The Whole Numbers... A Lot of Talk About, Well, Nothing!

We have already learned about the counting numbers, those that come naturally to us when quantifying the world, but the minute we tried to subtract one number from itself we were struck by a number not in our set: the number ZERO.

You see, when we, as children, first learned about the counting numbers, we were always counting stuff - there was something there and we just wanted to quantify (tell how much) how much stuff was there. We never looked at the air and asked ourselves, How much is there?

How many birds are left after the two birds fly away?

However, at this point of our lives, when we are asking questions like this, we have finally come passed the world of just counting. Now we are starting to do cool things like adding and subtracting which, eventually leads us to the topic of having nothing!

A Daze-y Definition

Zero, the number, stands for the quantity of nothing.  Symbol: 0 
***NOTE: Zero plays another extremely important role in our number system - it is also a "place holder", like in the number 104. We will discuss THAT definition and role of zero in another post. This post is just about nothing!***

To answer the question above, we would say There are zero birds left because there are NO BIRDS. This may seem like a very long explanation over nothing, zero, nada, zilch - something you already understand, but I think it is really important to know that this was not an easy idea for people to think about. Some ancient civilizations didn't believe in zero, they felt there was no need to assign a number to nothing... that is an interesting thing to think about. How different would our math system be without using zero to represent nothing?

Thankfully (I think), we have a zero to work with and when we add that number to all of the other numbers we already know about in the set of counting numbers, then we have a whole new set of numbers, called The Whole Numbers.

A Daze-y Definition

The set of whole numbers includes zero, followed by all of the counting or natural numbers. We would write this set as {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...}.

Often when we begin to discuss multiple sets of numbers, we start building a visual graphic organizer, so we can see how the numbers relate to one another.

This shows us that ALL Natural numbers are Whole numbers because the Natural numbers are inside the red rectangle!

So, there you have it! A whole lot of talk about NOTHING! It is important to know the difference between these two sets of numbers and it is also really important to realize, even for just a moment, how big of a deal zero is! We will look at zero a lot more (it is SO powerful in our number system), but for now let's just stop and think about what we have just learned.

New Questions to ponder... and then COMMENT on:

• Can you think of a reason why zero is so important and/or powerful?
• Did you ever think of zero as a weird idea? If so, why?
• Can we do all of addition and subtraction with whole numbers now? (I guess I am asking if you think the set of whole numbers is CLOSED under addition and subtraction.) Why/why not?
• What do you think about using zero in multiplication and division problems?

First EVER Math Daze Detectives Declared!!

A huge congratulations go out to the two brave souls who publicly shared their results for Math Mystery #1: The Checkerboard!!

First star goes to Akorn3000, who posted his solution in the comments section of the Math Mystery on this blog. Congratulations and thank you for sharing with us all!

You are officially a certified Daze-y Problem Solver!

Second star goes to Dan, who posted his response only minutes after the blog posted to FaceBook. Congratulations, you have obviously, like myself, spent a lot of time thinking about checkerboards and squares!

You are officially a certified Daze-y Problem Solver!

You will be added to the Math Daze Detective Page, where you will be forever famous for being the first two Math Daze Detectives!! Thank you for participating!!

Is the Set of Counting Numbers Closed Under Multiplication and/or Division?

Before we got into our first Math Mystery, The Checkerboard Problem, we were discussing when the set of counting numbers was closed. We decided, so far, that the set of counting numbers

• is closed under addition, but 
• is NOT closed under subtraction. 

At the end of the post, I left off with a question about the operations multiplication and division.

Multiplication

The set of counting numbers IS closed under multiplication. The reason for this is because you can write a complete TRUE equation using nothing but counting numbers. Look for as long as you like, you will not find a counterexample to this rule! (If you need to review the definition of "counterexample," go back to the original post on closed sets.)

Division

On the other hand, there are many counterexamples for the operation of division. Let's take a look at one:

While 1 and 2 are both counting numbers, the answer to make the equation true, 0.5 is NOT a counting number!

Since we have found an equation that begins with counting numbers, but can not be completed with them, that means that the set of counting numbers is not closed under division.

To sum it all up, looking only at the four basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division), here is what we can say about the set of counting numbers.

The set of counting numbers is

• closed under addition.

• NOT closed under subtraction.

• closed under multiplication.

• NOT closed under division.

MORAL OF THE STORY: 

We NEED more numbers if we are going to do more than add and multiply!

 ...stay tuned to see which types of numbers we'll be talking about next!

