Mike Thomas
Activity
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Mike Thomas made a comment
At the same time as discovering things such as number, area and volume there certainly has to be a way to think about and work with these ideas and I suppose this is where language comes in. Different languages can be used to convey maths but a universal numbering system certainly makes it easier. An interesting thought comes to mind when language development...
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Mike Thomas made a comment
Are there lessons here for how we behave today? I think there are but whether or not we learn from them I'm not sure. We have seen examples of cooperation in the field of medicine with the recent pandemic and other cases where governments did and do work together in scientific discoveries. However, there is often great rivalry between governments and other...
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Mike Thomas made a comment
The extra material is well presented in short sound bytes (is that a correct way of defining a video?), very interesting and by it's nature quite easy to follow. The problem is to limit the time viewing lots of extra material and not getting on with this course! However, it is something I will explore later at a more leisurely pace.
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Mike Thomas made a comment
We have all probably only thought of the mathematics we have been taught and perhaps considered the maths that is out there that we may yet still encounter. However, the concept that there is likely to be much that has been lost in the past is something that I have certainly not considered.
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Mike Thomas made a comment
Even though there was no formal method of counting using symbols, 1,2,3... etc it's quite feasible that counting could be achieved by comparing quantities with other things such as stones or notches carved on a piece of wood. In that way a one-to-one amount of a price, for instance, of a given number of items could be compared.
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Mike Thomas made a comment
Like John, I was taught how to remember which functions are positive by looking at each quadrant in an anti-clockwise direction - "All Silly Teachers Cane". I am old enough to remember when this actually happened and was on the receiving end twice! How times have changed!
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Mike Thomas made a comment
All material learned many years ago - very good to see it all again and hopefully remember it. Extremely well prsented
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Mike Thomas made a comment
I completed most of the previous course and found it very well structured and enjoyable. I used to teach maths (at quite a low level) and now want to go a little further with my knowledge.
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Mike Thomas made a comment
Hello to you all. I am retired from teaching and am doing this course purely out of interest - although I understand that security of networks and all things computing is of paramount importance. Good luck to everyone - I know from past experience that these courses are excellent.
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Mike Thomas made a comment
I recently attended a fete where I spoke to an ambulance driver who said that it wasn't recommended to perform any breathes along with CPR. I wonder what the current thinking is?
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Mike Thomas made a comment
It has been mentioned that passwords must be strong and secure. I have a different password for every site that I visit - resulting in a large quantity! May I suggest that people visit the "Lastpass" password manager site - even if you don't use it it is a good introduction to how a manager works. The beauty of it is that you only need to remember 1 password -...
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Very good advise Barry. In addition, there are instances of people purporting to be ringing from your bank but who ask you to hang up and ring them back so that "you can be sure that it is the bank calling". However, they do not hang up at their end so that when you call you are immediately connected to them again and NOT your bank. This can even happen when...
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Reading the full text of the treaty with Siam gives a very good indication of the complexity of arranging a trade deal with another nation. Are there parallels here with the Brexit vote where all agreements with Europe are now in the balance - indeed, as some voters want, are dead in the water! I doubt if many people have given much thought to the actual...
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Mike Thomas made a comment
I think of "empire" as being similar to "power". The power to control assets such as natural resources of a country and even to control the people of a country to the benefit of Britain. I think that we have done some terrible things in the past - such as our settlement of Australia and the subsequent treatment of the native aboriginal population - something...
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Mike Thomas made a comment
Really good structure and content to the course. I had covered all of this material previously in the past but find I can still make silly mistakes when doing a test! Must be more careful! However, very enjoyable - looking forward to the next mathematical subject.
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Mike Thomas made a comment
I have taught mathematics to post 16 year-olds in college but have been retired for 12 years. I think this course has been delivered well as it it quite difficult to cater for all abilities. I considered a lot of it quite simple - good for those who have not done it before, and useful for those wishing to have a refresher - other sections were more...
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Mike Thomas replied to Mary Mckeown
Hello Mary - have noticed that you find the topics challenging - well keep it up! I found that I learnt maths OK when at school (a long time ago now!) but didn't really understand it - only in later life doing other courses did it all begin to fall into place - so keep going and enjoy it!
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Mike Thomas made a comment
This is a good refresher for me as I have done it all in the past - but I think the way it has been presented is excellent and should be accessible to all. If there are more mathematical courses I shall certainly take them. I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I am.
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Mike Thomas made a comment
An enjoyable 1st week. It is clear that there is a wide variety of previous mathematical knowledge, but I think that the level has been pitched well by the course team. I was interested in the correct implimentation of mathematical operators as indicated by BODMAS. I would just like to comment on the word "Of" such as in "half of 12" for instance - where the...
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Mike Thomas made a comment
An enjoyable 1st week. It is clear that there is a wide variety of previous mathematical knowledge, but I think that the level has been pitched well by the course team. I was interested in the correct implimentation of mathematical operators as indicated by BODMAS. I would just like to comment on the word "Of" such as in "half of 12" for instance - where the...
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Mike Thomas made a comment
Hello to everyone and good luck with the course. I am retired and 71 years old. I have always enjoyed mathematical topics - even if I didn't always understand them! I am doing this course in order to help stimulate my mind and ward off becoming too much of a couch potato - only time will tell!