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From Man or Angel
the great
Architect
Did
wisely to conceal,
and not divulge,
His secrets, to be
scanned by them who
ought
Rather
admire. Or, if they
list to try
Conjecture, he his
fabric of the
Heavens
Hath
left to their
disputes -- perhaps
to move
His
laughter at their
quaint opinions
wide
Hereafter,
when they come to
model Heaven
And calculate the
stars: how they will
wield
The
mighty frame: how
build, unbuild,
contrive
To
save appearances;
how gird the
Sphere
With
Centric and
Eccentric scribbled
o'er,
Cycle and
Epicycle, Orb in
Orb.
[From
Paradise
Lost]
Paradise Lost.
Loci: Convergence
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Using Historical Problems in the Middle School
Introduction
The use of historical problems in the middle school has many advantages. The dissonance created by such problems challenges the student to focus more carefully on the critical variables. These variables may be hidden in an unfamiliar context, in a language that seems different, or in a cultural setting unlike their own. Once the students have identified the critical variables they can then bring to bear their mathematical skills.
The problems that follow can be solved using the arithmetic and algebra skills typically learned in the middle school.