It took some very specific Google searching, but I finally found a math-related survey! It’s short, but it must be done. Because that’s what I do.

What got you interested in math?
Statistics, honestly. I was decent at math as a kid but I never really thought I’d be super interested in it. Then once I got into stats I HAD to take more math, so it just kind of developed from there. And once I took calculus? Yeah, then it kind of got crazy. I still don’t feel like I understand ANY of it on the same level I understand stats, but I’m hoping that the more I take the better understanding I gain.

What is your favorite area of mathematics?
Depends on what’s considered an area. Is statistics still considered an area of math or is it its own separate being? Or is it in the cluster of “applied math”? So if stats counts, then stats. If not, then calculus. I really, really like calculus.

Who is your favorite mathematician?
Gee, I have no idea.

What is your favorite mathematical symbol?
The integral symbol is definitely my favorite. I love writing it and the way it looks. And yes, I liked this symbol even before I knew Leibniz came up with it.

I also like the symbol for perpendicular lines, for whatever the hell reason.

What is your favorite equation, formula, or theorem?
If it isn’t evident by now, I really like calculus. So I’d have to say the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus is probably my favorite theorem.

Favorite math joke?
Oh god.
Stats one:
“The larger your sample size is, the more confident you can be that your sample mean is a good representation of the population mean. That is, the ‘n’ justifies the mean.”

And this:

OOH, and this. Not a math joke per se, but screw it, it’s awesome:
Newton, Leibniz, and Pascal were all playing hide-and-seek, and it was Leibniz’ turn to count. Pascal immediately runs off and finds a great hiding spot, while Newton simply stands out in the open and draws a one-meter square on the ground around himself. Leibniz finishes counting, and when he looks up, he sees Newton.
“Aha!” he yells, “I found you!”
Newton responds, “No, you found one Newton per square meter–you found Pascal!”

Who is/was your favorite math teacher in school?
My calc I teacher was fantastic. She was easily the best math teacher I’ve ever had. She was no-nonsense about everything and very factual, but was also very clear about what we were doing and why. And she also put up a sheet of math-related cartoons/puns on the overhead at the beginning of every Friday’s class, so that made her even more awesome.
If you ever have to take calc at the U of I, look for a class taught by Judi Terrio.

Do you have a mnemonic device (like PEMDAS) to remember something math-related?
I had a bunch of stupid things I’d say in my head to remember the trig substitutions, but I eventually just memorized them without the sayings because I was getting the sayings mixed up.
Getting your own mnemonics screwed up: welcome to Claudia Land.

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