^{Image courtesy of S. Harris}

“”I understand you are good with numbers,” the lady says.

Randy is really racking his brain now. How does this woman know he’s a numbers kind of guy? “I’m good with math,” he finally says.

“Isn’t that what I said?”

“Nah, mathematicians stay away from actual, specific numbers as much as possible. We like to talk about numbers without actually exposing ourselves to them—that’s what computers are for.”

Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon

It’s not something that I go bragging on very often, but I’m pretty good at math — good enough to have considered actually getting a degree in it in college (I quit after Abstract Algebra, but before Real Analysis).  I’m the kind of guy who actually read the equations in Cryptonomicon; the kind of guy whose family asks to do arithmetic in his head when it’s time to divide up the check (which I’m not good at, by the way; read the quote!); the kind of guy who immediately questions the statistics that sports commentators toss out at playoff time (“He’s batting over .500 in late-inning pressure situations in night games in the post-season, Jim!”  Doug: “Uh, yeah, that’s because he’s only been in that situation three times, you doofus.”).

You’ve met me.  Or others like me.  Or maybe — maybe! — you’re a math geek yourself.  Are you?  Are you a math geek?  (Or, if you’re a member of the British Empire, a “maths” geek.)

Well, celebrate that, my geeky friend!  For it is our time to celebrate, our time to get a Day!  Our World Math Day!

(Well, okay, it was yesterday–it’s the first Wednesday in March.  But all is not lost!  Read on!)

The math geeks of the world can actually celebrate again on Einstein’s birthday (129 this year, and he doesn’t look a day over 75!), 3/14, which is equal to the three-digit approximation of pi (3.1415926535 etc.).

In that vein, I think it’s safe to say that Hungarian mathematician Ernő Rubik was a wee bit startled by the unbelievable success of his mathematical puzzle, the Rubik’s Cube.

^{Photo courtesy of Idske Mulder @ joe-ks.com}

But it was.  And in honor of that, and the celebration of World Math Day, the Rubik’s Cube is being reimagined as an actual teaching tool.  More than a thousand schools in the U.S. are using the cube to demonstrate and teach about topics like area, perimeter, volume, and other stuff you non-math-geeks probably hoped you’d never have to hear about again.

But math geeks love that stuff!  So you math geeks, head on over to site that’s trying to realize this Rubik-based vision, www.YouCanDoTheCube.com.  After all, how often does World Math Day come around?

The first Wednesday of March is better known as World Math Day – and later this month on March 14th, we’ll celebrate math again for Einstein’s birthday and because it represents the common three-digit approximation for pi – 3.14.

Have you long forgotten the meaning of words like “polynomial” and “infinitesimal?”  Do you use your cell phone to calculate tip after a meal?  If yes, it might be time to brush up on your math skills with…a Rubik’s Cube!

The world’s most famous puzzle is reinventing itself as a classroom tool to teach such math principles as area, perimeter, volume, angles and algorithms.  Currently, 1,000+ schools in 48 states (grades 3-12) across the U.S. are using the You CAN Do The Rubik’s Cube Program.  The lesson plans are aligned with national and state curriculum frameworks and the standards set by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).

Check out the new website, www.YouCanDoTheCube.com, dedicated to helping make math more fun.  Calculating the base area, total surface area, and volume of a Rubik’s Cube are just warm-up activities.