Thursday, September 10, 2015

Nitzavim- Thinking about Mathematical Language

"...your small children, your women, and your convert who is in the midst of your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water..." ~Devarim 29:10
"Hashem, your G-d, will bring you to the land which your forefathers took possession and you shall take possession of it; He will do good to you and make you more numerous than your forefathers." ~Devarim 30:5
"...that which I command you today, to love Hashem, your G-d, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His ordinances; and you will live and you will multiply, and Hashem, your G-d, will bless you in the land to which you come, to take possession of it." ~Devarim 30:16
"...I tell you today that you will surely be lost; you will not lengthen your days upon the land that you cross the Jordan to come there, to take possession of it." ~Devarim 30:18

Math Connection:
I first wrote about mathematical language back in my 1st posting on Parshat Shemot. When speaking about mathematically related words and descriptions, students (and sometimes adults) will mix up or interchange terms without realizing the implications of the words that they choose to use. Careful word choice is important in any use of language, and that applies to mathematical language, as well. 

Some specific mathematically related descriptions to consider from this week's parsha:

  • "small children"- what information does that tell you? why is that an important detail? how might you define small?
  • First it says "make you more numerous", and later it says "you will multiply"- (note that my quotes are from my Artscroll edition; in the Sefaria.org translation, it actually translates both locations as "multiply") How does the second description further define the first description? Does it make it clearer? In what way will you become more numerous? How much greater will you be? In what way will the numbers increase?
  • Later it says "lengthen your days"- what's the difference between multiplying and lengthening? Is one description more specific than the other? Or do they indicate different meanings?

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