4 ms·

TL; DR: “Let τ=2π” It's a simple substitution, and it should be used "when it's convenient to". I really don't see any innovation in the article as everything

by gbaygon 15y ago

TL; DR: “Let τ=2π” It's a simple substitution, and it should be used "when it's convenient to". I really don't see any innovation in the article as everything in it is directly derived from the above mentioned substitution.

jessriedel 15y ago
Using τ is better than using π for the same reason (albeit not as strong a reason) that using π is better than using g=17π. It has little to do with convenience, and more to do with conceptual clarity. Actually, the difference between g and π might be less bad, because at least when mysterious factors of 17 appear you would know where they came from. On the other hand, the factor of 2 that rides along when you choose to use π over τ could come be confused with a million other factors of 2.
sophacles 15y ago
It isn't innovation from a math sense, it's innovation in a pedagogical sense. Once you've internalized pi (and math in general) it is pretty hard to see what is so difficult about it (a well studied issue with expert knowledge and teaching things to novices). However a simplification from the point of view of the novice who doesn't "just get it" is a good thing.
- tokenadult 15y ago
  However a simplification from the point of view of the novice who doesn't "just get it" is a good thing. Questions about mathematics pedagogy are inherently empirical, and should be answered by observation of actual learners. So where is the evidence that learners who don't get how to use π will be better able to learn mathematics if they use τ to tackle the same problems?
  - sophacles 15y ago
    I don't know. Perhaps they are still at the "convince someone to actually try it for an entire n-year math curriculum" stage? It's not like using Tau is something that you can do in class for a week and expect better results. Even if you try the lesser "here's tau, always substitute 2pi with tau" every couple years on a group of students and track them through their math learning, it takes time and a lot of effort to get those numbers. In the mean time, there is lots of anecdotal evidence of people understanding a lot of concepts easier with it, suggesting these studies be done in a scientific way.
- deleted 15y ago
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by gbaygon 15y ago

jessriedel 15y ago

Using τ is better than using π for the same reason (albeit not as strong a reason) that using π is better than using g=17π. It has little to do with convenience, and more to do with conceptual clarity. Actually, the difference between g and π might be less bad, because at least when mysterious factors of 17 appear you would know where they came from. On the other hand, the factor of 2 that rides along when you choose to use π over τ could come be confused with a million other factors of 2.

sophacles 15y ago

It isn't innovation from a math sense, it's innovation in a pedagogical sense. Once you've internalized pi (and math in general) it is pretty hard to see what is so difficult about it (a well studied issue with expert knowledge and teaching things to novices). However a simplification from the point of view of the novice who doesn't "just get it" is a good thing.

tokenadult 15y ago
However a simplification from the point of view of the novice who doesn't "just get it" is a good thing. Questions about mathematics pedagogy are inherently empirical, and should be answered by observation of actual learners. So where is the evidence that learners who don't get how to use π will be better able to learn mathematics if they use τ to tackle the same problems?
- sophacles 15y ago
  I don't know. Perhaps they are still at the "convince someone to actually try it for an entire n-year math curriculum" stage? It's not like using Tau is something that you can do in class for a week and expect better results. Even if you try the lesser "here's tau, always substitute 2pi with tau" every couple years on a group of students and track them through their math learning, it takes time and a lot of effort to get those numbers. In the mean time, there is lots of anecdotal evidence of people understanding a lot of concepts easier with it, suggesting these studies be done in a scientific way.
deleted 15y ago
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