The names in the number hierarchy are one of my favorite examples: natural, integer. rational, real, complex/imaginary. WTF? These terms are all misleading and completely removed from the underlying mathematical concepts. It’s terrible for math education, etc.
I would propose instead something like: counting numbers, negatives (?), fractions, number line, number plane… Or anything remotely equivalent, where the terms reflect the actual mathematics instead of some outdated, pseudo-scientific intuition.
“These numbers are real and these numbers are imaginary.” - Math still in the 21st century. It’s embarrassing. Symptomatic of wider rot in math education.
Math terminology is so shitty sometimes.
The names in the number hierarchy are one of my favorite examples: natural, integer. rational, real, complex/imaginary. WTF? These terms are all misleading and completely removed from the underlying mathematical concepts. It’s terrible for math education, etc.
I would propose instead something like: counting numbers, negatives (?), fractions, number line, number plane… Or anything remotely equivalent, where the terms reflect the actual mathematics instead of some outdated, pseudo-scientific intuition.
“These numbers are real and these numbers are imaginary.” - Math still in the 21st century. It’s embarrassing. Symptomatic of wider rot in math education.