Earlier this fall, I had the privilege of doing an interview with the Homeschool Minnesota podcast about Consumer Math. Check out the recording to learn…
why teaching students consumer math is so important.
how the biblical worldview affects how we view money.
more about my Consumer Math course, including where it fits into a high school schedule.
some things that can be done to start preparing students to be wise stewards even before high school.
and more!
I hope the podcast will encourage you.
Prefer Audio Only? Listen to the podcast version or look for the Homeschool Minnesota podcast wherever you normally listen to podcasts.
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!
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 hope you enjoy this short interview I had on the Master Books Podcast titled “Teaching Math to Help Students See God & Develop Life Skills.” I had fun discussing Revealing Arithmetic and Principles of Mathematics, as well as sharing about the biblical worldview in math. Check out all the show notes on the Master Books Podcast page.
March 14, or 3/14, was both Einstein’s birthday and is also known as Pi Day, as the irrational number Pi (π) starts 3.14.
There are a lot of different ways you can use the day to build a biblical worldview of math in your upper elementary (or students who’ve learned about decimals) through high school students.
Ideas for Pi Day
Make a circular pie and talk about how π is the ratio between the circumference (distance around the pie) and the diameter (the distance across), or π = C/d . (Note that this is just rearranging the formula for the circumference you may be more familiar with of C = πd to solve for π.) This ratio is one we can’t even calculate all the digits of! There are parts of God’s creation we can’t even fully describe. You could also explore more applications of π and discuss it further; see the ideas and links in this previous Pi Day post.
Ideas for Albert Einstein’s Birthday
Explore (or have your students explore and give you a report on) the life and work of Albert Einstein and talk about his view of God. Here are a few fascinating highlights from his life and work:
Einstein flunked some things in school[1] and actually dropped out[2] at one point. We are all gifted differently—fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) for a purpose.
Einstein is famous for his Theory of Relativity, which explores the speed of light and its relationship to time and space. We’re still studying and learning about something God simply spoke into existence (Genesis 1:3)!
Einstein also derived the relationship between energy, mass, and the speed of light, or E = mc2. Consistent relationships like this remind us that this universe is consistent, held together by a consistent God.
Some of Einstein’s work was used in developing the atomic bomb. As we learn more about God’s creation, we need to make sure we use that knowledge in ways that honor the Creator. An atomic bomb was used to stop a war…but also to kill many lives. This reminds us that we need to seek God and His Word for wisdom as we apply math.
Sadly, Einstein was not a Christian, although he acknowledged that there had to be a God.[3]
I’m not an atheist and I don’t think I can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages.…The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn’t know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God.[4]
Einstein realized that creation proclaims that there has to be a Creator, or at least, according to the quote below, something miraculous. He recognized an order throughout creation and acknowledged that it doesn’t make sense why men can develop theories that end up tying so beautifully with that order—something that makes perfect sense if the same God created both us and creation.
You find it surprising that I think of the comprehensibility of the world . . . as a miracle or an eternal mystery. But surely, a priori, one should expect the world to be chaotic, not to be grasped by thought in any way. One might (indeed one should) expect that the world evidence itself as lawful only so far as we grasp it in an orderly fashion. This would be a sort of order like the alphabetical order of words in a language. On the other hand, the kind of order created, for example, by Newton’s gravitational theory is a very different character. Even if the axioms of the theory are posited by man, the success of such a procedure supposes in the objective world a high degree of order which we are in no special way entitled to expect a priori. Therein lies the “miracle” which becomes more and more evident as our knowledge develops. . . . And here is the weak point of positivists and of professional atheists, who feel happy because they think that they have not only pre-empted the world of the divine, but also of the miraculous. Curiously, we have to be resigned to recognize the “miracle” without having any legitimate way of getting any further. I have to add the past point explicitly, lest you think that, weakened by age, I have fallen into the hands of priests.[5]
We know from Romans 1 that deep down, we all know there’s a God. Creation, as Einstein recognized, proclaims God’s existence.
