What I Teach My Students

You should have shown them what a hyperbole is, they are not even tangent, it all in the imaginary half-plane. It’s really hard to square this. Period (2*PI).

I may have to move closer, just so my kids will be able to take your math class.

You’re in trouble now, Hemant. You know humorless fanatics won’t understand satire. They’re going to start waving all these around as admissions of what you really do teach in math class, just as they occasionally get hysterical about stories from The Onion.

Does she not realise that by targeting you as an atheist she actually strengthens your position within your job? It is still illegal to discriminate against someone on the grounds of religion (or lack of religion) isn’t it?

Forgot to mention that in the above proof God = (a-b) and this is the reason why God can be used to prove anything.

(Students who get this get an A+ for having fully understood the rules of arithmetic).

Justin, it took me a year to see the flaw: the year before I took algebra. My 7th grade math teacher was not Hemant, and he couldn’t explain why my leap was wrong. The given was x = 5x, and I could see that x had to be zero, but I didn’t have the math to explain it. Neither did Mr. Kempf. At least I had the excuse of a 7th grade education (even worse, in catholic school).

has to=has to be

They “disagree” with homosexuality?

You can’t disagree with homosexuality any more than you can “disagree” with black people being black, or an entire gender. It’s who they are, and they can’t change that without some serious brainwashing (or skin pigmentation/gender reassignment).

I think the evil old witch has nothing better to do than persecute someone who’s obviously very good at their job…none of my maths teachers could make it as interesting as you did in one post !

I emailed the bigoted christofascist yesterday expressing my disapproval and got a long rambling bitter nasty reply from the old trout quoting bible verses at me..

I can’t see how she can “disagree” with my biological makeup…but then they believe anything handed to them in a book of bronze age fairy tales translated by modern day money grabbing parasites !

What you do in your spare time..ie atheist activism has zero to do with your job as a teacher.

Step 5 in the Faulty Proof is “Divide by (a-b)”. If a=b, then a-b=0. Ya’ can’t divide by 0.
Prizes for me?

Oh no, the children might read the eff word on the internets…

Anyway. When I help my son with his math homework, I’m thinking the boobies and strippers is a great idea. Too funny.

I “disagree with homosexuality” but I am not a bigot. Why? Because I disagree with my homosexuality – as in I am not homosexual and have no interest in that.

What would make me a “bigot” – simple if I disagreed with someone else’s homosexuality. It’s in the definition of the word for goodness sake.

“Something tells me that numbers and equations aren’t all that Mehta is talking about in his classroom.” But aren’t the class room and the blog non-overlapping magesteria?

I love math jokes. Be careful. The people at Americans for “Truth” About Homosexuality may not be able to tell that you’re joking.

If you would have been my math teacher in high school, I may have ended up liking math more than I did (i still don’t like it as a 46 yr old adult)

Keep calling them out, but also keep an eye on your back since these people don’t give two shits about you or your teaching career. They are so bent on their agenda that responsible treatment of humanity doesn’t factor into their equation.

I could imagine parents being somewhat unhappy with even the “clean” versions of mnemonics like “All Strippers Take Cash”; it seems like they’re just a way to replace understanding with memorization. This sort of thing probably helps with passing tests and such in the short term, but is unlikely to provide any long-term educational value.

If you draw one period of a basic cosine graph, it looks like cleavage

Maybe it’s just me… but that looks like a vagina.

Also, be careful integrating e to the x… for sure don’t write it on the blackboard (do they still have blackboards?)

@TychaBrahe — Actually, what I use in class is “All Students Take Calculus”

They should be more appreciative. Some students may actually try harder at math if they know their math teacher is human and knows about things like sex and the F word. I know I would’ve.

“But the biggest problem for Neuqua Valley students and their parents is Mehta’s vocal atheist activism.”

However, THEIR very vocal Christian activism isn’t a problem (especially since it actually targets a specific minority in society?)???
Hypocrisy much? On top of their other despicable ways, of course.

“Something tells me that numbers and equations aren’t all that Mehta is talking about in his classroom.”

Couldn’t this be construed as libel? I mean, they’re attacking your professional integrity.

