8d • The Math Lounge
One.
When I think about things I find interesting in math, I keep circling back to 1.
In some ways, it’s the simplest number—just one thing. And yet, 1 wears so many disguises. The invisible 1 trips students up all the time: in 3x + x, in x^1, in coefficients that are “there but not written.”
When we simplify fractions, rationalize denominators, or even dividing by a complex number, we handle the problem by multiplying by one—just not the obvious one. We choose a form of 1 that changes everything while changing nothing
I’m curious—what’s a concept like this for you?
Something small or “obvious” that turns out to be doing a ton of hidden work in math?
1
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One.
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