Fasters's definitions

Mathointed

Symbol-minded; enviably mathematical; or abstractly blessed—a happy condition produced by God’s favor on a sinner rather than because they were born or blessed with the “math gene,” which for 99.99% of mathematicians and math educators worldwide is seldom accompanied by academic awards or financial rewards.

If you’re a K–12 math tutor, teacher, editor, or writer, consider yourself already mathointed; or doubly blessed if you’re a polytechnic or university math lecturer or consultant—it’s not so much what you’ve been gifted with, but what you do with it to benefit or bless others.

by Fasters May 3, 2022

ZKP

Short for “zero-knowledge proof.” A method used in cryptography to prove ownership of a specific piece of knowledge without revealing the content of that knowledge, thus ensuring that data can be shared without sharing personal information.

Thanks to ZKP, someone can prove a particular fact sans revealing that information, thereby creating the required trust to perform a transaction on the darknet.

by Fasters January 19, 2023

Pi Thinking

A metaphorical way of saying to think creatively or divergently or laterally so that you might increase your chances of experiencing an aha!, just as the number π that beautifully or elegantly reveals itself in unexpected ways that its presence or occurrence often gives the reader a deep sense of mental satisfaction or excitement.

Besides showing thinking, window thinking, and sink thinking, where these activities often trigger an aha!, indulging in pi thinking ought to be encouraged as well.

by Fasters February 24, 2022

Mathematical Insurrection

When censors from a Department of Education in a state rejected submitted math textbooks from major publishers because their “woke” authors had allegedly tried to indoctrinate children with critical race theory, foreign problem-solving strategies, and multicultural math topics, when in actual fact these math titles contain real-life problems that would help hone students’ problem-solving skills, compared to artificially canned questions of traditional publishers with whom they have a vested interest in—when politics and profits triumph over pedagogy and proficiency.

Last week, with the blessing of their state governor, diehard math educators in Florida carried out a mathematical insurrection against a number of educational publishers for subtly including Common Core pedagogies on top of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) elements in their textbooks.

by Fasters April 25, 2022

Pi Plus

When the number π is being blessed today as a symbol of global recognition that few remember that she was once addicted to geometry, particularly chained to the circle (until she gained her freedom thanks to her contributions to other branches of mathematics), and suffered centuries-long depression as mathematicians vied to assign her the best approximate value based on their methods of computation.

From her early humble days in Greece in the hands of Archimedes, when they’re trying to determine a good approximation for her, the number π has hitherto remained a constant of choice among the mathematical brethren, who hope that the discovery of pi plus secrets would help advance their career and achieve mathematical fame or immortality.

by Fasters May 27, 2022

ASAP

Short for “Always Stop And Pray”—when you need to be as smart or sharp as possible in tackling urgent and important matters, by relying on the Holy Spirit (the Third Person in the Trinity) for wisdom and direction for your solution.

The moment I realize that ASAP needn’t always stand for “As Soon As Possible,” I quickly submitted this long-overdue definition for publication.

by Fasters May 14, 2022

Masked by Pi

When a formula looks more complex than it is because it contains the constant π, whose sight or sound often frightens those who suffer from math anxiety.

Guesstimate how many mature students worldwide are reluctant to sign up for short math or statistics courses to upgrade themselves, because they are masked by pi.

by Fasters January 15, 2022