10 things I Learned from the Math Field Trip

-I learned that it doesn’t only matter whether you get the correct answer, it matters how you get that answer.

-I learned that the laws in math, for example the Pythagorean Theorem will always be true. They are true now, and they will be true in a hundred years. The rule don’t change in math.

-I learned that many math theorems were proven by the Chinese hundreds of years ago.

-I learned that there are some very hard math questions that if you answer, you can receive a million dollars.

-I learned that a million dollars isn’t a lot of money.

-I learned that large numbers in math is not what makes some math questions hard. A math question can have large numbers and be very simple. A math question can have a few small numbers be very hard.

-I learned that you don’t only need to know how to get the answer, you need to understand how to get the answer.

-I learned that math is very important and is involved in our everyday lives.

-I learned that knowing how to make an educated guess is important. If there is a question with several answers and you don’t know the answer, then you should be able to single out the answers to make an estimate.

-I learned that math looks complicated and hard until you learn the solution. If I looked at some of the math questions that I am working on now a few years ago, then I would think that math must be hard in grade 10. But now that I am in grade 10, I am taught the solution and so the questions I see are easy. 

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