasons why people should spend their time to read what you write.

In general, you cannot force people to read what they don’t want to, even if they are being paid to do so.

For example, you produce a report defining opportunities for increased sales and profits. However, if it is not well written, even people who must read it as part of their job are unlikely to give it their full attention. On the other hand, if they immediately see their own self-interest in reading what you have written, they will do so gladly and with full attention. In fact, you probably couldn’t stop them from reading it!

There are various methods to generate such a strong desire to read, depending on the type of readers and the type of information. Whatever the most appropriate device, the crucial thing is to recognise the imperative need to use it. Until this need is met, nothing else is of any importance.

Editor’s note: Reading is an isolated activity and listening to a speech is a social one. Therefore, whilst the underlying principles of good writing and good speaking are constant, the way they are applied can be markedly different. In the ‘I’ of the Storm: the Simple Secrets of Writing & Speaking (Almost) like a Professional, Mr. Yaffe’s recently published book, clearly explains these differences. It also offers several appendices with cogent examples and pertinent, effective exercises.

Philip Yaffe is a former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal and a marketing communication consultant. He currently teaches a course in good writing and good public speaking in Brussels, Belgium. In the ‘I’ of the Storm is available either in a print version or electronic version from Story Publishers in Ghent, Belgium (www.Storypublishers.be) and Amazon (www.amazon.com).

It’s great to know that there are a number of resources available to offer students the help they need with math. But what’s even better is that much of this assistance is now online. Whether you want to prepare for a math test, or get through a difficult homework assignment, it can be done via the Internet.

But with all of the great resources available to you, how can you make the most of them? In other words, how can you make sure that you take advantage of the right resources for your math needs? One great way is to learn just what’s out there for you.

Live Chats

Did you know that you can take advantage of live chats as a part of the online tutoring experience? This is great for those who can’t access a face-to-face tutor, but still would like human interaction to be a part of their tutoring session. This is especially important for math where problems can become extremely in-depth, requiring the assistance of a live person for guidance. It is for this reason that if you need help with math and want to make the most of online tutoring, taking advantage of live chats may be a great route for you to take.

Tutorials

Another great way to take advantage of online math assistance is online tutorials. Not the same as working with a person through live chat, tutorials typically come in the form of interactive online programs that answer questions or provide step-by-step instructions for problems. If you’re thinking of working with tutorials, keep in mind that unlike live chats they will most likely not be able to help you with specific homework problems. Tutorials will instead be able to help you through practice elements of the math subjects you need help with.

Online Problems / Printable Worksheets

Other ways to benefit from online math assistance are taking advantage of online problems and printable worksheets. The Internet makes getting help with math convenient and fun with online math problems that allow you to practice, practice, practice from the comfort of your home. With online problems, you can work through them and receive answers automatically. This offers a great opportunity to create a practice test environment. On the other hand, if you like putting pencil to paper, you can print worksheets and work on problems this way.

Downloadable Software

Yet another feature of online math tutoring assistance that you can take advantage of is downloadable software. Much like online tutorials, downloadable software offers the opportunity to work through interactive problems. The major difference between the two is that once your software is downloaded, you don’t have to go back online to use it. This is great for those who don’t have in-house Internet access but have a computer that can manage the software.

So what’s your next move? Are you ready to make the most of online math assistance? If you are, then it’s time to determine what form of assistance will work best for you. What are you waiting for?

Many students find themselves stressing out about the higher-level math subjects, such as algebra, geometry, and calculus. But as they’re scratching their heads at the abstract formulas they’re facing in high school, there are some elementary students doing the same thing.

Often times, we forget that because elementary math has been simple for us for many years that young students struggle with it. When we see them struggling, we often feel comfortable diving in and trying to help. However, just because you know the subject doesn’t mean you’re good at reinforcing it. Sometimes, this is the role of a tutor. Why, you ask? Here are a few reasons …

Elementary Math is the Foundation

One major reason that it’s a good idea to seek the assistance of a qualified tutor, either in the traditional face-to-face sense, in a tutoring center, or via reputable online resources, is because of the importance inherent in creating a strong foundation in math. We all know how important math is to our everyday lives. Not to mention that it builds on itself at a rapid pace requiring the student keep up in order to have any success in the future. Think about it, how much success can your child have in middle school pre-algebra if he is not comfortable with basic fractions? The stronger your child’s foundation is in the earlier years, the greater probability there will be of success in the future.

You’re Not a Certified Tutor … Are You?