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Romans 1:20-23 (ESV)
But while Einstein’s exact views varied some throughout his life,[6] rather than heading God’s revelation to us in the Bible,[7] Einstein made up a god he was comfortable with, essentially worshiping the creation (his own intellect) instead of the Creator. Einstein didn’t want a God who would hold him responsible. He recognized something miraculous about creation, just like Romans 1 says we all do, but decided to worship a god of his own shaping instead.
The God Spinoza revered is my God, too: I meet Him everyday in the harmonious laws which govern the universe. My religion is cosmic, and my God is too universal to concern himself with the intentions of every human being. I do not accept a religion of fear; My God will not hold me responsible for the actions that necessity imposes. My God speaks to me through laws.[8]
Einstein’s birthday provides a great opportunity to point out to your students how creation declares God’s praises. There is a God—and we need to acknowledge Him and recognize that we’ve all broken His holy Law and need a Savior, Jesus Christ. Otherwise, no matter how smart we may be, we’ve become foolish in what matters most.
Key Reminder
As you remember both Pi Day and Einstein’s birthday, remind your students to lift their eyes from God’s amazing Creation to the Creator of it all. Encourage them that creation’s very complexity/order and our ability to explore it scream out His existence.
Please share!
If you enjoyed these ideas, please share with others so they can too.
[1] Kaku, M.. “Albert Einstein.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Einstein and “Albert Einstein,” Star Child Team, https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/einstein.html
[2] “Albert Einstein,” History.com, May 16, 2019 update, https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/albert-einstein
[3] You can view some more quotes about his view of God here: https://libquotes.com/albert-einstein/quotes/god
[4] Kaku, M.. “Albert Einstein.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Invalid Date. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Albert-Einstein.
[5] Albert Einstein, Lettres À Maurice Solovine (Paris: Gauthier-Villars, 1956), pp. 114-115; quoted in Nickel, p. 210, quoted on http://www.christianciv.com/Atheists_Confess.htm.
[6] John Brooke, referenced in “Einstein Letters Show Views on the Bible and Christianity,” Answers in Genesis, May 17, 2008, https://answersingenesis.org/theistic-evolution/einstein-letters-show-views-on-bible-and-christianity/.
[7] “Einstein Letters Show Views on the Bible and Christianity,” Answers in Genesis, May 17, 2008, https://answersingenesis.org/theistic-evolution/einstein-letters-show-views-on-bible-and-christianity/.
[8] Einstein and the Poet (1983), p. 89. Found on https://libquotes.com/albert-einstein/quote/lbs0n1m
Math probably isn’t the first thing you’re thinking about when you don’t feel well. Yet you might be surprised at how much you may find yourself using math when facing an illness.
When Can I Take ____ Next? When can I take that next does of pain medicine/cough suppressant/allergy pill? That question is on our minds a lot when battling a disease. And we use math to figure it out! If we took medicine at 10 am and we can take a pill every 4 hours, then we next need to take it at 2 pm, as that is 4 hours later. Keeping track of time’s passing is an application of math—an application, by the way, that is based on the earth’s rotation that God set up. Our 24-hour clock ties with the pattern of night and day He created.
How Many Days Left? How many days till I feel better if the cold started 3 days ago and typically lasts 7 days? 7 – 3 = 4, so hopefully just 4. Till what day do I have to quarantine if I was told to quarantine for 10 days starting on the 11th? 10 + 11 = 21, so till the 21st.
How Much Should I Take? If I was told to drink 70% of my body weight in ounces per day and I weigh 120 pounds, how many ounces of water do I need to drink? 0.7 x 120 = 84, so 84 ounces each day. If the glasses I use hold about 10 ounces of water, how many glasses does that mean? Well 84 10 = 8.4, so 8 and almost a half of those glasses. Or say I was told to take 4,000 IUs (international units) of Vitamin D a day, and I found a liquid that contains 500 IUs in a drop. How many drops would I need to take? Well, 4,000 500 is 8, so 8 drops.
