29 June 2009

A formula for changing math education: Arthur Benjamin on TED.com

Someone always asks the math teacher, "Am I going to use calculus in real life?" And for most of us, says Arthur Benjamin, the answer is no. He offers a bold proposal on how to make math education relevant in the digital age. (Recorded at TED@PalmSprings 2009, February 2009 in Palm Springs, California. Duration: 2:59)

Short URL: http://on.ted.com/1G

* Don't miss this short comment by Arthur Benjamin, given just after his talk on math and education at TED@PalmSprings.

Watch Arthur Benjamin's talk from TED@PalmSprings 2009 on TED.com where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 450+ TEDTalks.

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06 February 2009

If Arthur Benjamin got an extra minute on stage ...

The TED Blog caught up with Arthur Benjamin after his talk on why we should stop mandating that students learn calculus in school -- to ask him what he would have done with an extra minute on stage. Here's what he had to say:

Arthur Benjamin: If I had an extra minute, I'd also talk about how we shouldn't only show the mathematics that's useful -- and statistics is useful for being an educated consumer and citizen. We could replace a lot of the drudgerous mathematics that's being taught with math that's purely fun, with no real promise of "you're going to use this," but just "this is beautiful stuff."

You can go ape over patterns in Pascal's triangle, in the Fibonacci numbers, in chaos, in fractals. These things that are just positively inspirational. We don't make -- I mean, I'm listening to this music. It's inspirational. But I didn't have to be drilled with how to draw my notes properly and learn all this music theory before I got exposed to that kind of music. I think the same sort of thing could happen in mathematics.

Why not give them a taste of beautiful mathematics in addition to the useful stuff?

Photo: TED / Michael Brands

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04 February 2009

Wednesday morning TEDDIY at TED@PalmSprings -- Running notes

A snapshot of the TED@PalmSprings simulcast.

Kelly Stoetzel of TED and slam poet Rives are co-hosts.

Jill Sobule entertained the audience with her usual wit -- and a selection of newly unveiled material.

Arthur Benjamin's energetic presentation (above) was the perfect way to kick off TEDDIY on Day 1 of TED@PalmSprings. He used his lightning-fast mental calculations to transform a volunteer's birth date (year, month, day) into a 4x4 magic square whose rows, columns, diagonals, corners and 2x2 components all added up to 42. The volunteer left the stage with this near-instantaneous magic square -- the perfect souvenir from TED!

Photos: TED / Michael Brands

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26 June 2008

Counting down the Top 10 TEDTalks

With 50 million views since we debuted online two years ago, TED talks have become a powerful cultural force.

To celebrate this milestone, we're releasing a never-before-seen list: the Top 10 TED talks of all time, as of June 2008.

With speakers like neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor and global health expert Hans Rosling, the list proves one of the compelling ideas behind TEDTalks: that an unknown speaker with a powerful idea can reach -- and move -- a global audience. Links to all 10 talks are found below -- or browse through our Top 10 TED Talks Theme. Even if you've seen all the talks, the highlights video is darn fun.

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Download the Top 10 TED Talks highlights video:
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Top 10 TED Talks of all time
1. Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight
2. Jeff Han: Touchscreen demo foreshadows the iPhone
3. David Gallo: Underwater astonishments
4. Blaise Aguera y Arcas: Jaw-dropping Photosynth demo
5. Arthur Benjamin: Lightning calculation and other "Mathemagic"
6. Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?
7. Hans Rosling: The best stats you've ever seen
8. Tony Robbins: Why we do what we do, and how we can do it better
9. Al Gore: 15 ways to avert a climate crisis
10. Johnny Lee: Creating tech marvels out of a $40 Wii Remote

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13 December 2007

"Mathemagics": Arthur Benjamin on TED.com

In a lively performance, "mathemagician" Arthur Benjamin races a team of calculators to figure out 3-digit squares in his head, performs a massive mental calculation, and guesses a few birth days. How does he do it? He'll be happy to tell you. (Recorded February 2005 in Monterey, California. Duration: 15:14.)

Watch Arthur Benjamin's performance on TED.com, where you can download it, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances.

Read more about Arthur Benjamin on TED.com.

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