As mentioned previously, just because you understand certain aspects of elementary math doesn’t mean that you’re qualified to teach it. You may feel comfortable solving simple math problems, but when it comes to explaining the process to someone else – especially a child – it may be more difficult than you think. If you’ve been helping your child with math homework, but scores are not improving, then you may want to consider an elementary math tutor who is not only skilled in teaching the subject, but also working with young children.

You May Not Remember Everything

While you may feel comfortable teaching some aspects of math on your own, as your child reaches higher levels of elementary math, you may not remember everything that you need to remember to be a good homework helper. For instance, you may be good at the basics: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. But what about ratio and proportion, measurement and graphing, or area, perimeter and circumference?

Do you remember how to use a protractor? How about a graphing calculator? Trying to remember the foundation of elementary math, along with any technological provisions that may not have been around in your day could make for a difficult homework session if you’re not prepared. When considering outside assistance, keep in mind that your tutor will already be up to speed in these areas.

Understand elementary math is a vital to your child’s success in future math subjects and should not be taken for granted. So if you see your child is struggling in this subject, it’s good to bring a tutor in to strengthen that foundation as soon as possible.

REASON 1: “The Most Important Learning State Is Often Absent.”

“The teacher pretended that algebra was a perfectly natural affair, to be taken for granted, whereas I didn’t even know what numbers were. Mathematics classes became sheer terror and torture to me.

I was so intimidated by my incomprehension that I did not dare to ask any questions.”

Carl Gustav Jung: 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of Analytical Psychology. (Source: Wikpedia)

Young children are natural learners. They are genetically programmed to learn.

Here’s how Alison Gobnik, Ph.D, Andrew N. Meltzoff, Ph.D, and Patricia K. Kuhl, Ph. D, describe a baby’s capacity for learning.

“Walk upstairs, open the door gently, and look in the crib. What do you see? Most of us see a picture of innocence and helplessness, a clean slate. But, in fact, what we see in the crib is the greatest mind that has ever existed, the most powerful learning machine in the universe.”

From “The Scientist in the Crib”

Why is it then that at some point in the not too distant future many parents throw their hands up in despair and wonder, “Whatever happened to that happy child who couldn’t wait to get to school?”

Now every day is a battle. Headaches, sickness, tantrums, tears . . . there just has to be a reason. Could it be bullying . . . school phobia . . . a personality clash with the teacher? It’s possible but it’s just as possible it could be a subject your child is desperately trying to avoid. A subject that invokes anxiety and fear and can produce a physical reaction that is very real.

It might be something you suffered from yourself, something you still feel guilty and ashamed of! That’s right . . . the math lesson.

The comments below were taken from recent posts on myLot.com in response to the question, “Ever had a most hated subject when you were in school?” They were representative of 70% of the responses.

“I despised math of any kind. To me it was like trying to learn another language…all of it. I still hate it! Anything involving math makes my head hurt.”

“I hated math. It was horrible. And the teachers . . . couldn’t explain it very well because they didn’t understand why we don’t understand!”

“I thought it was the most boring and confusing subject . . . That would be my idea of hell having to sit through math classes!”

Twenty years from now will your child be posting comments like these on some website blog? By then the damage will have been done.

So, what do you need to do to ensure your child is not intimidated and terrorised to the point where he is actually afraid to ask a question?

Apparently Einstein’s mother never asked him what he learnt in school only what questions he asked. When a child is too intimidated or embarrassed to ask a question then there is a serious problem somewhere that needs to be addressed urgently.

The most important state as an absolute prerequisite for learning is the emotional state. This is particularly true for young children. If a child is feeling stressed, intimidated or if something has upset him prior to him arriving at school he will not be in any state to learn anything. Stress causes the equivalent of an electrical storm in the brain cutting off access to all the areas of the brain that control our higher thinking skills. Math seems to induce more stress than any other subject.

What you must do is create an environment at home where you child feels secure and where learning math can be challenging but always fun. On the premise ‘prevention is better than cure’ it would be best if you created this learning environment before your child starts school. Whether you like it or not you are your child’s first and most important preschool teacher.

Before you run for cover, or protest that you hate maths as much as anyone in the history of the world, or you wouldn’t have a clue where to start anyway, allow me to ask you one more question.

Are you prepared to embark on a journey of self discovery with your child, a journey through a rich and colorful landscape of pattern and relationships guided by play, games and open-ended activities? A journey that will ensure your child grasps the most important math concepts naturally and incidentally as he is engaged in play and problem solving that is always matched to his level of development?”

“Are you prepared to commit to spending time and engaging regularly with your child?”

If the answer is “YES!” then I can help you and your child discover that learning math can be a hugely enjoyable and rewarding experience.