Math Mystery #1 The Checkerboard

While I gave you some pictures to ponder on the last post about what makes a set closed, I think it is time that I present you with a problem, I need to solve: The Checkerboard Problem.

The 8 by 8 Checkerboard

This is my travel checkerboard. It has A LOT of squares on it!

The Problem:  

How Many Squares Are On The Checkerboard?

 
 This morning, while I was at home with my dogs, I started thinking, "I wonder how many squares are on this checkerboard..." I decided to count them all and saw that there were 64 squares all together. I was happy with this until I noticed my dogs also became interested in the checkerboard.

**I should warn you now: After all the years of hanging out with me, my calculators and my math books, my dogs have become pretty good at math. They don't really like letting other people know about this, but when we are home alone, sometimes they help me out with some math problems!**

That's my ShihTzu, Champ. He was right... that big square should count.

 So now we are up to 65 squares - the 64 little square I counted and the one big square Champ found.

That's Buffy, she's a beagle. I thought about what she was thinking "ANY size square".

Problem Solving
 
I decided to stop for a moment and think about the question again and what I know about it so far...

• The Question: How many SQUARES are on the checkerboard?
• What I know about it (so far...):
• squares are four sided figures
• all of the sides have to be the same length
• each "space" on a checkerboard is a square (there are 64 of those!)
• Champ found one really big square. It is a square because every side is eight boxes long.
• Buffy thinks there are other sizes...

Do YOU know what Buffy is talking about? I think  have an idea, but it is going to take me some time to figure it all out.

I think we should try to figure this out. If my dogs can do this, then so can we! If you come up with a solution or have any questions, either post them in the comments section of this post, or e-mail me at blogwithnv@gmail.com. (ALL Math Daze Detectives that solve this Math Mystery will be spotlighted on our new MATH DAZE DETECTIVES PAGE.)

Good luck, have fun and happy counting!

TIP: I have an idea that might help: GRAPH PAPER. Have you ever seen this stuff?? It is paper covered in squares! We could use graph paper to make up as many checkerboards we need so we can count up all the different size squares that Buffy is thinking about without getting all confused. (If you don't have graph paper, you can print it out for free from one of my favorite websites MathBits.com. Just remember you need 8 by 8 squares to represent your checkerboards!).

What Makes a Set Closed?

Two of the questions I asked at the end of the last post on the set of Counting Numbers was

• What types of things CAN we do if we only have Counting Numbers?
• When do we need MORE numbers than just the Counting Numbers?

When mathematicians start asking these questions, they start talking about whether or not a set of numbers is closed. 

Let's begin with a magic bucket that holds ALL of the counting numbers in it:

When you reach in this bucket, you can grab out any counting number you need!

This bucket now represents the set of counting numbers. (If you need a review, now is a good time to go back to the last post all about the Counting Numbers!)

A Daze-y Definition

A set is just a collection of things. In math, we give certain sets names (like the set of counting numbers) to describe a collection that have some common characteristics. We use set brackets, { }, to hold them all together.

 *Reminder: The set of Counting numbers (also called Natural numbers) contains all non-decimal numbers greater than zero, or {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12...}.

 Let's grab our magic bucket and do some math. Don't freak out! We'll start with addition. Here is the question we need to answer to decide whether or not the set of counting number is closed  under addition:

Can we create and answer ANY addition problem using only the numbers in our bucket?

I've got one! 1 + 1 = 2. All of the numbers are counting numbers. Also 3 + 5 = 8 works

Since I found two problems that work already (1 + 1 = 2 and 3 + 5 = 8), your job is to try to think of a counterexample.

Another Daze-y Definition

 A counterexample is one that breaks the rule that we think is true. If you can find even just one situation that breaks the rule, then we say the rule is NOT TRUE.

Can you think of an example that doesn't work?  Here are some tricks to try that usually reveal counter examples:

• Change the order of the numbers in the problem. (Don't always put bigger numbers first!)
• Use numbers more than once. (I did that in the 1 + 1 problem - will that always work?)
• Try using extreme numbers - maybe a really big number with a really small number - does it still work?? You can use a calculator if you need to! (I actually added a really basic one to the sidebar, if you don't have one of your own.)

OK. **Spoiler Alert** I am about to tell you what you should have found, so if you want to keep working on it, don't read this part yet. The fact is, no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do with your numbers, you will not find a counterexample for this. This is pretty cool, this means that the set of counting numbers is CLOSED under addition.

Now don't get too excited, that does not necessarily mean it is closed under every operation! We still don't know about subtraction, multiplication or division. Let's look at addition's evil twin: SUBTRACTION.

