Joe Pagano

Fun in the Sun - Using Mathematics to Tell Time on the Beach

Christmas is a week away, temperatures have been hovering in the teens, and I'm writing about fun in the sun and something about using mathematics to tell time on the beach! Good gracious. You must be thinking how weird I am. Well maybe, but for those ... Read >

Help, Please Help Teacher!

Algebra, algebra—it doesn't make sense, Numbers and variables combined in strange ways, With symbols and signs—parentheses too, My footing is lost, I feel stuck in glue, Help, please help teacher— I'm depending on you! Then there's those lines, for... Read >

How Can This Be?

Take charge young man and reckon your soul, With math it's possible, so why contest? Why close the door to wonders untold? Dimensions unseen, or places blessed? Did you ever wonder about the things you could do, Simply with numbers? You ca... Read >

Keep those Modifiers from Dangling, George!

If you want to write well, one of the stylistic elements that you need to pay heed are those nasty dangling modifiers, whether in participial, gerund, or phrasal form. Although sometimes insidious to spot, these grammatical faux-pas will tinge your writi... Read >

Much Ado about Oprah's Book Club

In Amazon's Significant Seven interview with Jim Frey, the controversial author of the Oprah Book Club selection, "A Million Little Pieces," he was asked: "If you could have one superpower what would it be?" Since Mr. Frey has been the focus of media at... Read >

Nice Guys Finish Last---Or Do They?

So the cliche rings out: "Nice Guys Finish Last." When this expression was coined by the famous baseball coach Leo Durocher, what he meant was that winning requires toughness, ruthlessness, and singleness of mind in order that one aspire to champion statu... Read >

Taking Back Sunday

If you read my article, "Decaying Morals," then you know I take a hard stand on what I see as a steady unraveling of the moral fabric in society. As much as I would like to start a crusade, the end purpose of which would be to awaken us to this negative ... Read >

Teach Your Kids Arithmetic - The Quick-Add - Part II

In continuation of Part I, we now plunge more deeply into the Quick-Add Method and show how this makes doing addition quite easy. This procedure hinges on two key ideas: 1) the method of complements; and 2) the Quick-Add Conversion. To refresh your memo... Read >

Why Study Math? - The Circle

Analytic Geometry is a branch of mathematics that treats the relation of algebraic functions and their respective graphs, or pictures that can be drawn from these functions. Students are first introduced to analytic geometry in Algebra II courses, and de... Read >

Why Study Math? - The Polyhedron

This article will launch my new series in the Why Study Math? category. This will be the start of a fascinating series which show that mathematics is more than just a pain in the neck; indeed these essays will permit a fascinating peek into the world of ... Read >

The Essence

Just recently, I was reading a very good article titled "When Your Back is Against the Wall" by another ezine writer named Anne Stewart. As stated in the title, this article dealt with the uncomfortable position we are in when the difficulties of life hi... Read >

Why Hate Math?

People hate math, at least that's what they're always telling me. Of course, being the way that I am, I have to make converts of everyone. I don't know what my passion is exactly, that drives me to convert the "math haters," but I simply cannot overcome... Read >

Mathematics and Faith

Just how does an abstract discipline like mathematics find itself mixed up with a notion as difficult to pin down as that of faith. What is this thing called faith anyway? As far as I can see, I never saw faith walking around, nor was I ever able to tou... Read >

Teach Your Kids Arithmetic - "The Nifty Five Square Technique"

As a continuation in my series of articles on the merits of mathematics, I submit this topic for consideration by parents who want to give their children a serious edge in mathematics. You see folks, it all begins with the basics. Give your children the... Read >