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What commonly accepted knowledge has your AL challenged or refused to believe?


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Following on from Lace's comment about greater-than and less-than symbols and those troublesome crocodiles who won't just do what the textbook says....

 

 

One for us was related to all quadrilaterals having 360 degrees.

 

"Mum, don't you think that there could be a situation, somewhere in this infinite universe, where that isn't true?" 

 

We drew them in all shapes and sizes, chopped out their corners and what do you know? They ALWAYS fit together into a neat circle - yay 360 degrees.

 

"But why does it have to be 360?" And then off on the tangent of ancient civilisations loving the number 6 and 60 ....

 

 

Sometimes, just to have something accepted would be ... nice.

 

But the world needs questioners. I just wish I had more energy for raising this one.

 

 

What do your ALs question or refuse to believe?

 

 

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Following on from Lace's comment about greater-than and less-than symbols and those troublesome crocodiles who won't just do what the textbook says....

 

 

One for us was related to all quadrilaterals having 360 degrees.

 

"Mum, don't you think that there could be a situation, somewhere in this infinite universe, where that isn't true?" 

 

We drew them in all shapes and sizes, chopped out their corners and what do you know? They ALWAYS fit together into a neat circle - yay 360 degrees.

 

"But why does it have to be 360?"

 

Not sure it does... what about non-Euclidean geometry? Mathy people?

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Your LO might get thrills from draping string between points on a sphere in order to create triangles whose interior angles sum to greater than 180 degrees. :)

 

Oh my, this sounds awesome and right up her alley (and brain melting for me....)

 

I'll need to research this a bit so that I have any clue of understanding.

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