Matt Enlow
@unsolvedmre.bsky.social
Mathematician, math teacher, math enthusiast, math/art-ist. Universal humanizer.
Pinned
Three words/phrases you never want to hear from your plumber when you're describing your problem over the phone: "absolute nightmare," "worst-case scenario," and "jackhammer"
February 2, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Three words/phrases you never want to hear from your plumber when you're describing your problem over the phone: "absolute nightmare," "worst-case scenario," and "jackhammer"
One superpower #math gives me is the ability to picture an interesting object in my head, spark up #Mathematica, and within a few minutes figure out how to make it "real." It's intoxicating!
(code in ALT)
(code in ALT)
January 31, 2026 at 3:50 PM
One superpower #math gives me is the ability to picture an interesting object in my head, spark up #Mathematica, and within a few minutes figure out how to make it "real." It's intoxicating!
(code in ALT)
(code in ALT)
After a few weeks of repeated discussion and revision, here is where the Axiom (& Theorem) List for ℤ that my Advanced Topics class has been generating from scratch—with some prodding and guardrails provided by me—currently stands. (Proofs of the Theorems are located elsewhere.)
#MathSky #iTeachMath
#MathSky #iTeachMath
January 22, 2026 at 7:31 PM
After a few weeks of repeated discussion and revision, here is where the Axiom (& Theorem) List for ℤ that my Advanced Topics class has been generating from scratch—with some prodding and guardrails provided by me—currently stands. (Proofs of the Theorems are located elsewhere.)
#MathSky #iTeachMath
#MathSky #iTeachMath
Why are the emails that require the meagerest of replies—"All set!" "Thank you!" "Great! See you then!"—sometimes the hardest to get myself to write?!? Makes no sense. Stupid #ADHD brain...
January 20, 2026 at 3:14 PM
Why are the emails that require the meagerest of replies—"All set!" "Thank you!" "Great! See you then!"—sometimes the hardest to get myself to write?!? Makes no sense. Stupid #ADHD brain...
Student 1: I don’t get this.
Student 2: Oh! Let me show you a trick my tutor showed me.
Me: 😑🤐
S1: *shows S2*
S2: OMG, that is so EASY! Mr. Enlow, why didn’t you teach us this?!?
Me: 😑😑😑😑😑
Student 2: Oh! Let me show you a trick my tutor showed me.
Me: 😑🤐
S1: *shows S2*
S2: OMG, that is so EASY! Mr. Enlow, why didn’t you teach us this?!?
Me: 😑😑😑😑😑
January 14, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Student 1: I don’t get this.
Student 2: Oh! Let me show you a trick my tutor showed me.
Me: 😑🤐
S1: *shows S2*
S2: OMG, that is so EASY! Mr. Enlow, why didn’t you teach us this?!?
Me: 😑😑😑😑😑
Student 2: Oh! Let me show you a trick my tutor showed me.
Me: 😑🤐
S1: *shows S2*
S2: OMG, that is so EASY! Mr. Enlow, why didn’t you teach us this?!?
Me: 😑😑😑😑😑
Please stop teaching the "X method" for factoring.
And please de-stigmatize "guess-check-revise."
Yes, it's slower. But it yields SO much more actual learning and understanding than blindly following an algorithm does.
#iTeachMath #MathSky
And please de-stigmatize "guess-check-revise."
Yes, it's slower. But it yields SO much more actual learning and understanding than blindly following an algorithm does.
#iTeachMath #MathSky
January 12, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Please stop teaching the "X method" for factoring.
And please de-stigmatize "guess-check-revise."
Yes, it's slower. But it yields SO much more actual learning and understanding than blindly following an algorithm does.
#iTeachMath #MathSky
And please de-stigmatize "guess-check-revise."
Yes, it's slower. But it yields SO much more actual learning and understanding than blindly following an algorithm does.
