Mr Eck's Class

Mr Eck's Class

!!! You are accountable for your behavior on this site !!!

Welcome to Bethesda!

Famous Mathematicians

Pascal was raised by a father who had unorthodox beliefs about educating his son. He decided to teach his son himself and that Pascal was not to study mathematics before the age of 15. Pascal’s curiosity was too great and he started studying math on his own at an early age. By the age of twelve he had discovered on his own that the sum of the interior angles of a triangle will always be equal to two right triangle (or 180 degrees). Given Pascal’s strong interest in Math, his father allowed him to study math and gave his son a copy of Euclid.

By the age of 16, Pascal presented a single paper at a meeting of the Mersennes. The Mersennes were part of a scholarly religious order that included Fermet and Gassendi. Pascal’s paper contained several geometry theories, including Pascal’s mystic hexagon.

Pascal is credited with inventing the first calculator. He invented it to help his father and the calculator resembles manual calculators used early in the 20^th century. Pascal is responsible for many of the original advancements in hydrostatic and atmospheric pressure. In fact, the laws of pressure are referred to as Pascal’s laws. He also worked Fermet in developing several theories on probability.

Pascal was also a philosopher. His works on religion, examining human suffering and faith in God, are still studied today. Most notable is Pascal’s Wager –

"If God does not exist, one will lose nothing by believing in him, while if he does exist, one will lose everything by not believing."

Pascal died at the age of 39 in intense pain after a malignant growth in his stomach spread to his brain.everything by not believing."

Pascal died at the age of 39 in intense pain after a malignant growth in his stomach spread to his brain.

DO TO LACK OF INTEREST, I HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATING.

IT WAS FUN WHILE IT LASTED AND I LEARNED LOTS.

A class web site can be a creative way of getting students excited about a subject. It proides a way to keep up to date on assignments, and provides you with valuable online resources. Because a class site should be engaging, I'll present information that makes the subject interesting and fun, such as brain teasers or polls about current events. You can even contribute. Of course, you are a Bethesda student and will be held accountable for your comments made to this site.

I wish we had computers at Bethesda for everyone to use. I hope that those of you who can use this site find it helpful, informative and motivating.

Events and Announcements

Aug 29 - Tightening the norms

Two days down. It has been good being back to school. It has been interesting to hear about many of your summers.

Now is the time to set your goals. Get your goals set high. Set yourself up for success. If your interested, check out Dr. Carsons bio on the Academy of Achievment site.

Aug 28 - Welcome back to school.

Settle in and get your brains engaged. The first few days will involve many pre-tests, a review of the Bethesda Normative System, and some fun activities.

Don't forget, you are already accountable to the school norms and we are monitoring your behavior. You all start at neutral, but the ratings will change on next Tuesday.

No school on Monday. Happy Labor Day.

A weekly Math Brain Twister. Get your answer to Mr. Eck by the beginning of lunch on Monday. You may E-mail your answer by the Friday prior to the due date.

For the week of 08/28/06.

Due by Lunch on 09/05/06

Assuming you have enough pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, and half-dollars; how many combinations of coins can you create to make change for a dollar?

Last week's problem:

Last week's answer:
Last week's winner:


				*Mr Eck's Class*



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