Note that we perform simple math all the time without thinking about it. And aren’t you glad that to figure out how many glasses of water equals 84 ounces you don’t have to actually measure out 84 ounces and pour it into 8 and a half glasses? Instead, you can use math to know that 84 divided 10 equals 8.4. You can only do that, though, because creation is consistent. Division operates consistently. Why? Because a faithful, consistent God is holding creation together. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and the other “fixed order” He created continue because He is a covenant-keeping God (Jeremiah 33:25-26 ESV). Now that’s a good thing to remember next time you’re sneezing your way through a cold.
Why did God create snot? I was recently asked that question by a little girl, and it’s a great one! Sickness wasn’t part of God’s original creation. There was no sickness or death until man sinned, rebelling against our Creator. Now we live in a fallen world. But praise God He designed our bodies to produce snot to help rid our bodies of bacteria and viruses. And praise Him that He sent Jesus to buy us back for Himself so that one day, if our faith is in Jesus, we’ll be in a world with no more sickness again.
My heart was recently touched to hear of the viral video posted by a teen wondering about the why behind math expressed in such statements as “Who came up with this concept?” and “How would you even start on the concept of algebra?”
The questions are ones I wondered for years too. I mean, why are there letters like x and y in math books? And what was the purpose?
While the why behind math is one that many mathematicians and philosophers have devoted their entire lives to explore in vain, I believe there are very simple answers. Below is an open letter to Gracie—and anyone else asking these questions.
Dear Gracie,
First, thank you for voicing the questions so many have asked but not spoken. They’re important questions.
I know your questions related to algebra, but bear with me for a minute, as I want to start with arithmetic and work my way up there.
Math is all based on describing the real-life consistencies we find around us. 1 + 1 consistently equals 2. If you take 1 apple and grab another, you’ll end up with 2. Throughout the years, men have used different symbols to describe that, but addition remains the same because that’s what actually happens in real life.
Now you might be asking, but why? And that’s another great question! The answer to that depends on how you look at the world. Many would try to tell you that the world operates consistently as the result of an accident (the Big Bang)—but that doesn’t really make any sense at all. If we’re just the result of an explosion, why is there such consistency?
There is no real naturalistic explanation for math. Many brilliant philosophers have tried to answer it, but failed.[1] Even Albert Einstein admitted that there was something miraculous in math.[2]
But if we look at the world from a different starting point, there is an explanation. Now, this next statement might sound a bit shocking to you, but I believe the Bible has answers to your questions. You might be thinking “The Bible, isn’t that just an old book of fairy tales!?”, or maybe you haven’t even ever thought about it, but bear with me and let’s assume what it says is true even if you don’t think it is. The Bible claims to be a revelation from our Creator; if this is true, we’d expect it to tie with what we see and explain the world in which we live. And it does.[3] It says that a faithful, consistent God created all things—including the consistencies of creation. In fact, God talks about establishing His covenant with the “fixed order of heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25 ESV).
Math works because creation is consistent, created and held together by a consistent God. Thus, we can memorize multiplication facts and rely on them to always work.
The Bible also tells us that God made man in His image, which is why we, unlike the animals, can think through how to express these consistencies around us. It’s why men, like Pythagoras, have been able to attempt to explain creation.
So why algebra? Well, it’s history is long and complicated, and I’m not going to attempt to summarize it all. The Greeks developed some pieces of it, including while trying to explain the relationships within shapes (Pythagoras is known for figuring out how the sides of a triangle relate together). The Arabs developed it further (the name comes from an Arab work). And it took off during the scientific reformation, when many needed it to describe the real-life consistencies they encountered.
For example, say you did experiment after experiment measuring the net force of different sized balls when traveling at the same acceleration of 10 meters per second squared. You found these measurements.
Mass
Net Force
10 kilograms
100 Newtons
9 kilograms
90 Newtons
8 kilograms
80 Newtons
7 kilograms
70 Newtons
You might want to see if you could predict how the mass of the ball will affect its net force without having to try every possible mass. So you look for a pattern.
Such a question presupposes a consistent universe…which was a presupposition many men in the scientific reformation had. They looked at their experiments and data and figured out how it related together. In the case of the balls, you notice that in each case, the force could be found by multiplying the mass by 10—which was the exact amount of the acceleration of the balls! You could write that like this:
Force = mass x acceleration
And rather than using words, why not save time and use a symbol to stand for the words?
