(x, why?) Mini: Strictly

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(C)Copyright 2022, C. Burke. "AnthroNumerics" is a trademark of Christopher J. Burke and (x, why?).

It's a French thing. Don't get flaky on me.

So I occasionally seen math problems, puzzles, and riddles posted on social media (particularly Twitter), outside of the confines of the Math Calendar that I respond to. There was a recent problem posted to which someone replied, "That's a strictly crescent function!". To which I replied (in my head, not online), "That's a strictly what-now?"

Okay, so it's something beyond the scope of what I'll teach in Algebra or Algebra 2. On the other hand, it's not beyond the scope of a bad math pun. So voila! And bon appetit.

I also write Fiction! You can now preorder Devilish And Divine, edited by John L. French and Danielle Ackley-McPhail, which contains (among many, many others) three stories by me, Christopher J. Burke about those above us and from down below. Preorder the softcover or ebook at Amazon. Also, check out In A Flash 2020, by Christopher J. Burke for 20 great flash fiction stories, perfectly sized for your train rides. Available in softcover or ebook at Amazon. If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads.

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Authentic Cosine

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(C)Copyright 2022, C. Burke. "AnthroNumerics" is a trademark of Christopher J. Burke and (x, why?).

When I mentioned this to my brother, he asked me if they served parabolas. What is this, cinco de mayo?

So both things actually happened: my googling like Ken, and my brother's response. Oddly, the term I was searching on was "cosube", which I believe is some kind of Spanish or Latin America food. It's extra odd because I didn't see the term on the restaurant's page.

The best I could guess was that "cosine" in this instance was some variant spelling of cuisine. I couldn't find a reference to determine if this was a regional thing or a language thing. But if my GoogleFu was what it should be, I wouldn't have landed on the page in the first page.

I also write Fiction! You can now preorder Devilish And Divine, edited by John L. French and Danielle Ackley-McPhail, which contains (among many, many others) three stories by me, Christopher J. Burke about those above us and from down below. Preorder the softcover or ebook at Amazon. Also, check out In A Flash 2020, by Christopher J. Burke for 20 great flash fiction stories, perfectly sized for your train rides. Available in softcover or ebook at Amazon. If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads.

Come back often for more funny math and geeky comics.

How Many Lunches?

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(C)Copyright 2021, C. Burke. "AnthroNumerics" is a trademark of Christopher J. Burke and (x, why?).

What? No appetizers or antipasto?

For those unable to read the fine print on the menu (sorry, but it had to shrink to fit), the questions asks, "How many combinations of a main course, a vegetable, a side and a dessert can be made from this menu?"

The Counting Principle tells us that the number of possible combinations of one item from each list is equal to the product of the number of items in each list. I did a video on this for a grad school class. When I showed it a several years later, my AP remarked that I looked the same. When I showed it in a different school three years later, my coteacher said, "Mr. Burke, you look so young!" I thnk that was meant as a compliment.

In this particular instance, however, there are 3 choices for a main course, despite what you think of the pizza or the tuna, 2 choices for a vegetable, which no one said had to taste good to be good for you, 4 desserts, and 3 beverages. According to the Counting Principle, that means that there are 3 * 2 * 4 * 3 = 72 choices.

If you found this page by googling a question on your state exam, please not that I altered the question to suit this comic. Your teacher may be expected a different answer than I have provided.

I also write Fiction! Check out In A Flash 2020, by Christopher J. Burke for 20 great flash fiction stories, perfectly sized for your train rides. Available in softcover or ebook at Amazon. If you enjoy it, please consider leaving a rating or review on Amazon or on Good Reads. Thank you.

Come back often for more funny math and geeky comics.

Happy Easter 2020!

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(C)Copyright 2020, C. Burke. "AnthroNumerics" is a trademark of Christopher J. Burke and (x, why?).

My wife has made this cake a few times. Uncooked spaghetti whiskers can replace the icing, just for fun.

Given that mathematical nature of this cake, I'm surprised I hadn't used it before for a comic.

Happy Easter!




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Distributive Property

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(C)Copyright 2016, C. Burke.

And both plates become equal or balanced or delicious or something. Waiter, more bread, please!

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Math Isn't Everything. It Isn't Even the Only Thing.

Math isn't everything. It isn't even the only thing.

That may sound shocking coming from me, but theoretical math (you know, a lot of that Algebra stuff) needs to be applied to real life using real life conditions, which sometimes (most times?) take you out of the scope of any classroom problem. This is why some people don't think they're using algebra (when, in fact, they are), or why they think it isn't really practical.

A quick example of what I mean: there's a joke floating around that goes something like this: only in a math class can you buy 36 oranges and 25 apples and not be thought crazy.

Here's a different example (not a joke). Each weekend in August, the Miller family barbecues six hot dogs. Buns come in packages of eight. Over four weekends, how many packages of buns should they buy?

Don't scroll down until you're ready for the answer.

The "correct" answer is four packages.

Now, wait a minute, you protest! The cook 24 franks, they need 24 buns, and you get 24 buns in three packages of eight.

That is certainly true. On the second weekend, you still have 2 buns leftover from the prior weekend. This brings the next question -- the real world question -- who gets the stale buns? Probably the shy, quiet one who doesn't speak up for himself. Or the youngest one who doesn't know any better. Most likely, Mom, who who sacrifice for her children, giving them the food from her mouth if need be, assuming she wanted two hot dogs to begin with. (Take better care of Mom, she's been good to you!)

In the real world, even if the bread hasn't reached it's expiration date, those leftovers still won't be as fresh as new rolls will be. Moreover, consider the fourth weekend. All of the bread is leftover, and no one gets a fresh roll. If you're not on a really tight budget, buy new bread each week.

What do you do with the extra bread? Feed the birds. Make breadcrumbs. Have a really funky looking sandwich on Monday.

What do I know? I'm a math teacher, not a cook.

Blog Bonus: Beverage of Choice

Just a passing thought after my first visit to a Sonic restaurant:

Obviously, a liquor license at a drive-in restaurant is probably not A Good Thing... except maybe for the date you took there.

The Sonic logo is a registered trademark of SONIC Corp.

The Number of the Mole

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(C)Copyright 2013, C. Burke.

Guacamole: It's like whackamole, only with chips instead of hammer, and dip instead of an animal.