Can we create and answer ANY subtraction problem using only the numbers in our bucket?

Some equations that work 152 - 48 = 104, or, if you like smaller numbers 6 - 2 = 4.

 What about any counterexamples? Think about the tricks we can use to find the hidden counterexamples... Can you think of any? Did you already know it before we even got to subtraction?!

Here's ONE counterexample:

Remember: Zero is NOT a counting number! That means it is NOT in our bucket!! Uh-oh!

There are actually a whole bunch of counterexamples for this, so that means the set of counting numbers is NOT closed under subtraction.

Do you think you have an idea of what it means to be closed (in mathematics, anyway)? Here is my Daze-y definition for it.

Last Daze-y Definition in This Post

A set of numbers is CLOSED UNDER AN OPERATION when a complete equation (that means even the ANSWER) of that operation can be created using ONLY numbers from that set. Here is the picture that always pops into my mind when I think about CLOSED SETS:

I think, in closed sets I can keep going around and around to my "magic bucket" fill with the numbers in my set to make up my equations, but when a set is not closed, at some point, when I try to go back to the "bucket" I can't find what I am looking for (that's what causes the question mark)!

This is a pretty abstract concept to get, so before we move on, I think it is best if you practice on your own to see if this is something you really understand.

 There are two more operations that WE didn't play around with yet - multiplication and division. Why don't you use the calculator (if you need to), or a bunch of paper to figure out whether or not counting numbers are closed under those operations?

Pictures to ponder...

Picture 1: Multiplication

Is the set of counting numbers closed under MULTIPLICATION? (Notice, we are using the floating dot to represent multiplication, instead of an "x".)

Picture 2: Division

Is the set of counting numbers closed under DIVISION?

 

I can't wait to hear what you find out! I look forward to your responses (you can put them right in the comments section). If you decide that one of these operations is closed, tell us the counterexample you came up with!

Have fun!

The Counting Numbers... Naturally

The first numbers you ever began to discover were those that came naturally to you, the ones that allowed to realize that there were different amounts, or quantities, of things in the world. As your mind started to see these patterns emerge, someone in your life, probably a parent started to teach you about counting. If you were lucky, you were even taught how to do this in different languages. As you put together the patterns in your head that came naturally to you, with the numbers your loved ones taught you were used for counting, you probably became a counting monster!

I always find it fun to be around a child that just learned to count!

During this time you can learn about a lot of numbers and one fun activity is to see how high you can go, but (here's the really cool part) there is no end! You can go higher forever!

These numbers that you first learn as a child and then continue to use for the rest of your life have a name. They are called (this is a really great name if you ask me) the COUNTING NUMBERS. They are also known as the NATURAL NUMBERS. Both of these names make perfect sense to me because they are the numbers that we kind of already know naturally, but they are also the numbers we use for counting. So what numbers are they, exactly?


A Daze-y Definition

The set of Counting Numbers, or Natural Numbers, includes all of the non-decimal numbers (known as whole numbers - we'll get to that in a later post) greater than zero.  See the symbol and set below:

= {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11...}

 It is very important to note that ZERO is NOT A COUNTING NUMBER. Zero is a very complicated number (even though it is all about nothing!), so it is something we will address in a later post. Just remember that the counting numbers begin with one and go up from there.

Questions to ponder... and then COMMENT on:

• What's the highest counting number you know?
• How many languages do you know the counting numbers in?
• What things can we do in life with counting numbers?
• What things in life need MORE numbers than just the counting numbers? (That seems crazy... I'm pretty sure I said these numbers would go on forever!)
• Do you remember who first taught you your counting numbers? (Have you thanked them yet???)
• Are you currently being tortured by a counting monster (aka - a child who just learned to count and, therefore must count EVERYTHING in sight)? 

Art created using the Drawing Online website.

The Math-y Me

"They" told my parents I wasn't a "math person." After the tests I was given as I entered a new school for the second grade I was tracked in the "slower" math class and the "faster" English/reading classes. I guess that's why I am sitting here next to a paper doll of my "future self" as a journalist and writer that I made in the second grade - there's no way I could have imagined then what the future had in store for me. Math, after all, was biologically not in my make up - it should not have even been possible...

