For academic math 11 students, this is standard fare. The tutor shows a way to approach it. Consider the following problem: Two numbers sum to 20. What is the minimum sum of their squares? Solution: Of course we start with …
The tutor brings up a small issue that can be tricky for new WriteView users. The WriteView I have is the Sharp EL-W535. Of course, a feature of the WriteView is that it shows fractions up-and-down, just like a person …
Calculator use: entering fractions with the Sharp WriteView Read more »
The tutor promotes his equal-opportunity point of view towards computing. I use Microsoft’s programs: witness my post from Sept 28 about using Excel to calculate IRR. However, some of my computers aren’t Windows; rather, they’re Linux. I don’t have a …
Spreadsheets: internal rate of return (IRR) on LibreOffice Calc Read more »
The tutor offers points about combining probabilities. My gut reaction, thinking about when to add probabilities, is that it’s done less often than multiplying. However, there is one obvious type of situation in which you add: Example 1 Each ticket …
The tutor finally brings up the elephant in the room. I’ve been writing this blog since August 2012; herein are over 500 articles confronting problems, methods, or ideas that might occur in an academic milieu. Numerous of them centre on …
Spreadsheets: Excel: calculating internal rate of return (IRR) Read more »
The tutor wades into a case of conditional probability. Conditional probability involves the idea that with extra knowledge of a situation, the likelihood of a given outcome can change. Consider the following premise: Example 1 At ABC Insurance, the general …
The tutor imagines an experiment in probability. For most people, probability becomes interesting when you can apply it to a believable situation. Let’s explore the following premise: Example 1 Around a farm live twelve wild foxes. Eleven are red, but …
The tutor brings up a real-life application for geometric sequences. A geometric sequence is a list of numbers that keep changing by a constant ratio; for example: 3,6,12,24,48…. In the above sequence, t3=12. A perfect fit for geometric sequences is …
The tutor introduces a typical arithmetic series example. An arithmetic series is a sum of numbers which change by repeated addition. An example: 5+11+17+23+….+143 The question posed might be as follows: Find the sum of the arithmetic series 5+11+17+23+….+143. Solution: …
The tutor brings up what he finds a fascinating concept: internal rate of return. The way I understand it, the internal rate of return is the interest rate that would make possible an exact sequence of deposits and withdrawals, with …
Financial math: Hewlett-Packard 10B: internal rate of return Read more »