His Name was Liu Hui

Speaking from personal experience as a non-white, whose education in Canada was mostly Eurocentric, I think it makes a difference when teachers acknowledge non-European sources of mathematics because representation matters. It is a political choice to not acknowledge it and perpetuates an image of superiority and cultural hegemony. Research supports the adoption of culturally sustaining pedagogy as helpful for all students, however, we need to do this in a way where we are being respectful and celebrating achievement and not tokenizing or fetishizing the “other”. Even in this week’s paper, Gustafson repeatedly misspells Liu Hui’s name. This does not create a classroom environment where students can feel safe to be their authentic selves. 

The inclusion of non-European sources of math can also help students get a more holistic perspective on how math is developed and also view math in relation to the world outside the classroom. We can draw from a wider range of examples of ingenuity and creative problem-solving in real-world applications across multiple cultures. Acknowledging non-European sources of math also allows for the integration of social studies with math, which are two subjects that are often isolated from each other except by the means of statistics, by using the development of math as the lens to view cultures and civilizations.  

As for the naming of the Pythagorean Theorem and other named theorems and concepts, I view them as relics from antiquity which perpetuate cultural hegemony and institutional racism. There is insufficient evidence of Pythagoras discovering the concept or being the first to provide proof, so having his name associated with something that was used in cultures outside of Greece is an issue given the European dominance in math education. Also, from a practical perspective, calling it the Pythagorean Theorem makes less sense than calling it the RIght Triangle Theorem. The Right Triangle Theorem is more descriptive and is able to help students associate it with right triangles. Lastly, named theorems are a form of hero worship that I think is unjustified. Mathematical ideas and concepts are not things that people develop independently. There is a high degree of collaboration and I believe the naming of theorems should reflect as such. In general, I think we should be celebrating the idea and not a singular person.

Gustafson, R. (2012). Was Pythagoras Chinese- Revisiting an Old Debate. The Mathematics Enthusiast, 9(1-2), 207–220. https://doi.org/10.54870/1551-3440.1241

Assignment 1 Reflection

Our group was responsible for proving the area of the volume of a pyramid to be ⅓ * base * height. One of our more difficult tasks was finding information on how Ancient Egyptians solved the problem. The conclusion we came to, an estimation method calculating and adding the volume of each layer of the pyramid, was a reminder for me of how the basic building blocks of math like multiplication and addition have such practical applications. This question may not be interesting for students learning modern mathematics, but it held such great importance for the Ancient Egyptians and the construction of the pyramids and think this is a good example showing the importance of contextualizing mathematics problems for math learners. 

My main takeaway from this project is the universality and importance of geometric visualization. In EPSE 308, we’ve learned about the importance of engaging different senses to aid in memory, retention, and learning. Reflecting on my own mathematics education in elementary and high school, I find that there was a significant lack of visualization, which is why I appreciate the changes in curriculum in BC to include representation of math algebraically, pictorially, and symbolically. 

Our extension involved splitting a right-angle triangular prism and a general triangular prism into three triangular pyramids of equal volume. The following is not a complete proof, but it shows the geometric intuition required to visualize and prove our extension problem. 

The Eye of Horus

The Eye of Horus is one of the most important symbols in Ancient Egypt. The symbol represented royal power, protection, and good health. Losing a war, Horus lost his left eye to Set who tore it into six pieces. Each of the six pieces of the Eye of Horus corresponds to the six senses: touch, taste, hearing, thought, sight, and smell. The left side of the eye, in the form of a nose, represents ½ and smell. The centre pupil represents ¼ and sight. The eyebrow represents ⅛ and thought. The right side of the eye, pointing towards the ear, represents 1/16. The curved tail represents 1/32 and taste. The vertical piece represents 1/64 and touch. The most interesting thing from my findings is how the RX symbol associated with medicine originates in the Eye of Horus. When placed next to each other, the resemblance is uncanny. 

In Chinese culture, 4, 7, and 14 are inauspicious numbers that are associated with death. In Cantonese and Mandarin, 4 and 14 are homonyms for death. The only time one should have 7 dishes on a table is after a funeral. Something I’ve found quite interesting is how some apartment tower elevators in Vancouver, Richmond, and Burnaby skip floors 4, 13, and 14. To me, it has connotations of being both inclusive and manipulative. 

Another number that has significance for me is pi. The education I received in elementary school had an emphasis on memorization and recall. At the time, I had memorized 300 digits of pi. In grade 4, when I first discovered how to make an email account, I made over 100 accounts by adding the next digit. 

97 is a number that I have historically been displeased by for a variety of reasons: it was 3% off from 100%, it was a prime number, and I didn’t like the way it looked aesthetically. However, now that I am an adult who shops at Costco, I have learned to look out for 97 since it indicates clearance items. 

The Eye of Horus. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2022, from https://www.landofpyramids.org/eye-of-horus.htm 

False Position