#iTeachMath #MathSky
An update to my ring project. This was not easy to achieve! #mathart #3DPrinting #Mathematica #MeshLab
January 9, 2026 at 1:48 PM
An update to my ring project. This was not easy to achieve! #mathart #3DPrinting #Mathematica #MeshLab
Now that Shapeways has apparently risen from its ashes (with the help of @thangs3d.bsky.social ), I'm trying to design an interesting ring. Copies of this one nestle inside each other nicely. #3DPrinting #Mathematica #MeshLab
January 4, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Now that Shapeways has apparently risen from its ashes (with the help of @thangs3d.bsky.social ), I'm trying to design an interesting ring. Copies of this one nestle inside each other nicely. #3DPrinting #Mathematica #MeshLab
Finally got around to this. I’ve only read the Introduction so far, but it is so good. I want to force everyone in the world to read it (and decide for themselves whether to continue).
I’ll have to settle for “everyone in my household.” 😁
@jsellenberg.bsky.social
I’ll have to settle for “everyone in my household.” 😁
@jsellenberg.bsky.social
January 1, 2026 at 4:27 PM
Finally got around to this. I’ve only read the Introduction so far, but it is so good. I want to force everyone in the world to read it (and decide for themselves whether to continue).
I’ll have to settle for “everyone in my household.” 😁
@jsellenberg.bsky.social
I’ll have to settle for “everyone in my household.” 😁
@jsellenberg.bsky.social
Cool! The circles in an Apollonian Gasket can all have an equation of the form (n|x|-a)² + (n|y|-b)² = 1, where n is a positive integer, and a & b are non-negative integers < n. www.desmos.com/calculator/6...
#MathSky #iTeachMath
#MathSky #iTeachMath
Apollonian Gasket
www.desmos.com
December 28, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Cool! The circles in an Apollonian Gasket can all have an equation of the form (n|x|-a)² + (n|y|-b)² = 1, where n is a positive integer, and a & b are non-negative integers < n. www.desmos.com/calculator/6...
#MathSky #iTeachMath
#MathSky #iTeachMath
Three mutually tangent spheres with radii 1, 2, and 3 units are centered, respectively, at (0,0,0), (3,0,0), and (0,4,0). There are only two planes tangent to all three spheres, and they intersect in a line in the x-y plane. Find an equation (in x&y) for that line.
#MathSky #iTeachMath #math #maths
#MathSky #iTeachMath #math #maths
December 27, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Three mutually tangent spheres with radii 1, 2, and 3 units are centered, respectively, at (0,0,0), (3,0,0), and (0,4,0). There are only two planes tangent to all three spheres, and they intersect in a line in the x-y plane. Find an equation (in x&y) for that line.
#MathSky #iTeachMath #math #maths
#MathSky #iTeachMath #math #maths
Last day of classes. Second-to-last class of the day. Algebra II Honors.
A student says, "Why did I bother coming to school today? All I've done, in multiple classes, is watch 'Elf'!" 🤨
(Said student was somehow NOT happy that we were "actually doing math" today. 🤷♂️)
#iTeachMath
A student says, "Why did I bother coming to school today? All I've done, in multiple classes, is watch 'Elf'!" 🤨
(Said student was somehow NOT happy that we were "actually doing math" today. 🤷♂️)
#iTeachMath
December 19, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Last day of classes. Second-to-last class of the day. Algebra II Honors.
