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[Borachio]

Because the definition of a prime number is a natural number whose only two distinct divisors are the number itself and 1. 1 isn't prime because it's only divisor is 1.

Similarly, zero isn't prime because it has an infinite number of divisors. And in any case isn't, in some definitions, a natural number.

(But maybe I shouldn't have answered. Excuse me.)

 

[Ironsided]

But does that not make the whole prime numbers business a bit wonky? Maybe a better question is what is so interesting about them?

 

[Truronian]

How is academy status working for you guys?

There seems to be a lot of money flying around, but other than that I've not noticed much difference compared to the noncademies I did my PGCE in. I tend to view the whole initiative as a governmental 'look, we're doing something' that doesn't massively change the day to day operations of schools. Maybe I'll see things differently if and when I move up he ladder.

Do you like children?

I have often considered secondary school teaching but many children seem to me simply horrid.

It's difficult to teach without liking children to some degree. The horrid children tend to give all the others a bad rep, go observe in a school if you're not sure you'll like it.

Why isn't 1 a prime number? It sounds, tastes and feels extremely prime to me.

What Borachio said: primes have to have two distinct factors. It we admitted 1 to the illustrious club it would make prime decomposition an exercise in futility and would mess up a bunch of other theories ad definitions.

 

[Ironsided]

Just seems like such a waste to me to have professors actually trying to find the next prime number? What are they good for?

 

[GhostWriter16]

No, not really. They're a lot clearer and focused on understanding rather than skills, which is why I think grades have gone up. Teaching has also experienced many jumps forward recently, particularly with regards to tecahing resources. To me the idea of maths standards slipping in recent years is laughable: one of the major reasons kids find the topic so difficult is because their parents are hopeless at it and the country suffers from a bizarre pride when it comes to mathematical inability. I frequently meet people who on hearing I'm a maths teacher will respond by saying 'I'm terrible at maths'; it's immensely disheartening. How many people will proudly tell you that they're illiterate or monolingual?

Monolingual and proud

 

[Borachio]

Just seems like such a waste to me to have professors actually trying to find the next prime number? What are they good for?

Prime numbers are truly sexy little beasts.

Human beings seem to be pattern seekers, and one of the fascinating things about the frequency of prime numbers is that there doesn't seem to be any pattern.

And yet you can prove that they can come in strings of infinite length even though the further you go along the number line the less frequent they get. It is really quite bizarre.

Their main use at the moment, IIRC, is for the RSA codes you use for secure transactions on the Internet.

Number Theory, of which primes are a part, is really fascinating. I can recommend it. But a large part of the beauty of Pure Maths lies in the subject itself rather than its utility.

 

[sophie]

Monolingual and proud

You shouldn't be. Learning other languages is extremely enlightening for insight into your own.

 

[Mango Elephant]

You shouldn't be. Learning other languages is extremely enlightening for insight into your own.

QFT. I've noticed so many things about English since I've studied French. Like, "to cum" is irregular in the past tense. Also when you say "make me bloom like a rose," it would seem like it should be "make me to bloom like a rose," but it's not and it's weird and bizarre. English is fascinating.

 

[Borachio]

You shouldn't be. Learning other languages is extremely enlightening for insight into your own.

And culturally enlightening too.

It also does funny things to the brain. Apparently you use separate parts for different languages. And this has some consequences for memory or some such stuff, I forget. (Don't know enough foreign languages obviously.)

 

[W|M]

If you learn another language, it can also help you understand other languages - Most Portuguese speakers can understand some Spanish, Italian and (to a lesser extent) French, for example.

 

[caketastydelish]

Do you like to go to your backyard and cook food on the grill? Bar-be-que? Steak? Chicken?

 

[Truronian]

Monolingual and proud

Is that a joke?

 

[Lillefix]

I was a substitute teacher for a couple of months when I was between jobs(11 and 12 year olds mostly). It was fun to teach students, but some of them were really annoying. And it didn't help that I got some of the worst classes in the school.

I was a bit sad when they didn't believe me when I told them their history book was wrong. There was a photograph of the Pyramid of the Sun and the book claimed it was in Tenochtitlan(it was of course Teotihuacan). But they were a bit confused when I showed them that the book later said that Tenochtitlan was completely destroyed. It wasn't a printing error either. It really said that the picture was of the Aztec capital.

I think I would be more suited to teach older students...

 

[Borachio]

Yeah, I'm with you there on the older children. Anyone over 18, or 16 at a push.

Still, primary school might be interesting. But a little suspect if you're male, even in these more enlightened times. Though my father did it for 35 years.

 

[AlpsStranger]

I'm going to guess that GhostWriter16 is kidding. At least I hope so.

I'm monolingual and quite ashamed

 

[Catharsis]

I'm going to guess that GhostWriter16 is kidding. At least I hope so.

I'm monolingual and quite ashamed

Agree on the second line, sadly disagree on the first

Truronian:

How do you go about getting the kids to like you? Bearing in mind that you're trapping them in a stuffy room to juggle numbers when most of them would rather be outside.

What's the racial make-up of your school?

Have you ever been called upon to give an assembly?

Does your school have a playing field?

 

[W|M]

Are your students all monolingual?

 

[Truronian]

How do you go about getting the kids to like you? Bearing in mind that you're trapping them in a stuffy room to juggle numbers when most of them would rather be outside.

Mainly through humour and giving the appearance of being a little bit crazy. I've built up a rep as telling awful jokes interspersed with a few good ones over and over again. Sharing many of their interests also helps, the boys in particular like that I'm aware of the various computer games of today even if they're not allowed to talk about them in class.

Having strict but fair boundaries helps alot as well. Kids need boundaries and they respect teachers who apply them consistently.

What's the racial make-up of your school?

Very white. I've taught a few EAL students, mainly from Germany. German maths is weird, they use a quarter circle containing a dot for right angles rather than a square.

Have you ever been called upon to give an assembly?

Yes. Technically it was my tutor group that was called up to do an assembly around the very woolly topic of 'change'. As my tutor group consists of 11 twelve year olds and we were given a bout fifty minutes to prepare their contribution was minimal. Most of the assembly was me explaining some changes that I experienced going to university, accompanied by a powerpoint the most embarrassing facebook photos I could find.

Does your school have a playing field?

Yep. We've got a new build under way as of a month ago, so I doubt they'll sell the field.

Are your students all monolingual?

No. They all study or have studied a foreign language, and it's fresher in their memories than French from my school days is in mine. It remains to be seen whether they'll pursue it further in life or have better retention than I have.

 

[The_J]

I frequently meet people who on hearing I'm a maths teacher will respond by saying 'I'm terrible at maths'; it's immensely disheartening. How many people will proudly tell you that they're illiterate or monolingual?

From what I've read here the school seems to be a better one (or at least not a bad one). I guess it doesn't mane any sense to ask if you'v ever feared that somebody could attack you (either pupils or parents).

 

[Truronian]

From what I've read here the school seems to be a better one (or at least not a bad one). I guess it doesn't mane any sense to ask if you'v ever feared that somebody could attack you (either pupils or parents).

No, but then I'm a young, 180cm tall, relatively strong male and as you say, it's a decent school.