Pythagorean Theorem Pop Culture Text Set

There are many resources on the Pythagorean Theorem. There are many on the history and even more on the proof of the theorem. However I will be focusing, just like in my last visualization post, on the Pythagorean Theorem in popular culture.

Text #1 (print)

 Amazon Books: The History of Mathematics

Bibliography Information:

Burtun, David M. "The Pythagorean Problem." The History of Mathematics: An Introduction 7^th edition. New York: Mcgraw-Hill, 2011. N. pg 105. Print.

Summary:

In the section, The Pythagorean Problem, the book discussed the history of the Pythagorean Theorem and how the Babylonians knew the result for certain right triangle at least a millennium prior to Pythagoras. It also tells the reader that none of the various Greek writers who attributed the theorem to Pythagoras lived within five centuries of him. So the origins of the theorem is pretty lost in history, just like the legend that Pythagoras sacrificed 100 oxen to the Muses in gratification.

Text Complexity:

Quantitative Measures:

Reading Level	Grade Level
Flesch	18.1
Readability Index	21.2
Reading Ease	30.5/100
SMOG Index	17.1
Average Level	18.4

According to Storytoolz.com, The History of Mathematics: An Introduction is a college level reading. I agree with this. It’s actually a college text book. The language featured in the text is very complex. It is not an easy read. For example the opening sentence, "Although tradition is unanimous in ascribing the so-called Pythagorean theorem to the great teacher himself, we have seen that the Babylonians knew the result for certain specific triangles at least a millennium earlier." The language is very dry and unappealing. The text structure of the passage consists of long drawn out paragraphs discussing the history, with assumptions of prior knowledge, that lead into diagrams. This structure while moderately complex has a high knowledge demand. The text requires some knowledge of the theorem itself as well as knowledge of deciphering diagrams and graphs.

Purpose:

A purpose for using this text would be research. I would not use this text to introduce a topic. It is complex as well as uninteresting to most, except for maybe history or math buffs. I would use this text for research purposes, or to build on the history of Pythagoras and "his" so-called theorem.

Question for Students:

A question for students to consider when interacting with the text would be: how does this information on the history of theorem differ from your prior knowledge? Why do you think this is so?

Text #2 (print)

Bibliography Information:

O'Connor, J.J and E.F. Robertson. "Pythagoras's Theorem in Babylonian Mathematics." Babylonian Index History Topics. JOC/EFR, Dec. 2000. Web 21, July 2015.

Summary:

This article examines four Babylonian tablets that have connections to Pythagoras's Theorem. All four tablets discuss the common triples we know today, i.e. the 3,4,5 triangle.

 Text Complexity:                                  

Quantitative Measures:

Reading Level	Grade Level
Readability Index	11.3
Reading Ease	66.0/100
Average Level	11.4

According to storytoolz.com the grade level for this text is 11^th. I disagree. I think it’s a senior in high school or a college student. While the text is easier to read to read than the previous text, significantly smaller more common words. The knowledge demand is highly complex. The article goes into mathematical proofs of the Pythagorean Theorem based on the Babylonian tablets. So there is high math knowledge demand. The text structure is also complex. There are a lot of pictures and mathematical equations that may make the text structure more complex to read.

Purpose:

The purpose of this text would be also be research. I would use this text as an extra resource for investigating the Pythagorean Theorem and/or the Babylonians. This text would be useful to build background knowledge on either one of those topics.

Question for students:

Has this helped clarify the Theorem for you? Do you think the Babylonians came up with the theorem prior to Pythagoras?

Text #3 (print)

Wiki: Pythagorean_theorem

Bibliography Information:

Pythagorean Theorem Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation. Web. 21, July 2015.

Summary:

The Pythagorean Theorem Wikipedia page has the history of the as well as many proofs of the theorem. However I focused on the pop culture section. This section informed the reader of different points in history where the Pythagorean Theorem was integrated into pop culture. It tells us about a Hans Christian Anderson poem that has a verse about the theorem. It also tells us about the scene in The Wizard of Oz where the scarecrow states the theorem incorrectly. As well as a book released in 2008 about aliens whose space ship has the theorem written on it.

Text Complexity:

Reading Level	Grade Level
Readability Index	9.3
Reading Ease	57.6/100
SMOG Index	11.8
Average	10.9

According to Storytoolz.com the grade level for this theorem is 10^th. I do not agree with this. I’d say 7^th or 8th. Whenever students are introduced to the Pythagorean Theorem. The text structure is not very complex. In fact it’s a list, bullet pointed in order of history. The only prior knowledge really needed for this section of the page would be the Pythagorean Theorem itself. The language used in this section is very straight forward and to the point. I don’t see much complexity at all in the language used. It states the year, how the Pythagorean Theorem was used in popular culture and by whom.

