ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Arthur Benjamin - Mathemagician
Using daring displays of algorithmic trickery, lightning calculator and number wizard Arthur Benjamin mesmerizes audiences with mathematical mystery and beauty.

Why you should listen

Arthur Benjamin makes numbers dance. In his day job, he's a professor of math at Harvey Mudd College; in his other day job, he's a "Mathemagician," taking the stage in his tuxedo to perform high-speed mental calculations, memorizations and other astounding math stunts. It's part of his drive to teach math and mental agility in interesting ways, following in the footsteps of such heroes as Martin Gardner.

Benjamin is the co-author, with Michael Shermer, of Secrets of Mental Math (which shares his secrets for rapid mental calculation), as well as the co-author of the MAA award-winning Proofs That Really Count: The Art of Combinatorial Proof. For a glimpse of his broad approach to math, see the list of research talks on his website, which seesaws between high-level math (such as his "Vandermonde's Determinant and Fibonacci SAWs," presented at MIT in 2004) and engaging math talks for the rest of us ("An Amazing Mathematical Card Trick").

More profile about the speaker
Arthur Benjamin | Speaker | TED.com
TED2009

Arthur Benjamin: Teach statistics before calculus!

Arthur Benjamin se formule vir beter wiskunde opleiding

Filmed:
2,625,810 views

Daar's altyd iemand wat die wiskunde onderwyser vra: "Gaan ek ooit integrasie rekenkunde in die regte lewe gebruik?" En volgens Arthur Benjamin is die antwoord vir die meeste van ons "nee". Hy maak 'n uitdagende voorstel vir hoe om wiskunde relevant te maak in die digitale era.
- Mathemagician
Using daring displays of algorithmic trickery, lightning calculator and number wizard Arthur Benjamin mesmerizes audiences with mathematical mystery and beauty. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Now, if PresidentPresident ObamaObama
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Sou President Obama
00:15
invitedgenooi me to be the nextvolgende CzarCzar of MathematicsWiskunde,
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my nooi as die volgende Tsar van Wiskunde
00:19
then I would have a suggestionsuggestie for him
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sou ek 'n voorstel aan hom maak
00:22
that I think would vastlyaansienlik improveverbeter
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wat ek dink 'n reuse verbetering
00:24
the mathematicswiskunde educationonderwys in this countryland.
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sou maak aan wiskunde opvoeding in hierdie land.
00:27
And it would be easymaklik to implementimplementeer
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Dit sal maklik wees om te implementeer
00:29
and inexpensivegoedkoop.
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en sonder groot koste.
00:31
The mathematicswiskunde curriculumkurrikulum that we have
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Die kurrikulum vir wiskunde wat ons het
00:33
is basedgebaseer on a foundationfondament of arithmeticrekenkundige and algebraalgebra.
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is gebaseer op rekenkunde en algebra.
00:37
And everything we learnleer after that
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En alles wat ons daarna leer
00:39
is buildinggebou up towardsteenoor one subjectonderwerp.
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bou op na een vak.
00:42
And at topTop of that pyramidpiramide, it's calculuscalculus.
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Die toppunt van die piramiede is differensiasie en integrasie.
00:46
And I'm here to say
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Ek is hier om te sê
00:48
that I think that that is the wrongverkeerde summitberaad of the pyramidpiramide ...
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dat ek dink dit die verkeerde toppunt vir die piramiede is...
00:52
that the correctkorrekte summitberaad -- that all of our studentsstudente,
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en dat die korrekte piek -- wat al ons studente,
00:54
everyelke highhoë schoolskool graduategegradueerde should know --
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elke hoërskool leerling behoort te verstaan --
00:56
should be statisticsstatistieke:
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statistiek behoort te wees:
00:59
probabilitywaarskynlikheid and statisticsstatistieke.
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waarskynlikheid en statistiek.
01:01
(ApplauseApplous)
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(Applous)
01:03
I mean, don't get me wrongverkeerde. CalculusCalculus is an importantbelangrik subjectonderwerp.
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Moenie my verkeerd verstaan nie. Integrasie rekenkunde is 'n belangrike vak.
01:07
It's one of the great productsprodukte of the humanmens mindgedagte.
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Dis een van die groot prestasies van menslike intellek.
01:09
The lawswette of natureaard are writtengeskryf in the languageTaal of calculuscalculus.
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The wette van die natuur is geskryf in die taal van integrasie rekenkunde.
01:13
And everyelke studentstudent who studiesstudies mathwiskunde, sciencewetenskap, engineeringingenieurswese, economicsekonomie,
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Enige student wat wiskunde, wetenskap, ingenieurswese of ekonomie bestudeer
01:17
they should definitelybeslis learnleer calculuscalculus
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behoort verseker integrasie rekenkunde te bemeester
01:19
by the endeinde of theirhulle freshmanfreshman yearjaar of collegekollege.
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gedurende hulle eerste universiteitsjaar.
01:21
But I'm here to say, as a professorprofessor of mathematicswiskunde,
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Maar ek is hier, as 'n wiskunde professor, om te sê:
01:24
that very fewpaar people actuallyeintlik use calculuscalculus
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dat bitter min mense werklik integrasie rekenkunde gebruik
01:28
