From: Raleigh McLemore (raleighmclemore@yahoo.com)
Date: Sun Nov 30 2003 - 20:04:14 PST
Message-ID: <20031201040414.648.qmail@web40203.mail.yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 20:04:14 -0800 (PST) From: Raleigh McLemore <raleighmclemore@yahoo.com> Subject: New Math Process
Got this from Anthony Cody in Oakland. Thought that
those who haven't heard about it might be interested.
With firm handshake,
Raleigh
From Air Force Print News Today, November 18, 2003.
See
http://www.af.mil/stories/story_print.asp?storyID=123006043
. Abstract
of
the article appeared
the NASSMC Briefing Service (NBS) that is supported by
the National
Security
Agency (NSA) and ExxonMobil Foundation -- November 25,
2003.
*****************************
Student invents new math process
By Mike Wallace [Aeronautical Systems Center Public
Affairs]
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio (AFPN) -- Killie
Rick found a new
solution to subtraction problems involving whole
numbers and fractions.
She
used the concept of negative numbers in a way that has
never been done
before, as far as her seventh-grade teacher has been
able to ascertain.
The 12-year-old girl is the daughter of Terri Rick, a
senior accounting
technician in Air Force Materiel Command's materiel
systems group here.
An example of a problem and Killie's solution is:
8 2/5 - 5 3/5 = 3 -1/5 = 2 + 5/5 - 1/5 = 2 4/5
By using negative numbers, a concept she began to get
comfortable with
this
year at Mary Help of Christians school in Fairborn,
Ohio, Killie was
able to
simplify the process of subtracting fractions.
"I've never seen anybody do this," said Colin McCabe,
Killie's teacher.
"It
simplifies it by taking out three steps (to find a
solution). I went
home
and tried to find fault with it, but I couldn't. I got
online and did
research, and I talked to friends of mine from
college, and I can't
find
anybody who's seen this."
Her process was not used in any of McCabe's reference
materials. He
said he
was so impressed that on Nov. 12 he presented her a
certificate for
outstanding achievement. The certificate was "in
recognition of her
mathematical ingenuity in the discovery of a new
method of solution to
mixed
number subtraction." McCabe said he intends to teach
what he calls
"Killie's
Way" to students in his future classes.
"I think a lot of credit should go to the teacher,"
said Anne Steck,
the
school's principal. "I know lots of math teachers who
would've looked
at
Killie's work and just said it was wrong."
"I got this (math) problem, and I didn't remember what
to do (to solve
it),"
Killie said. "I thought (my solution) made sense, but
I expected the
teacher
to say it was wrong."
The use of negative numbers seemed reasonable to her,
Killie said.
Finding a new way to solve problems with fractions,
having her teacher
praise her work, and hearing her school principal call
it a "day of
mathematical rejoicing"; maybe it is not so surprising
that Killie said
math
is her favorite subject now.
-----------------------------
Photo: FAIRBORN, Ohio -- Killie Rick explains her new
method of
solving
subtraction of fractions problems, as her teacher,
Colin McCabe, puts
an
example on the chalkboard. She uses negative numbers,
which McCabe said
he
had never seen before. Killie is a seventh-grade
student at Mary Help
of
Christians school here. Her mother is Terri Rick, an
employee at nearby
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. (U.S. Air Force photo
by Spencer P.
Lane)
*********************************************
Anthony Cody, NBCT
__________________________________
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