Purpose:

I’d use this text as reading for background knowledge on the Pythagorean Theorem. It sheds a new light on such a stale subject. This text could be used for research as well, depending on the topic. I’d use this to summarize previously learned concepts

Questions for Students:

How have you seen either the Pythagorean Theorem or other math concepts in popular culture? Why do you think this theorem in particular has been integrated into main stream?

Text #4 (digital)

Bibliography Information:

Vi Hart. “What Was Up With Pythagoras?” YouTube. Standard YouTube License. 12, June 2012. Web. 21, July 2015.

Summary:

This text is a digital storytelling in the form of a YouTube video. The creator talks about the myths and legends of Pythagoras. How he may or may not have been a murder. How he hated beans. How he may have sacrificed oxen to the Gods. How he had a cult of Pythagoreans “the cool kids club.” Along with some proofs of the theorem and a timeline about numbers.

Text Complexity:

Reading Level	Grade Level
Readability Index	6.4
Reading Ease	79.4/100
SMOG Index	8.7
Average	7.5

I don’t agree with the above grade levels. I think its high school level. I’d say no earlier than 9^th grade. Not because it’s hard to understand; she does an amazing job on explaining everything thoroughly, but because of content. The story about Pythagoras that’s being told is about him possibly being a murder and have a cult of followers. I don’t think that’s appropriate for middle schoolers. With that being said the complexity of this text isn’t very demanding. You need moderately complex background knowledge; like who Pythagoras was and the theorem he came up with. Even though she does a good job explaining, without prior knowledge you’d pretty lost, especially with how fast she runs through the information. The text structure is very complex. She quickly goes through the information, demonstrating the concepts through drawing. However you have to pay close attention if this is your first time being exposed to this information. The language features aren’t very complex. She’s easy to follow, as long as you can keep up. She doesn’t use excruciatingly big words. She definitely brakes it down to a more common level.

Purpose:

I’d say this is informational. I’d use this to build on previous knowledge of Pythagoras and his theorem. I would not use this as introductory text. I’d use this as a fresh look at the Pythagorean Theorem and its founder. I’d also use this to motivate interest. She did an amazing job on making the subject interesting and leaving the audience wanting to know more.

Question for Students:

How does this change your understanding of Pythagoras? Can you make your own digital storytelling video on a subject?

Text #5 (digital)

Bibliography Information: 

MathWizard1. “Scarecrow Doesn’t Get a Brain After All.” YouTube. Standard YouTube License. 21, Nov. 2007. Web. 21, July 2015.

Summary:

This is a clip of the movie The Wizard of Oz (1939). In this scene the wizard gives the scarecrow a diploma and the scarecrow “magically” gets a brain. However the scarecrow says, “The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side, oh joy, oh rapture, I’ve got a brain.”  This is an incorrect attempt at repeating the Pythagorean Theorem.

Text Complexity:

Reading Level	Grade Level
Readability Index	3.6
Reading Ease	85.6/100
SMOG Index	7.9
Average	5.7

I do not agree with the above. The language featured in this clip is very complex. You would need background knowledge on isosceles triangles, but the wizard states, “Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitatus Committeeatum e plurbis unum, I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of Th.D.” (http://wendyswizardofoz.com/printablescript.htm) I don’t even know what plurbis unum is. I would say that the level of this text would be 10^th grade.

Purpose:

The purpose of this clip would be informational, or critiquing. I’d use this to demonstrate misconception of theorem. As well as to motivate interest if I were to show the entire movie.  

Questions for Students:

What misconceptions have you had or heard about the theorem? Would have caught this mistake or recognized it at the Pythagorean Theorem if it were not pointed out?

Visualization: Time Line of the Pythagorean Theorem

 Please come explore  Pythagorean Theorem Time Line

(sorry I couldn't figure out how to embed this into the blog)

Summary

         My process of matching images to text was pretty simple. Every moment on the time line was specific and easy to find an image, video or audio for. For the early parts of the time line, I found examples of the Babylonian's use of similar ideas to the Pythagorean Theorem. I found information on the Babylonian's in The History of Mathematics as well as on the website www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/HistTopics/Babylonian_Pythagoras.html

        The reason I broadened my time line to include the Babylonians and Pythagoras (not just the popular culture which I initially was going to do) was because I didn't end up having enough sources. I was able to find all the information on wikipedia then google the reseach of each pop culture reference.

       I actually really enjoyed the video graphic on Pythagoras and was hoping to be able to integrate it into my time line. I found this youtube video when I was looking for the clip on the scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. So when I needed more sources and more events on my time lines; I got excited to use this video. This video graphic already existed, but I found it very visually stimulating and intriguing. 