As a child I always liked to be creative - drawing, coloring, and crafts were all things I loved to do with my spare time. I loved to play school, thinking maybe someday I would like to be a teacher like my dad. I also, no surprise to my educators, loved to read and write. What I never did was count for fun or start playing adding games with my friends. However, there were some activities I was involved in that, I can now see, had some hidden mathematical roots:

• I adored baseball. I collected baseball cards with my father and studied the stats of my favorite players. I extended this into a personal hobby by joining a little league softball team.
• We played board games a lot. Particularly Monopoly and not in its new mutated form with an electronic bank and plastic cards, but, instead with me or my cousin as banker counting and distributing the appropriate monies to each player turn upon turn.
• I loved to save change and, since my mother spent many years as a banker in Citibank before going on disability, I was taught exactly how to roll my change in the appropriate wrappers with my account number written on the side so I could save up for something really cool some day. (I think all I was really ever saving up for was larger dollar amounts printed in my bank book!)
• I don't know when it started exactly, but I became obsessed with jigsaw puzzles. That was the easy go-to gift for me for years. I remember birthdays and Christmases where I would see rectangular boxes wrapped up and I would think, "I wonder what that's a picture of! I can't wait to open it."

So, if the right person was paying attention, maybe they could have foretold where I would end up on this journey, but it took me a really long time to wipe the cobwebs from my eyes, to erase the stigma I had grown to accept and understand that maybe people should watch what they are saying when they think they can determine a child's lifelong educational aptitude based on a test given at age seven.

Some cobwebs got swept away when I was twelve years old not because I had a beautiful mathematical moment or that I experienced an epiphany about my own abilities, instead, I saw things a little bit clearer about one's inability to keep faith in the certainty of what we think we know about how life will proceed. Unexpectedly, on Thanksgiving morning, my father passed away. At that point all preconceived notions of my life's path went down the tubes, because all of them involved my father for much longer than fate had allowed.

I was in the seventh grade then and math class was atrocious for me. Eighth grade got a little bit better, but by the time I got to high school I had had enough of it. I decided there was no time to waste in this life and if I didn't understand something I damn well better ask someone about it, so that's exactly what I did. My teacher's name was Miss Curtis and the second she said something that didn't sit right with me, I raised my hand and asked - I was in a new school, only about four people knew who I was so what did I care. I figured I would be doing this all class long, all year long because I was so bad at math, but I was so so wrong. Because I asked questions right away I stopped the deluge of confusion to follow - I was being proactive instead of reactive and it worked. By the middle of the semester my teacher and classmates, who obviously had not heard of my biological tendencies against mathematics, started calling me a "math person" and pointing to me for help. I was thoroughly confused.

I didn't buy in. I wasn't sold on this "math person" title, but I did realize that math homework was the easiest and often what I would do to give myself a break from Global Studies, Spanish or Religion homework. I would help my friends out with their math and then ask them why the heck they didn't just ask the teacher in class, admitting that was the only way I knew what I was doing, but they never followed this advice. This continued, as I readied for college with my sights set on Elementary education as a major. The one thing I learned from helping out all these people was that I wanted to teach, for sure.

In one of my introductory education courses the TIMMS study was going to be discussed. I had heard of TIMMS before and was intrigued by it, so I was happy we were addressing it in class. In short, TIMMS is:

The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study(TIMSS) provides reliable and timely data on the mathematics and science achievement of U.S. 4th- and 8th-grade students compared to that of students in other countries. TIMSS data have been collected in 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. (http://nces.ed.gov/timss/)

What I learned through our discussion of the results of the 1995 study was that in the United States we were simply not stacking up globally when we looked at mathematics education. I had already decided that I was going to be the best teacher I could possibly be, so hearing that my own weakness was my country's weakness scared me - who would I ask for help when I was teaching? I decided after the discussion in that class that I needed to really work on my math for the sake of the students I would someday serve - I changed my Elementary education major to a double major and added on Mathematics. Over the next four years I transformed from a Education major trying to strengthen her mathematical mind to a full-blown Math-chick that couldn't wait to get into a classroom to show kids how COOL math really was.

It was a strange transformation and I distinctly remember one day being brought to tears thinking about what "they" told my parents so many years ago... I am not a math person. Whatever did that mean? Did they tell the parents of the kids who scored lower on the reading portion that their child wasn't a "reading person"?! The idea is idiotic, I know, but how different is it from what is said day after day about mathematics? Think about it. I do. Often.

I think about this so often because, as I carved my path in this life, I have found myself not a journalist or a writer as I once dreamed, not an elementary school teacher like my father, and not even a middle school teacher as I planned as I exited my undergraduate education - nope, after it was all said and done I have become the one thing a non-math person could never ever become: I am a high school mathematics teacher and have been so for twelve years. In the end, "they" had no idea what they were talking about.