in a consciousbewuste, meaningfulbetekenisvolle way, in theirhulle day-to-daydag-tot-dag liveslewens.
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op 'n bewustelike, betekenisvolle manier in hulle daaglikse lewens.
01:31
On the other handhand,
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Daarinteen,
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statisticsstatistieke -- that's a subjectonderwerp that you could,
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is statistiek 'n vak wat jy daagliks
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and should, use on dailydaaglikse basisbasis. Right?
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kan en behoort te gebruik. Ne?
01:39
It's riskrisiko. It's rewardbeloning. It's randomnessewekansigheid.
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Dis risiko. Dis vergoeding. Dis willekeurigheid.
01:42
It's understandingbegrip datadata.
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Dis die verstaan van data.
01:44
I think if our studentsstudente, if our highhoë schoolskool studentsstudente --
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Ek dink as ons studente, as ons hoërskool leerlinge --
01:46
if all of the AmericanAmerikaanse citizensburgers --
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as alle Amerikaanse burgers -
01:48
knewgeweet about probabilitywaarskynlikheid and statisticsstatistieke,
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waarskynlikheid en statistiek geken het,
01:51
we wouldn'tsou nie be in the economicekonomiese messgemors that we're in todayvandag. (LaughterLag) (ApplauseApplous)
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sou ons nie nou in hierdie ekonomiese verknorsing gewees het nie.
01:54
Not only -- thank you -- not only that ...
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Nie net -- dankie -- nie net dit nie...
01:57
but if it's taughtgeleer properlybehoorlik, it can be a lot of funpret.
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[maar ook] korrek aangebied, kan dit baie pret wees.
02:00
I mean, probabilitywaarskynlikheid and statisticsstatistieke,
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Ek bedoel, waarskynlikheid en statistiek,
02:02
it's the mathematicswiskunde of gamesspeletjies and gamblingdobbel.
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dis die wiskunde van speletjies en dobbel.
02:06
It's analyzingBesig om te ontleed trendstendense. It's predictingvoorspel the futuretoekoms.
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Dis die ontleding van tendense. Dis toekomsvoorspelling.
02:10
Look, the worldwêreld has changedverander
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Kyk, die wêreld het verander
02:12
from analoganaloog to digitaldigitale.
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van analoog na digitaal.
02:15
And it's time for our mathematicswiskunde curriculumkurrikulum to changeverandering
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En dis tyd vir ons wiskunde kurrikulum om te verander
02:18
from analoganaloog to digitaldigitale,
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van analoog na digitaal.
02:20
from the more classicalklassieke, continuousdeurlopende mathematicswiskunde,
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Van die meer klassieke, aaneenlopende wiskunde,
02:24
to the more modernmoderne, discretediskrete mathematicswiskunde --
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na die meer moderne, spesifieke wiskunde.
02:27
the mathematicswiskunde of uncertaintyonsekerheid,
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Die wiskunde van onsekerheid,
02:29
of randomnessewekansigheid, of datadata --
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van willekeurigheid, van data --
02:31
that beingwese probabilitywaarskynlikheid and statisticsstatistieke.
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dit is waarskynlikheid en statistiek.
02:34
In summaryOpsomming, insteadplaas of our studentsstudente
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Om op te som, instede daarvan dat studente
02:36
learningleer about the techniquestegnieke of calculuscalculus,
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die tegnieke van integrasie rekenkunde leer,
02:39
I think it would be farver more significantbeduidende
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dink ek dit sal veel meer betekenisvol wees
02:42
if all of them knewgeweet what two standardstandaard deviationsafwykings
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as hulle almal sou weet wat twee standaard afwykings
02:45
from the mean meansbeteken. And I mean it.
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van die gemiddeld beteken. En dis my betekenisvolle mening!
02:48
Thank you very much.
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Baie dankie.
02:50
(ApplauseApplous)
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(Toejuiging)
Translated by Christiaan Crafford
Reviewed by Ingrid Lezar

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Arthur Benjamin - Mathemagician
Using daring displays of algorithmic trickery, lightning calculator and number wizard Arthur Benjamin mesmerizes audiences with mathematical mystery and beauty.

Why you should listen

Arthur Benjamin makes numbers dance. In his day job, he's a professor of math at Harvey Mudd College; in his other day job, he's a "Mathemagician," taking the stage in his tuxedo to perform high-speed mental calculations, memorizations and other astounding math stunts. It's part of his drive to teach math and mental agility in interesting ways, following in the footsteps of such heroes as Martin Gardner.

Benjamin is the co-author, with Michael Shermer, of Secrets of Mental Math (which shares his secrets for rapid mental calculation), as well as the co-author of the MAA award-winning Proofs That Really Count: The Art of Combinatorial Proof. For a glimpse of his broad approach to math, see the list of research talks on his website, which seesaws between high-level math (such as his "Vandermonde's Determinant and Fibonacci SAWs," presented at MIT in 2004) and engaging math talks for the rest of us ("An Amazing Mathematical Card Trick").

More profile about the speaker
Arthur Benjamin | Speaker | TED.com