       Listening and watching the examples of the Pythagorean Theorem in popular culture broadened my understanding of the uses of the Pythagorean Theorem as well as exposing me to the misconceptions. I found it interesting that the Wizard of Oz scarecrow recited the theorem incorrectly, but was still excited about having a brain.

       While I haven't read the book Anathem, after reading about the use of the Pythagorean Theorem in the book, I'm intrigued now. I kind of want to read the book and I hope other people do to.

      I regret not having time to figure out how to properly embed the time line into the post. I feel like this takes away from the visual learning.


 References:

www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/HistTopics/Babylonian_Pythagoras.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1E7I7_r3Cw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_theorem

The History of Math: an Introduction by David Burton The-History-Mathematics-An-Introduction

The Pythagorean Theorem: Where I am and Where I want to go

The Pythagorean Theorem

The Pythagorean theorem is probably one of the most well known theorems in mathematics. It is something everyone has learned. Whether it was the area of squares , the distance formula or  . Its so well known that I've seen people with tattoos of it.  

It has become almost become part of pop culture. 

The theorem has been given numerous proofs – possibly the most for any mathematical theorem. They are very diverse, including both geometric proofs and algebraic proofs, with some dating back thousands of years, (Wikipedia).

<----- (this is so ridiculous, I couldn't help but post it)

I'd like investigate the theorem in pop culture as well as in areas other than mathematics. It can't be only be useful in math if its so well known, right? Also, why is the theorem credited to Pythagoras? It has been said that the idea of the theorem predates him. I'd also like to look into what possible uses the theorem has outside of content, in the real world. Everyone always seems to think math and the real world are separate. I'd like to see the real world applications of this well known theorem. 

Some possible resources I may use:

Online Sources

applications-of-pythagoras-theorem-in-real-life

Math in Pop Culture Blog

Math is fun

Wikipedia

Books

Hidden Harmonies (book) 

The Pythagorean Theorem - a 4000 year history 

Journals

Culture and Geometry  

So, this is my official first blog post for Currins 545.

A little about me...

 
      I am currently 28. I'm a huge fan girl. I love all things fantasy and scifi. I have 10 tattoos and counting. My next one is poison ivy, appointment for July 24th. (I'm a huge poison ivy fan, if you couldn't tell with my background.) I have an amazing sense of humor, although I might think I'm funnier than others think I am. When I'm not at work, school or having Netflix marathons of Doctor Who, I love drawing, preferably with charcoal or pastels. I really enjoy geocaching. If you don't know what this is, I highly recommend googling it; it's amazing! (This is probably the most outdoorsy I get.) I'm probably the most outgoing shy person you'll ever meet. I'm usually nervous and quite around big crowds or people I don't know. But once you get to know me and I feel comfortable around you, you'd wish I'd shut up. I'm currently in a long term relationship; going on 3.5 years. (crossing my fingers on becoming Mrs. Tim Auber).

He's pretty amazing and very supportive, especially financially (school is expensive!) We are the proud parents of two furr babys, Oenomaus (Spartacus)

and Shredder (TMNT.) If I weren't with him, I'd probably be dating my best friend Maggie, she's a huge fan girl too, (she brings out the nerd in me and I love it!)

I am in my last year of college (took me long enough.) I am a math major, going into high school education. (I might be a little crazy, I mean you gotta be to teach high school, right?) I'm nervous yet excited to finish and start teaching.


Background...

      I was born and raised in Racine, WI. (Not the nicest of place in Wisconsin or the richest.) I have two sisters. One 3 years older, one 8 years younger (surprise!). We were definitely lower middle class, possibly lower than that. My mom jumped from job to job and had major anger problems. She was abusive to both my dad and us kids. Later in life she had some serious health problems, (diabetes, lost of legs, strokes, heart attacks, lung disease). She died last year at the age of 53. My parents got divorced when I was 13. My dad came out of the closet during the divorce. My dad worked 30+ years at the same small factory making $13/hr before he finally moved to Florida with my younger sister and his partner (Chuck, whose amazing; cooks, cleans, is funny, smart, and makes good money, definitely an upgrade.) My older sister has a crazy temper, like my mom, and scares most people. And is seriously socially awkward (think she might have asperger's or be bipolar.) My younger sister is very sheltered (not sure how) and a cry baby to say the least. I'm the most normal of the bunch and that's not saying much. (fair warning).


So this is me... I'm not sure what to expect from the class. I hope this class is as fun and stimulating as our discussions were on the first day. However, finding 6-8 sources for a paper on math is pretty intimidating. Math isn't an easy subject to write a paper on.