F = ma
Now, a lot of algebra then deals with rearranging letters on paper. All we’re doing is applying what we can observe about arithmetic to these letters we’ve used as placeholders to stand for values, such as the F, m, and a. For example, we can see that adding the same poundage to a scale that has 2 pounds on each side leaves the sides equal.
2 = 2
2 + 1 = 2 + 1
Because we’re relying on the created world around us to stay consistent this way, we can also add the same quantity to both sides even if we don’t know it’s value (we’ll just use a letter to stand for that amount, whatever it is). In the case of weights on a scale, the x is standing for some unknown weight being added to both sides.
2 + x = 2 + x
And we can use that knowledge to solve problems. Note again our presupposition that creation is consistent…which I would argue is shouting out at us that there’s design and order around us, put there by a Creator.
You might find it interesting to note that, apart from acknowledging a Creator who also created our minds, the most brilliant minds have been left baffled as to why what they develop on paper actually applies—and how they can really know it to be true. After all, do we know truth based on experimentation? But we can’t possibly test every value! Or do we know it independently from experimentation? Why then does it actually work?[3] Acknowledging a God answers that, giving us reason to presuppose order around us that will be consistent and that ties with our findings on paper because God has, in a limited way, given us the ability to think “God’s thoughts after him” (a quote attributed to mathematician/scientist Johannes Kepler, who was one famous man from the scientific reformation who saw math as a way of describing God’s creation).
Ultimately, I believe math’s existence and ability to work outside of a textbook is shouting out at us that there is a God to whom we must give an account one day. Just as we can’t change how math works because that’s how He governs creation, so we can’t change how He operates in other areas too.
So it’s important to know what God has said. As I said earlier, I’m starting from the standpoint that the Bible is God’s Word to us. There are many reasons why I believe it is–we could talk about how it was written over more than 1,000 years by several different authors yet has a unified message implying one inspiring author behind it, how Jesus perfectly fulfilled hundreds of prophecies written hundreds of years earlier, and more. But, as one editor for the Chicago Tribune who set out to prove Christianity false discovered, the Bible’s message centers on Jesus’ resurrection–and the historical evidence for that is overwhelming (see The Case for Christ movie or the book by the same title). There is compelling evidence that Jesus was this Creator God who really did rise from the dead, proving His power over death.
This same Jesus claimed that whoever would believe in Him, though he died, would live (John 11:15 ESV). The Bible’s core message is this: God made us, we’ve rebelled against Him and stand under His righteous judgment, but He’s made a way for us to escape the punishment we deserve, know Him, and have eternal life in Heaven through Jesus Christ when we repent of our rebellious ways and put our trust in Him alone. To quote a well-known verse: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 ESV).
Please watch this video to learn in a nutshell what I’m trying to say:
I hope that helps answer your questions. And again, I’m really glad you asked them—they’re important questions to grapple with and understand.
Sincerely,
Kate Hannon
****
For Additional Reading…
And to learn more about the Bible’s answers to life’s tough questions, please check out BiblicalPerspective.net.
For a more technical explanation of why math works, please see this article titled “Evolutionary Math” by Dr. Jason Lisle.
You can also find some answers to common questions about the Bible and Christianity on Josh McDowell’s website–he also set out to prove Christianity a hoax and discovered the opposite. His findings are summarized in his short book, More Than a Carpenter.
Please also see the footnotes below for additional resources.
[1] See James Nickel, Mathematics: Is God Silent? (Ross House Books: Vallecito, CA: 2001). This book walks through the history of math in depth, showing how men have tried unsuccessfully to explain math apart from the biblical God.
[2] “Even if the axioms of the theory are posited by man, the success of such a procedure supposes in the objective world a high degree of order which we are in no way entitled to expect a priori. Therein lies the “miracle” which becomes more and more evident as our knowledge develops…And here is the weak point of positivists and of professional atheists, who feel happy because they think that they have not only pre-empted the world of the divine, but also of the miraculous. Curiously, we have to be resigned to recognizing the “miracle” without having any legitimate way of getting any further.” Albert Einstein (quoted in Mathematics: Is God Silent?, p. 210).
