# Today in the Classroom

Me: Instead of the sum of squares we can also try to minimize the maximal distance

$$f(c) = \max_\limits{1 \le k \le n} |x_k-c|$$

What would be the result, assuming we have the points in order

$$x_1 < \ldots < x_n$$

Silence …

After two painful minutes, Me: Okay, let’s make a sketch. If c is here

What is the value of f(c)?

Silence …

I can see from some faces that they know the answers, or at least have an idea about it. But still, silence.

Only after a long while with me impatiently waiting for any response, I can hear a whisper: In the middle.

So what is this? Are they afraid to show silliness? No posing? Is this problem so hard? I cannot say.

Currently, I assume that these Bachelor students are trained to passively absorb math. It starts in school, and continues, much worse, in University. How we can break through this I do not know. There are some legal problems involved. You can no longer enforce active participation. That was an illusion anyway. But we should generate a climate where students don’t feel bad about making mistakes. After all, learning math is not flight training. How to do that against the habits of all other classes is something I would love to learn.

## 2 Gedanken zu „Today in the Classroom“

1. mga010 Beitragsautor