GMAT Math questions are given to test your understanding of the mathematical concepts than to test your ability to actually carry out quantitative procedures correctly. These questions are simple but test-writers often complicate these problems by altering the sentences and concealing its structure and intent, while preserving its behavior. They usually do this to deceive the testers. Be careful in making assumptions that you are not supposed to make. It is impossible to overstate the importance of careful reading.

There are techniques that can be used to solve these problems and can also be found on GMAT preparation guides. One of which is by reading the question several times might help understand the question. Try to put it into your own words if not, break them into parts until you get the correct thought. Be careful with traps. Some numbers or words are usually added to confuse the reader.

Another technique is backsolving. This is done by substituting the answer choices to the given equation. For numerical answers, it is best to start with the middle choice then just go up or down based on the attempted result. Assume that the answer does not contain a variable and ensure that the numbers you chose don’t work on multiple equations.

Avoid unnecessary calculation. This will only waste precious time. You will go in circles, or worst, prompt you to the wrong answer. Do not solve for more than what is necessary. Know what is given and what is asked in the question. Do estimations if necessary. Some questions require lengthy g calculations. This is applicable if the answers are not close in value. The bottom line is that you need to be very careful when reading GMAT problems. Moreover, you must be precise and thoughtful when labeling your variables.

In problem solving questions, there are answers that can be eliminated right away. If you are running out of time, this is the best way to do it. Eliminate the obviously wrong answers and guess. Never leave a blank space. Your choice might be correct. Often, by simply determining the sign of the answer, whether it is positive or negative and the rough value of the answer, you can rule out an answer or two and improve your odds of guessing the correct answer.

The more time you spend practicing solving Math questions, the better able you will be to internalize the techniques given above. You will also become very comfortable with the type of questions. You will realize that there are many math areas where you need to master your skills. When the time comes that you will take the examination for the GMAT, you will already know what to do to perform well during the exam. Also, there are many GMAT study guide that are currently available to help you prepare for the examination.

Teach your baby math, and save money. Yes, that is correct you heard me. I bet you would have never guessed that teaching them would enable you to save money, but you will. Find out how below.

When you think that you want to teach your baby math you are probably mainly thinking about your baby but did you know that you can really get some huge benefits by educating your child in math young? Let’s go on to talk about how you can benefit from teaching your baby math.

Less Stress

Once your child gets into school there is going to be a lot pulling at him or her. They are going to want to play with the other kids or they may not get the attention from the teacher that they need to get their math skills down. If you already teach your baby math they are going to have less to worry about and how many of your know that kids should not have to worry. Make sure that you give your child this great advantage.

Saves Money

I bet you never thought that teach your baby math could save your money but it can. If you teach your baby math now they are going to get the fundamentals down. When they get the fundamentals down they are going to be able to get the more difficult work done much easier. How is this going to save your money? This will save your money because you will not have to hire an expensive tutor. Some tutors can cost anywhere from 10 to 50 dollars an hour. If your child is just not getting it this can take out quite a bit of cash from your wallet or purse.

More Success

Any parent loves to see their parent succeed and I am sure that you are no different. You want to know that your baby is going to have the best chance to make it in the world. You want to know that your baby will be able to succeed in the business word. When you start out young you are going to put them at an advantage over the other people around them and this is going to set them up for success instead of setting them up for failure.

Isn’t it great that you will teach your baby math, and save money at the same time! There is no excuses to not teach them so start this process.

A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position. A portrait often shows a person looking directly at the painter or photographer, in order to most successfully engage the subject with the viewer.

Some of the earliest portraits of people who were not kings or emperors, are the funeral portraits that survived in the dry climate of Egypt’s Fayum district. These are the only paintings of the Roman period that have survived, aside from frescos.

The art of the portrait flourished in Roman sculptures, where sitters demanded realistic portraits, even unflattering ones. During the 4th century, the portrait began to retreat in favor of an idealized symbol of what that person looked like. (Compare the portraits of Roman Emperors Constantine I and Theodosius I at their entries.) In Europe true portraits of the outward appearance of individuals re-emerged in the late Middle Ages, in Burgundy and France.

Moche culture of Peru was one of the few ancient civilizations which produced portraits. These works accurately represent anatomical features in great detail. The individuals portrayed would have been recognizable without the need for other symbols or a written reference to their names. The individuals portrayed were members of the ruling elite, priests, warriors and even distinguished artisans.[1]

They were represented during several stages of their lives. The faces of gods were also depicted. To date, no portraits of women have been found. There is particular emphasis on the representation of the details of headdresses, hairstyles, body adornment and face painting.

