Grouse

[rhu]

According to today's NYT, part of the proposed national curriculum states that third graders should "[u]nderstand that rectangular regions can be tiled with squares in rows and columns, or decomposed into such arrays." (K-12 Math Standards, p. 21)

But that's not true. By definition, if the sides of a rectangle are in an irrational proportion, it cannot be decomposed into an array of squares.

Comments

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

Heresy. People have been KILLED for saying things like that. You remember what happened to Hippasus when he said something very similar to what you just said . . .

But it's okay. It's only EUROPEAN paper sizes that are based on the square root of 2 as their aspect ratio. The AMERICAN paper size of 8.5 inches by 11 inches IS rational.

[lucretia-borgia.livejournal.com]

Geek! Right back atcha.

[rubrick.livejournal.com]

Wait— you expected national educational standards to be based on truth? In America?

[rymrytr.livejournal.com]

Tell it like it is, Brother Rubrick... tell it like it is! :o)