June 27-28 (that’s THIS Thursday and Friday–math track on Friday)
My publisher, Master Books, is doing a Recipe for a Successful Homeschool Summit, and I got to be part of their math track. The talks focus around using and transitioning between some of the resources Master Books has published (including some of my math materials), although we ended up sharing a lot of other thoughts about teaching math in general.
Your Teaching Companions for Math Leveling Up #1: Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School Math Leveling Up #2: Transitioning from Middle School to High School Math
Hope you all are having a refreshing summer! As you think about the next school year, remember that our faithful God understands you, your children, and your situation. He keeps creation working consistently enough that we can use math–and He knows the number of hairs on your head (Luke 12:7).
Did you know that math helps us explore outer space, learning more about the vastness of God’s creation–and how perfectly designed earth is for life?
Have you ever tried to count the stars? We can’t possibly count them all, but we can use math to estimate the number of stars. While there are different ways to do this, one way is to estimate the total mass of a galaxy (which in itself takes a lot of math) and then divide that total mass by the average mass of a star (which again takes math to estimate). So how many stars are there? Well, there’s an estimated 100 to 400 billion stars in our galaxy alone, which would then need multiplied by the number of galaxies (currently estimated to be in the trillions). That’s a lot of stars! Notice we just used math to approximate the stars in our galaxy, but we can’t fully count them all!
Yet God calls each star by name–and it’s because of His power that they continue.
He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Psalm 147:4
Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing. Isaiah 40:26
Think about how much greater God is than we are! We can’t even count the stars, and He calls them by name and keeps them in their places. He is greater than we can even imagine.
Have you ever wondered how we know how far it is to the moon, sun, and stars? We can’t just stretch a tape measurer across these distances! Instead, we make the measurements that we can from earth and then use geometry to figure out the distances. When we do, we see that the earth is just the right distance from the sun. If it were closer to the sun, we’d burn up…if further away, we’d freeze.
Now, the earth and the other planets don’t just sit in space; they orbit around the sun in elliptical orbits. How do we know that? Again, men used math! Johannes Kepler used data that had been recorded about Mars to figure out what orbit around the sun would result in those readings. He discovered that planets orbit in ellipses, and that no matter where they are on the ellipse, if you were to go back the same amount of time and look at the resulting area formed between those two locations and the sun, it’d always be the same. So that means God governs creation so consistently that we can mathematically describe how a planet will orbit.
When Kepler shared some of his findings, he paused to praise the Creator.
"Crying out with the royal Psalmist: Great is our Lord and great His virtue and of His wisdom there is no number…To Him be praise, honour, and glory, wourld without end. Amen." [Stephen Hawking, ed. On the Shoulders of Giants: The Great Works of Physics and Astronomy. Philadelphia: Running Press Book Publishers, 2002, pg. 1157.]
Well, I hope that gives you a little glimpse into how math helps us explore outer space and how as we do, we see that truly, the Heavens declare God’s praises.
Discover more about how we use math to explore the heavens–along with lots of other historical and present-day applications of math in Kate’s new Math History Timeline!
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: Our bodies are remarkable. We can eat, see, move, smell, and so much more. We’re clearly incredibly designed! But when we use math to see how our bodies work, we get a deeper appreciation for how amazingly God knit us together.
Notice that a child’s head is bigger in comparison to the rest of its body than the adult’s head. A big head helps protect a child when they fall. However, if we kept growing with that same ratio between our head and body, we wouldn’t be able to walk as adults! God gave us just the body proportions we needed for each stage of life.
While we’re talking about our heads, let’s zoom in on our ears. It takes advanced math, including trigonometry, to record sounds digitally so hat we can listen to them. But our bodies constantly collect and interpret sounds for us…all without us thinking about it!
Now take a look at these cells from a human body. Notice that the cells are approximately spheres. Using math, we can explore the surface area and volume of cells as they grow. Here are the formulas for the surface area and volume of a sphere. The ratio between them would be the division of one over the other, which we can show using a fraction line and which simplifies to 3/r, where r is standing for the radius of the sphere. The radius, or r, is going to get bigger as the cell gets bigger. What happens to the surface area? Well, let’s say this cell has a radius of 1 and this one of 3.
Notice that if we plug those values into 3/r, the ratio gets smaller as the radius gets bigger. That means that in comparison to the volume, there’s less surface area. This would be problematic if our cells just kept growing, as the cell absorbs nutrients through its surface area. If the cell gets too big, it will die, as it won’t be able to get enough nutrients. But don’t worry–our great Creator designed cells to divide into smaller cells before they get too big. Once again, math helps us see His design.
Next, let’s talk about the viscosity of our blood. I know viscosity is a big word, but it basically describes the thickness of a liquid. Water has a lower viscosity than the orange liquid shown here.
Here’s the formula for viscosity. God put special proteins in your blood that makes these values just right for your blood to flow around your body…and to change when you get a cut so the blood becomes thicker and we don’t bleed to death. God sure thought of everything, didn’t He?
Now there’s a lot more we could say about our bodies, but hopefully that gives you a glimpse into how incredibly designed you are. God knit you together in your mother’s womb. He knew all that would take place in your life before you took your first breath. You can trust Him and cast your cares on Him, because He cares for you.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: We live in a society permitted with technology. From the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to bed, we’re surrounded by technology…we’re using technology…we’re using products that were manufactured using technology…and most of the time we’re using it without even thinking about it. Yet it’s very existence is shouting out at us God’s faithfulness. To see how, let’s think through the process of developing technology.
