Darth Vader explains the Pythagorean Theorem

As the man himself says, "Don't underestimate the dark side of the triangle."

Enjoy this novel way of teaching maths, even though this Darth Vader sounds a little bit like the Governor of California!

Thanks to Carol at mybellringers for the tip.

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Comments

[The bloke]

Thanks for posting! Check out this vid from Mister Teacher too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxPqhkuU720

[James]

I cannot believe the Times website has devoted space (on its home page no less) to this amateurish youtube clip. It has zero educational value and its not even funny!

[HarshButFair]

0/10 for effort, must do better...

[Ian Kemmish]

As a Cambridge maths graduate, I disagree - this is great!

Not least because to Pythagoreans, the hypotenuse _would_ have been "the dark side". Most of the time it's incommensurate with the other sides (without using those demonic irrational numbers) and there's no rule for predicting when it is and when it isn't....

[HarshButFair]

It's not the content of the youtube clip that I take issue with, rather it's the fact that posting the link with a couple of sentences of blurb is the contribution of a supposedly highly regarded journalist. This is the Times not Facebook.

It's really quite a pathetic effort.

[Sarah Ebner]

I'm sorry some of you don't like the clip, but I thought it was funny and, actually, that it did have some educational value (thanks Ian!). I also think it shows how teachers (and it was a teacher who put it together) sometimes come up with novel ways to explain things, and attract attention, in their classrooms.
School Gate is intended to be a mixture of different things - a clip about this one day, helpful pieces about GCSEs and A levels another, and, today, tips for what you need to know before your child starts reception. It's a broad look at anything connected with education.

[HarshButFair]

Well if this is all supposed to revolve around education, I'd suggest a good starting point would be to write English rather than trading in Americanisms.

And simply linking to content that can already be freely viewed by anyone on the web, without adding anything of consequence, is simply pointless.

[Robsdad]

I think you're being unfair. I enjoyed this post immensely and there's no way I would have just found it elsewhere on the web. This is a great way of flagging it up to a wider audience. I think you're being harsh, but not fair!

[Josh Curry]

I have to agree with previous posts that although this may be 'fun' and none the less interesting, that doesn't mean it is appropiate for posting on the Times front page. Surely if everything novel appeared on the page there would be no room for....let's say...Journalism?

[Colin Hoad]

What a bunch of carping old whingers you folks are! Does everything have to be terribly serious in order for it to merit your attention? If you don't like this sort of material, what on earth are you doing here reading it and clicking on the link, still less making grumpy comments about it?

Is it such a terrible thing to have a sense of humour?

[Josh Curry]

Colin you miss my point entirely. Sure my post was serious but I was simply pointing out that the link may not have been completely appropiate. There are many places on the web for such things and I simply felt readers of the Times website would expect more than a simple Youtube link with two lines of narrative.

You would probably feel it was inappropiate if a work colleague had emailed you this, and I feel it is the same for this website. Most people visit the site for informative articles and (mostly) serious discussion, mixed with humour.

[Colin Hoad]

Josh - virtually every serious news outlet has its own "fun" areas. Reuters has its "Oddly Enough" section, with plenty of video clips - many of which don't even have commentary. The BBC has its "Also in the news" area and "Oddbox" for slightly lighter news about obese pets and nudity competitions etc. Both sites link to their "fun" areas on the front page from time to time, and it is quite clear when the link is a less-than-serious one. Did you really think that a link on the Times front page entitled "Darth Vader explains the Pythagorean Theorem", complete with Darth Vader photo, was going to be a serious, in-depth analysis of mathematics tuition in the Galactic Empire?

Come on, let's all lighten up a little, shall we?

[Bellringers]

Wow! Sorry some of you didn't find the video amusing. As Sarah pointed out, teachers constantly strive to find new ways to teach content. We can't always rely on old teaching methods to deliver the content. As the saying goes, the times they are a changin' and good teachers are flexible and adjust.

Many of us try and inject a bit of humor into the classroom or try a creative spin. Perhaps Mr. Teacher's video isn't Oscar quality, but I bet the kids remember the message. And, isn't that the point after all?

[Mister Teacher]

Cheers, all!

I see Sarah's posting of my video has stirred up a little bit of a debate, and I'm sorry to see that, but I am deeply appreciative of the link from the Times AND of the comments from those of you who have enjoyed the video!

I teach 3rd grade, so the Pythagorean Theorem may be a bit beyond their grasp for now, but I am a huge Star Wars fan and a huge math(s) nut, so putting the two together was like the old "two great tastes that taste great together" commercial for Reese's from the 80s.

Thanks for posting, Sarah, and thanks for viewing, everyone else!

[Spike]

This YouTube video posting follows a basic tennant for retention of an advertised product. Which is "the simpler the concept the more the audience remembers." If Mr. Teacher used Harry Potter instead, would that be more appropriate for the London Times?

[Michael]

Hallo there!

I would like to point out the wasted time and bandwidth of these people posting the crass comments about the video. The explanation of the video was quite clear, and I figured the video itself was informative! Not only that, I also agree with Sarah that some teachers need to come up with novel ways to interact on a more understandable level with the children. If you don't want to watch the video, just go. Who are you to decide what should or shouldn't be on this site? Please, crawl back into whatever hole you came from, and let the rest of us enjoy.
Cheers,
Mike