About the Author: Katherine [Loop] Hannon is the author of various resources, including Principles of Mathematics, a biblical worldview junior high math program (with Algebra 2 coming in 2020!) published by Master Books. Understanding the biblical worldview in math made a tremendous difference in her life, and she’s been researching, writing, and speaking on math, as well as other topics for over a decade now. Her heart is to point people to “seek the Lord, and His strength” (Psalm 104:4) in everything.
I’ve written many articles on this blog about how math helps us see the incredible order and design God placed around us. Today’s post, though, focuses on how math also gives us sober reminders that sin has marred God’s perfect world, bringing suffering and death.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of how math helps us explore diseases such as the coronavirus, and at how doing so can serve as a launching pad to discuss how desperately we all need the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Elementary and Above – Everywhere we turn lately, we encounter information on the coronavirus. Math helps us quantify what is happening in order to better respond. As an example, see the World Health Organization’s Situation Report – 37; it contains lots of numbers, such as that, as of February 26, 2020, China has had 78,191 confirmed cases with 2,718 deaths. Math can help us further explore data like this. For example, what percent of people who contracted the coronavirus in China have died so far (assuming, of course, these confirmed cases and death numbers are accurate)? To find that, we would use the formula Percent = Percentage ÷ Base. (Students may be used to seeing this formula written differently–use whatever method for finding percents they’ve been taught.) In other words, Percent = 2,718 ÷ 78,191, which is approximately 0.034761 or 3.4761%. In comparison, the World Health Organization’s January 2020 report cites 861 confirmed cases of avian influenza, with 455 deaths, for a percent of about 0.528455 or 52.8455%. That’s a much higher percent death rate, but a much lower number of confirmed cases.
Suggestion: Have your students calculate these percents themselves. You might also have your children look at the charts in the coronavirus report and point out how graphs can help us visualize data.
Junior High and Above – As the numbers in the first bullet point illustrate, the big concern with the coronavirus is its rapid growth. This provides an opportunity to explore exponential growth with your students. You see, the concern is that the spread of viruses like this will be exponential—after all, if 1 person gets sick and infects a certain number of people, and all those people then infect people, and so forth, the growth that might start out small can increase rapidly. Exponential growth can be described by the formula P = Piert, or ending population equals initial population times e (a special number called “Euler’s number” that starts 2.71828) raised to the rate multiplied by the time. The World Health Organization’s Situation Report – 37 says that globally there were 871 confirmed cases within the last 24 hours of the report date (February 26, 2020). This daily change represents a continuous growth rate of about 1.0797%. If this rate continues, then the number of people that will have the virus at a future time can be calculated by this formula: P = 81,109e0.01797t, where t is the time in days. (Note that we plugged in the cumulative cases for Pi even though some of those cases may now be recovering from it or no longer be infected, so students should realize that this is only an estimate for the growth.)
Suggestion: For pre-algebra or algebra students, have them plug in various values for t and see how, if the current growth rate continues, the number of infected patients would change over time. Point out that this doesn’t account for patients getting better or dying. Point out too that it is based on what happened just in the 24 hours before this report–we’d need to look at more data to see if this is a typical rate. Point out that seasonal changes, quarantines, improved treatment, precautionary measures, etc., would also affect the growth of the virus. In other words, talk about the limit of math in predicting what will happen; our predictions can be very wrong! Only God knows the future. Not only might our initial data be faulty or misrepresented due to what is available to us, but so might be the rate we’re using. In other words, the greater the value of time you plug into the model, the worse the model will be in predicting the actual number of infected people. This is important to keep in mind when reading stats quoted on various topics.