A student says, "Why did I bother coming to school today? All I've done, in multiple classes, is watch 'Elf'!" 🤨
(Said student was somehow NOT happy that we were "actually doing math" today. 🤷♂️)
#iTeachMath
A student says, "Why did I bother coming to school today? All I've done, in multiple classes, is watch 'Elf'!" 🤨
(Said student was somehow NOT happy that we were "actually doing math" today. 🤷♂️)
#iTeachMath
December 18, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Given our ability to program clouds of drones, it can't be too long before we get self-rearranging desks in our classrooms
Pre-program a few arrangements, then just push a button and wait 60 seconds, and boom
Pre-program a few arrangements, then just push a button and wait 60 seconds, and boom
December 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Given our ability to program clouds of drones, it can't be too long before we get self-rearranging desks in our classrooms
Pre-program a few arrangements, then just push a button and wait 60 seconds, and boom
Pre-program a few arrangements, then just push a button and wait 60 seconds, and boom
Fibonacci Voronoi-ing in #MeshLab (with assistance from #Mathematica, of course)
December 18, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Fibonacci Voronoi-ing in #MeshLab (with assistance from #Mathematica, of course)
For today’s Advanced Topics test I wrote my own
@joeldavidhamkins.bsky.social -style question 😁
#iteachmath #MathSky
@joeldavidhamkins.bsky.social -style question 😁
#iteachmath #MathSky
December 15, 2025 at 3:03 PM
For today’s Advanced Topics test I wrote my own
@joeldavidhamkins.bsky.social -style question 😁
#iteachmath #MathSky
@joeldavidhamkins.bsky.social -style question 😁
#iteachmath #MathSky
"I’m honored, obviously, to get to be one of the people that gets to choose which movies get made, and which ones don’t. That’s huge. And I got into all this because I love movies! But… now I have this fear… that my job is to ruin them."
-- Matt Remick (Seth Rogen), "The Studio"
Man do I feel that.
-- Matt Remick (Seth Rogen), "The Studio"
Man do I feel that.
December 14, 2025 at 8:37 PM
"I’m honored, obviously, to get to be one of the people that gets to choose which movies get made, and which ones don’t. That’s huge. And I got into all this because I love movies! But… now I have this fear… that my job is to ruin them."
-- Matt Remick (Seth Rogen), "The Studio"
Man do I feel that.
-- Matt Remick (Seth Rogen), "The Studio"
Man do I feel that.
I got tired of my Alg II Honors students asking me when their tests would be graded, so I created a Google Sheet that simulates a "Progress Bar." And I don't have to update it manually; I tied it to a separate Sheet where I log their scores on individual questions, so it updates as I fill it out 🤓
December 14, 2025 at 8:32 PM
I got tired of my Alg II Honors students asking me when their tests would be graded, so I created a Google Sheet that simulates a "Progress Bar." And I don't have to update it manually; I tied it to a separate Sheet where I log their scores on individual questions, so it updates as I fill it out 🤓
Get you a Department Head who recognizes when a meeting can be an email and cancels the former accordingly 🥰
December 11, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Get you a Department Head who recognizes when a meeting can be an email and cancels the former accordingly 🥰
Y'all, I made an example problem in Geometry class this morning that had a 67° angle in it, and the most I got was smirks.
I think we're finally on the other side of it.
I think we're finally on the other side of it.
December 9, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Y'all, I made an example problem in Geometry class this morning that had a 67° angle in it, and the most I got was smirks.
I think we're finally on the other side of it.
I think we're finally on the other side of it.
TFW you search for an answer to a very niche technical question and your primary result is someone else asking the same question on some message board, ten years ago, with zero responses
December 8, 2025 at 8:02 PM
TFW you search for an answer to a very niche technical question and your primary result is someone else asking the same question on some message board, ten years ago, with zero responses
The latest iteration of this Fibonacci spiral #mathgif uses closed BSplineCurves instead of polygons.
There is this odd behavior I'm observing away from the center that reminds me of soap bubbles combining. I can't decide how I feel about it.
#Mathematica #mathart
There is this odd behavior I'm observing away from the center that reminds me of soap bubbles combining. I can't decide how I feel about it.
#Mathematica #mathart
December 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM
The latest iteration of this Fibonacci spiral #mathgif uses closed BSplineCurves instead of polygons.
There is this odd behavior I'm observing away from the center that reminds me of soap bubbles combining. I can't decide how I feel about it.
#Mathematica #mathart
There is this odd behavior I'm observing away from the center that reminds me of soap bubbles combining. I can't decide how I feel about it.
#Mathematica #mathart