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Fun Stuff => MAKE => Topic started by: Valrus on 07 Mar 2008, 08:55

Title: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: Valrus on 07 Mar 2008, 08:55
So I was given an assignment in my teaching methods class to answer a question about A4 paper, which went like this:
Quote
In the U.S., standard-sized paper is 8.5” by 11”. In Europe, standard-sized paper is called A4 paper, and is not quite the same size as ours.
A0 paper has an area of 1 sq. meter.
A1 paper, A2 paper, A3 and A4 paper are all mathematically similar to A0 paper.
To get A1 paper, you cut A0 paper in half (which way?).
To get A2, you cut A1 in half, and so on.
What are the dimensions of A4 paper?
Is A4 paper similar to our standard paper?

Somehow I decided that it would be a good idea to overachieve the shit out of it, and the following 4-page comic was the result. I hope someone finds it entertaining and, dare I say, edifying?

(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3280/2314467659_1f50d3c9b8_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22928162@N00/2314467659/)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2185/2314467661_a7273c07f4_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22928162@N00/2314467661/)
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3210/2314467663_31fd4dc148_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22928162@N00/2314467663/)
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2074/2314467669_0821f49a98_o.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/22928162@N00/2314467669/)
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: GenericName on 10 Mar 2008, 06:38
I am in awe.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: ledhendrix on 10 Mar 2008, 07:08
Wow, that is rather excellent.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: mooface on 10 Mar 2008, 07:47
this is really cute!  it reminds me of a math book for kids that i had when i was little.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: Cam on 12 Mar 2008, 08:56
That was superb.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: Doug S. Machina on 13 Mar 2008, 05:09
That's really good. I am also in awe.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: Liz on 10 Apr 2008, 14:53
I thought it was ridiculously excellent. You should write math textbooks so kids actually like the subject.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: Narr on 10 Apr 2008, 15:05
I was grinning the whole time reading it.  The whole "FIGHT!" thing made me laugh.  Math people should fight more often, I think.  There's always so many ways to solve a problem, after all.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: Turtle on 10 Apr 2008, 16:16
I was grinning the whole time reading it.  The whole "FIGHT!" thing made me laugh.  Math people should fight more often, I think.  There's always so many ways to solve a problem, after all.
I actually had a class however many years ago where we would do just that. Not on a regular basis or anything, but occasionally we would have a contest between two or three people to see who could math fastest.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: RobbieOC on 10 Apr 2008, 21:35
I can't believe I hated math as a kid. I wish I had studied it harder.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: ImRonBurgundy? on 11 Apr 2008, 02:10
That is pretty neat.  It reminds me of a comic this guy in one of my classes did last year about a Japanese boy who falls asleep while studying English and wakes up in Grammarland (or something) and he meets a group of punctuation mark-styled characters named "The Punktuations".  There's Perry, who only speaks in sentences ending in periods; Mark, who only speaks in short statements ending in exclamation marks ("I'M MARK! LOL!"); Colin, whose statements always include a semicolon at some point; and Quincy, who only asks questions.  It was a really entertaining read.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: rynne on 11 Apr 2008, 09:03
Wow, that’s incredibly well done!  I wish all algebra solutions where that entertaining. 

How long did it take you to decide how you were gonna lay everything out?
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: ruyi on 11 Apr 2008, 16:02
This is really fantastic! I am going to link the hell out of this.
Title: Re: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About A4 Paper: A Math Comic
Post by: Valrus on 11 Apr 2008, 20:17
How long did it take you to decide how you were gonna lay everything out?

I actually just sorta made it up as I went along. That's why it ends kind of abruptly; I didn't want to use a fifth page. :P

Unfortunately I am student teaching right now and I am basically working from before dawn until after dusk most days. So I will certainly not have time to produce anything like this again in the near future.

The comments have been awesome. I'm glad you all liked it.