Ok, I used the ‘not equal’ bracket symbol and it didn’t show up so that should read:

“…you teach that pi does not equal 3.0…”

Of course pi is evil, it doesn’t even end! This never ending “eternal” number is the mathematician’s form of blasphemy, literally making themselves equal with God by saying “you can write forever and never reach our number.” Everyone knows the infinite and eternal is the provenance of God alone.

Homosexuality does not agree with me. Gives me indigestion.

Don’t swallow.

“Of course, Higgins is correct about Hemant Mehta, a supposedly “Friendly Atheist” blogger and high school math teacher who not only can’t seem to understand the difference between “hate and bigotry” and disagreeing with homosexuality, but whose lack of judgment”

How is the AFA supporting the criminalization of homosexuality not hate?

” (Did he just write that I’m a “supposed” math teacher?)”

I think what they mean is that you’re supposedly a friendly atheist and also a math teacher.

I feel I should stick up for sqrt(-1). The number i gets a bad rap because the whole “imaginary” name stuck. But really there’s no need to say it’s as imaginary as God. That’s just low. 🙂

i is just as real as any other number we use (which, depending on your philosophical views, may not be very real at all, but whatever). It certainly is understandable and obeys consistent laws of behavior, which already gives it a leg up on God.

Well, at least you know you’re doing something right when you manage to piss off TWO right wing organizations!

“Something” tells you?

This is the sign of quality journalism. It’s equivalent of “sources say” and “some people believe”. In other, more accurate words: “nobody I’ve met says or believes this, and I haven’t experienced it myself, but I’ll report it anyway in the hope you believe me”.

Being a History Teacher I use SEX all the time for essays. Students think it is great!

Statement

Example

eXplanation

I could use SEE but that is not nearly as fun 🙂

Funny post, Hemant. Unfortunately, fundies and sarcasm generally don’t mix. I wouldn’t be surprised if Laurie Higgins and Peter LaBarbera actually think you were being serious here. Too bad, really. 🙂

@Chris: My English and History teachers use PEE. Make a Point, give an Example, and Explain. We already get odd looks from other students when we ask each other how many times we PEE’d on our essays, so I can only imagine how great your version must be to use!

Anyways, I think this lady needs to get a life. Her kids are in a high school (public, if I’m not mistaken), and she thinks they haven’t already been exposed to opposing religious beliefs, homosexuality, or even the “F” word? She reminds me of an old friend’s mom who didn’t allow her teenaged kids to watch anything that wasn’t rated G or listen to anything but Christian rock and the Beach Boys….which still seems really random.

Hemant, I would love it if you could teach at my school next year if you promise to teach culinary arts as well. I need new baby recipes. 😀

I think your post and everyone else has covered this pretty well.

But I just have to say, they are so concerned with you saying “fuck” on here.
Do they know how teenagers talk? We hear that everyday at school.

“The average human has one breast and one testicle…”

I laughed and cried when I saw that one. Bravo!

Seriously-perhaps some law student predisposed to atheism could peruse this bint’s (and her wannabe bastard spawn’s) “emissions” and scan for libel?

“Something tells me that numbers and equations aren’t all that Mehta is talking about in his classroom.”

If not yet, I feel it’s only a matter of time before they stray from “The Truth” (something the righteous always seem to think they have an exclusive on) and say something truly stupid-and actionable.

After that-methinks its lawsuit time, with “Ms Higgins” thrown in as an accomplice.

Metah-you could be a very rich man already!

(I’m also certain you’d blow it on charity-you fool…)

To those who were as creeped out by Jonas’ thing as I was, here is an explanation of what is wrong with that proof.

To put it simpler terms, the problem is when Jonas squared both sides. You can’t do that and still expect to get a proper equality. Otherwise you could just prove 5 = -5 with that method.

Citizen Z,

To put it simpler terms, the problem is when Jonas squared both sides.

No, it’s not that, it’s that the exponential function is no longer one-to-one when it gets used in the complex plane — so you have to be careful when trying to invert it using the natural log.

Basically, it’s no longer true in the complex plane that you can conclude a=b from exp(a)=exp(b).

Maybe, Hement, if you’d been my high school math teacher (which would have been a miracle given that you weren’t born yet), I’d comprehend your post and 90% of the comments.

In any case, this woman really needs a life. And really needs to let her kids have a life. She is doing them more harm than you could ever dream of doing. I’m 52 and still getting over my mother never letting us out into the evil world of teen life. Makes socializing as an adult rather devilish.