The tutor opens a discussion of research in today’s context. Nowadays, virtually everyone counts on the internet not just for entertainment, but for important information.  Travelers likely use it to access ferry schedules, highway routes, and weather forecasts.  DIYers might …

Internet research: the tutor comments Read more »

The tutor points out a common error in evaluating expressions. Most students, from grade 7 on, are familiar with the order of operations BEDMAS (first brackets, then exponents, then division, next multiplication, then addition, finally subtraction). However, sometimes the order …

Math: order of operations (BEDMAS): a common pitfall Read more »

The tutor gives a simple explanation of why trans fat may be disadvantageous. Cis and trans compounds have the same chemical formula but are shaped differently. With both cis and trans, a row of atoms experiences two irregularities. The cis …

Organic chemistry: cis and trans Read more »

Having returned from a long day trip, the tutor shares some reflections about driving. I’m not much of a driver, yet sometimes I have to be. Yesterday my son had a dance competition in Victoria, which I’d say is about …

Driving: speed and fuel consumption Read more »

The tutor explains the idea behind non-permissible values. In high school math, non-permissible values become important. Yet, they root back to elementary school: “You can’t divide by zero,” uttered in metallic timbre, is recalled by many from then. A rational …

Math: rational expressions: non-permissible values Read more »

The tutor demonstrates the technique of multiplying matrices. To go further with Markov chains (introduced in my previous post), the reader needs to understand matrix multiplication. To many, the method is surprising at first. Example: Consider the matrices A and …

Linear algebra: Matrix multiplication Read more »

The tutor is happy to introduce the elegant topic of Markov chains. A Markov chain is a sequence of states through which a probability system can pass. It’s not so complex as it sounds. Consider the following example: Ms A …

Probability: Markov chains: introduction Read more »