One of the best-known portraits in the Western world is Leonardo da Vinci’s painting titled Mona Lisa, which is a painting of an unidentified woman. The world’s oldest known portrait was found in 2006 in the Vilhonneur grotto near Angoulême and is thought to be 27,000 years old.[2]

Recently, critics have noted that work by artist Alexa Meade makes “a valid and very interesting contribution to the portrait genre.”[3]

More than 100 seventh-graders put their mathematical chops to the test in the borough’s first Young Women in Math Day Competition on Wednesday at the Mary Louis Academy.
“We believe in the talents of young women. And we believe that sometimes math and science are fields women are not seen in,” said Sister Kathleen McKinney, principal of the Jamaica Estates high school. “So we wanted to encourage their interest.”
Three students each from about 40 local schools competed in the event for algebraic glory and some prize money.
The contest consisted of an individualized written math test and a team challenge, where students had to puzzle through complicated equations, ratios and logic problems together and then buzz in their answers.
“We want to let them enjoy the challenge and let them know math is not something to be afraid of,” said Celeste Maloney, chairwoman of Mary Louis’ math department.
Fear didn’t seem to hold back Anna Kwon of St. Andrew Avellino School in Flushing, Chelsea Kandasami of Intermediate School 268 in Jamaica and Stephanie Pang of Middle School 74 in Oakland Gardens. They took home top prizes – and the promise of a $50 check – in the individual category.
“It was a great experience,” said Kwon, 12, of Flushing. “I was nervous at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was kind of fun.”
“It was exciting,” said Pang, 12, of Bayside. “You can use math for anything.”
Pang’s school placed first in the team contest along with the St. John Lutheran School in Glendale and the Resurrection Ascension School in Rego Park.
The middle school years are crucial for girls in the fields of math and science, experts said.
“There’s really no difference [between] elementary school boys’ and girls’ math and science scores,” said Julie Shannan, deputy director of the Houston-based Girlstart, a nonprofit group that promotes math and science to girls.
“When we go into sixth and eighth grade, there’s a significant decline in girls’ achievement in science and math,” she said, asserting that’s because girls succumb to peer pressure not to be too smart.
But the poor grades have a big impact on these young women later on.
“It keeps women behind professionally,” Shannan said of the fewer women than men entering the fields of computer science and engineering. “Women are not getting the lucrative paying jobs in science and technology.”
McKinney doesn’t want to see that happen. She hopes to make the competition an annual event and start a similar contest for elementary schools, she said.

American wins Norway’s Abel Prize for mathematics

(AP) – Mar 24, 2010

OSLO — An American professor at the University of Texas, Austin, has won the 6 million kroner ($1 million) Abel Prize for mathematics.

The prize jury praises John Tate as “a prime architect” of number theory, a branch of mathematics that has played a key role in the development of modern computers.

The award citation issued Wednesday says Tate “has truly left a conspicuous imprint on modern mathematics” by advancing “one of (its) most elaborate and sophisticated branches.”

The annual Abel Prize was created by the Norwegian government in 2003 and is awarded to candidates who have contributed to the mathematical sciences. The winner is selected by an international committee of five mathematicians.

The prize will be given to Tate at a May 25 ceremony in Oslo.

Using Math and Science to Improve Your Game

Baseball season is in full swing. And speaking of swing, ever wondered exactly how a home run is hit? Or why the screwball and slider pitches curve the way they do; why they are so hard to throw? For answers to these questions and questions like them, you must turn to physics and the laws of motion.

Dr. Deji Badiru is head of the Department of Systems and Engineering Management at the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Badiru trains America’s aerial defense men and women on the ins and outs of engineering, science, mathematics and technology.

As a soccer fan, coach, and past player of over 40 years, Badiru puts the ‘E’ from exciting into engineering and parlays that into creating science-based strategies to improve the skills of even the most accomplished soccer players.

In his new new book, The Physics of Soccer Using Math and Science to Improve Your Game Dr. Badiru presents a compelling and informative read filled with strategies for increasing your effectiveness as a soccer player and/or coach by utilizing physics, math and science principles. Badiru’s love of engineering and physics shines in his gripping guide to mastering the physics of soccer and using them to reach your ultimate playing or coaching potential.

A native of Nigeria, Badiru is a professor and department head of the Department of Systems and Engineering Management at the Air Force Institute of Technology in Dayton, Ohio. As a certified professional engineer (PE), and Project Management Professional (PMP), Dr. Badiru holds a bachelor of science degree in industrial engineering, a master of science degree in mathematics, and an M.S. and Ph. D. in industrial engineering.