Obviously, an airplane doesn’t just assemble itself, and this technology didn’t just appear. Men, including Wilbur and Orville Write, experimented over and over again to understand different aspects of God’s creation and figure out how to design a plane that would actually fly. Math is used a lot in airplane design–trying different wing lengths, building models, and so much more.
None of this would be possible, though, if creation weren’t consistent. Lift, gravity, and drag operate the same way day after day, year after year. In fact, we can use math to describe these consistencies of creation and to figure out how to design planes that will actually fly.
But imagine if gravity or lift changed every day. An airplane would fly one day and not the next!
Technology relies on a consistent creation. But why is creation consistent? Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus “upholds the universe by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3b). Jesus is the One upholding creation so consistently and so reliably that we can rely on gravity to work consistently and then design airplanes based on that. Technology is truly shouting out at us that God is faithful and we can trust Him.
A consistent creation by itself, though, doesn’t lead to airplanes. After all, airplanes don’t just assemble themselves; man has to have the ability to explore the consistency of creation and design planes. And we do! And the Bible gives us an answer as to why we do. It tells us that we’re made in God’s image. God gave us the ability to explore His handiwork and the task of subduing the earth and exercising dominion (Genesis 1:27-28). We use math in this process! You can’t get a degree in any field of science without a lot of math. Math helps us describe the consistencies of God’s creation.
From exploring the relationship between the power, voltage, and current flowing through an outlet, to the relationship between centripetal acceleration, velocity, and the radius being traveled, to that between the force, mass, and acceleration of a baseball, we use math to describe the consistencies all around us–consistencies that remind us that a faithful, never-changing Creator is upholding all things.
So next time you use technology, remember that God hasn’t changed. He doesn’t have good days and bad days like we do. We can always trust Him and everything He’s said in His Word, the Bible.
Reminder: Check out our math materials for curriculum and resources to help you teach math as a part of God’s creation.
The first in a new math series, this Math Moment looks at the incredible consistency math describes–and how that consistency of creation points to the biblical Creator.
I recently watched a video on New Year’s resolutions that got me.
In the video, a little girl pointed out that if she wanted to ride a bike, it took more than a resolution. It took a willingness to fall and try again and again.
That illustration seemed to capture very well the learning process. It’s easy to start the new year with resolutions of how much better things will be (or how much better math class will be), but the reality of getting there will involve taking steps…and being willing to get back up when we fall.
As students try to improve problem-solving skills and stretch themselves, they will likely get problems wrong, just as we will fall off a bike when learning to ride. It’s part of the learning process. And as you try to teach math from a biblical worldview, you will likely fall short of what you hoped. Make sure you’re striving for the right goals–for God’s goals. But if you are, don’t give up–get back on that bike 🙂
“Thanks again. We love this book – it’s the first year in about the last 8 years that we haven’t had tears in our math time with this child, and she loves seeing the connections in math to real things that God created.” – Debby [referring to Principles of Mathematics: Book 1]
I wanted to quickly share a couple of articles I’ve recently had published. I hope they encourage you in your math journey and remind you to find joy in math as you praise the Creator and see math as a way of exploring God’s handiwork and completing the tasks He’s given you to do. As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments, and please feel free to share these with your friends.
Math, Assumptions, Dating Methods, and the Grand Canyon On a recent trip to the Grand Canyon, I was reminded of how misunderstood dating methods have become. We hear dates quoted as fact so often that they’re held up as mathematical fact. Few understand that the answer to a math problem is only as accurate as the starting information—and that in the case of dating methods, that starting information is based on unverifiable assumptions.
Finding Joy in Math If the words “joy” and “math” don’t seem to go together in your mind, please take a look at this article I wrote for The Old Schoolhouse Magazine. Math transforms when we look at it from a biblical worldview.
New Video Supplement The video supplement for Book 2 of Principles of Mathematics is now available to start (I expect it to be completely finished in early 2017).
In this workshop, creation scientist Dr. Jason Lisle explores numbers, using fractals to help show the incredible beauty in even abstract mathematics. Around 36 minutes into the workshop, Dr. Lisle explores the nature of math itself, showing how math simply doesn’t make sense apart from a biblical worldview.
While this isn’t a light video (expect to have to think a little…although you can still get the general idea even if you don’t get the mathematical details), it is an encouraging reminder that there’s amazing beauty in math…and that God is the Creator of that beauty.
Thank you to Don S for sharing the video with me in a comment to a previous post.
It’s still hard for me to grasp the reality that it’s actually done. Writing this math curriculum has been an amazing journey, fraught with unexpected delays (such as a concussion that left me unable to work much on it for more than a year) and challenges. Yet as I look back, I see God’s provision each step along the way.
Thank you, dear readers, for being a part of that provision—for your prayers and your encouragement. I can’t tell you how much it has meant to me. (And please don’t stop praying! I’m still working on Year 2…which is due to come out late this year/early next.)
As you begin planning for next fall’s school year, don’t let the thought of math scare you. Math is a way of describing God’s creation—it’s a testimony to His faithfulness, wisdom, and greatness. If you haven’t seen it yet, check out this short video I made a couple years ago for a quick reminder of how math can be seen from a biblical worldview. This version includes an ending I recently added that offers a quick overview of the curriculum too.
Meet the Author
I’m a sinner saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I’m also a writer—I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pen. I… Meet Katherine [Loop] Hannon.
View our complete Cookie Policy here for more information on cookies collected in order for this website to function and perform the requested services and our Privacy Policy for details on what information we collect, why, and how we safeguard (and never sell) your information.
We use Google Analytics to track website usage in order to improve our website and better serve you. You can accept or decline this tracking below.
I’m a sinner saved by grace through Jesus Christ. I’m also a writer—I’ve been writing ever since I could hold a pen. I… 