For upper-algebra students, have them calculate the formula we calculated themselves by using the formula P = Piert, with P as 81,109 (the total cumulative infected as of the report) and Pi as 80,238 (the total cumulative ineffective as of yesterday per the report—we found this by taking the 81,109 and subtracting the 871 cases reported in the last 24 hours), with a time (t) of 1, since we want time to be in days (and 24 hours is 1 day). Have them divide both sides by 80,238 and take the natural logarithm of both sides to find the value of r. They should get a rate of approximately 0.01797. You can also have them explore more of the potential errors in this model by looking up the world’s population and plugging it in for P in P = 81,109e0.01797t and solving for t. Point out that seasonal changes, quarantines, improved treatment, precautionary measures, people already infected becoming better, etc., would affect this.
As you show your students math in action with the coronavirus, talk with them about how math can help us describe what’s happening with various diseases, and use that information to determine risks and take measures to help. But as we do, we need to remember several key truths:
Suffering and death wasn’t part of God’s original creation. It entered the world because of sin. (Romans 5:12)
Our loving Creator entered into this fallen creation, suffered, and died, to rescue us from eternal death and bring us into a perfect world again. Jesus took the death penalty for sin. (John 3:16)
God is the One in charge. If we’re His children, we don’t need to fear, as our lives are in His hands. We will not go home to Heaven until He decides it’s time. (Isaiah 46:10; Psalm 31:15)
Ultimately, every person will die (unless Jesus returns first!) and face God. If we’re in Christ, we have nothing to fear in death, but if we’re not, the reality that death will come sooner or later should alert us to run to Christ, as after death comes judgement (Hebrews 9:27), and none of us will stand before a holy God on our own righteousness (Romans 3:23). Challenge students to make sure they’ve placed their trust personally in Jesus.
We need to be sharing Jesus with those around us. Diseases like the coronavirus remind us that we don’t know how long others have to hear the gospel. This article shares how in China, Christians are sharing, and watching God draw many to Himself. Challenge students that now’s the time to be sharing with the people God has divinely placed in their lives. This can be as simple as asking them what they think about the coronavirus…and if it did affect them, do they know what would happen to them if they die? They can then share how they know they have eternal life because Jesus died and rose again; He is the resurrection and the life, able to offer the eternal life He promised to those who believe in Him (John 11:25). (For more evangelism ideas and encouragement, check out LivingWaters.com.)
We need to humble ourselves and pray. When life is going well, it’s easy to think we’re in charge, but we’re not. The reality is that none of us ever really knows what the future holds. Let’s be on our knees, praying for those affected, for all the lost around us, for Christians facing this threat up close, for our leaders as they seek to handle this, and for God to strengthen us for whatever lies ahead.
Math in a fallen world often helps us record tragic events…but always remember we serve a God who knows everything, cared enough to die for us, and can carry us through all our trials.
Transform Your How Your Students See Math.
Want to teach math from a biblical worldview? Check out our junior high curriculum, and stay tuned for Algebra 2 later this year (we just submitted the draft to the publisher)!
Pi, which begins 3.14, is a number that has long fascinated people, as it keeps going and going and going. In other words, it’s a number we can’t even fully describe, yet at the same time, it’s useful in an amazing number of situations (including in helping us measure circles).
Pi reminds us of our limited knowledge (we can’t even fully describe parts of God’s creation) and should cause us turn in awe and wonder at God’s greatness!
Yet instead, many get lost focusing on the number pi itself–worshiping the creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:20-23).
For more thoughts on pi, check out “Thoughts on Pi,” as well as this lesson from Principles of Mathematics. They both have information you could share with your students now or whenever you cover pi; you could also have students apply pi themselves by finding the circumference of a few circles…or, for older students, by using one of the many physics formulas that utilize pi (see this Wikipedia list for ideas). Update: NASA has put together a Pi Day Challenge that shows just how useful pi is! Note that NASA does not come from a biblical worldview, so please use discernment (while most problems looked great, one at least hinted at finding life on other planets).
When looking at pi or any area of math, remember to point students to the Creator and not to the creation itself.
Reminder: We’ve got a lot of math resources (and even curriculum) to help you teach math as a real-life tool that points to the Creator.
Please share this post with your friends to help them see God’s handiwork in math too!
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).
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.
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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… 
