Writing About Math

Background

You might be surprised that you are asked to write short responses to questions in this course. Writing in a math class? This course emphasizes writing for the following two reasons:

• Writing is a learning tool. Explaining things such as the meaning of values, how you calculated the value, or why you believe your calculation is correct deepens your own understanding of the material.
• Communication is an important skill in mathematics. Mathematics is used widely in today’s world in products such as reports, news articles, publicity materials, advertising, and grant applications.

Understanding the Task

One important strategy in writing is to make sure you understand the task. In this course, your tasks will be questions about how and why basic mathematics works the way it does, but in other situations the task might be a question on a report form, instructions from your employer, or a goal that you set for yourself. To begin to write successfully, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the topic of the writing task?
• What is the task telling me to do? Some examples are given below:
  • Describe how you found the answer.
  • Explain why you think you have the right answer.
  • Reflect on the process of coming up with the answer.
• What information am I given to help me with the task?

A Basic Writing Principle for Mathematics

Writing Principle: Use specific and complete information. The reader should understand what you are trying to say even if he or she has not read the question or writing prompt. This includes

• information about context, and
• quantitative information.