“The best math questions all have the same answer: ‘It depends.'”
From a Twitter thread on telling the difference between an equation and an identity in the algebra classroom came this tweetstorm. For me, the question raises issues of our own expert blind spots, mathematical communication and tacit knowledge, and a way in which category theory can help us be more humble about students’ common “errors.”
Unrolled at ThreadReader (better for dark mode): https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1214965543788261377.html
On equations, identities, and #WhoSaysMath. Come for the pedagogy, stay for basic category theory. Thread here inspired the below.
TLDR: We can say "it's wrong" less and "it depends" more. (1/25)#MTBoS @CmonMattTHINK @j_lanier @katemath @mrdardy https://t.co/Bt5AyBTqTD
— Matt Salomone (@matthematician) January 8, 2020