world's oldest Squirrel earns a Masters Degree in Mathematics..

[Ham]

Now the neighborhood is gone..

we admit Squirrels. Who is next..

[Shellon]

Congratulations ! That's wonderful.

Still teaching?

[waysider]

Well, it's about danged time, you wacky rodent!

Congratulations!

[dabobbada]

By world's oldest, I hope that doesn't mean you have that

"old critters road kill smell" :o

Seriously, Congraduations and all that to you!

Don't forget to hang low during Squirrel Season,

I would feel terrible if someone served up Fricassee with a Masters Degree.

:P

[Bramble]

Yay! Hope you are squirlling away lots of nummy nuts!

[Twinky]

Hmm, Ham...you know you isn't really a Doctor, don't you?

But is you really a Master?

Is you even a squirrel?

Hey, man,,, congratulations. It was a long hard slog, lotsa work. Well done.

Time now to enjoy ...

[ex70sHouston]

Congrates. Thats impressive. Does this mean you could work at Burger King and give correct change without the register telling you how much.

[Ham]

from the job opportunities in Michigan.. that is not far from the truth.

I got in at a local community college.. with *almost* the degree. So it is slim pickings.. until January.

Will, or can a Squirrel survive the freezing cold, and only teaching four credits worth of classes until January?

That is the BIG question here..

[waysider]

Will, or can a Squirrel survive the freezing cold, and only teaching four credits worth of classes until January?

At least you're in a position of being able to determine the statistical probabilities.

Edited August 10, 2011 by waysider

[Jim]

Congratulations. I've just passed some serious learning milestones and I'm fully aware that it doesn't come quite so easy anymore.

And be careful out there...

[krys]

Congratulations on receiving your sheepskin. That was a lot of hard work.

[Ham]

It came today..

seems it's been so long, but not so long.. time would have continued to drift along with or without the degree..

weird.

[Ham]

What was the "coolest" moment of the very last semester..

proving by induction that a midpoint convex function is convex, if it is continuous..

really.. I think it was at that point I was at least partially convinced that I knew what I was doing..

it was a proof with double induction. Before then, I had no idea what double induction even meant..

The professor there said something.. like.. "I don't even know if you can use induction like this with a function.."

If I ever instruct a calculus class, I will show them how to prove the power rule for differentiation with whole number exponents using induction.

Newton's series is way too much for something like that.. of course, that will be needed with fractional and irrational exponents.

[waysider]

No jokes or wacky analogies this time, Ham.

Just a big congratulations on a job well done.

I'm pretty sure it couldn't have been easy.

[BikerBabe]

What was the "coolest" moment of the very last semester..

proving by induction that a midpoint convex function is convex, if it is continuous..

really.. I think it was at that point I was at least partially convinced that I knew what I was doing..

it was a proof with double induction. Before then, I had no idea what double induction even meant..

The professor there said something.. like.. "I don't even know if you can use induction like this with a function.."

If I ever instruct a calculus class, I will show them how to prove the power rule for differentiation with whole number exponents using induction.

Newton's series is way too much for something like that.. of course, that will be needed with fractional and irrational exponents.

The diploma looks great my friend but .....

can you like, ummm, retype your post for me in english so I can understand it?

(Remember, I'm the one who passed Jr. High and High School math cause both teachers were my neighbors and they couldn't bear the thought of more than one year with me as a student. Passing with a D was just fine with me. At least I passed.)

You *do* know that 'math' is a 4 letter word, don't you?

[Ham]

OK..

Induction is not too hard to understand.

Suppose I wanted to prove that I could walk forever.

I would have to prove that I am able to take the first step.

Then assuming I took a certain number of steps, I would have to prove that I could take one more, which would be true regardless of any number of previous steps I have taken..

[GrouchoMarxJr]

Congrats Ham...I'm glad that there are people who really apply themselves to this discipline...me?...I have trouble balancing my checkbook...

[excathedra]

my congratulations to you ham -- you should be so proud of yourself -- what an achievement

love,e

ps. sidenote -- my brother-in-law has his PhD in the Philosophy of Mathematics -- he's a lot of fun at parties

i'm serious, he is!!!!!!!! i just don't if i should ask him to tutor my kid in high school math ;) ;) :0

mwah

[Ham]

I would love to meet him..

the Doctorate is about ten times harder..

if I were only twenty years younger, I would go for it..

I barely made it through the masters program here..

I think the only reason I made it, I found two professors who really loved me..

[excathedra]

who couldn't love you?

my sister met professor doug at princeton around the time brook shields was there - my sister said she's very tall :)

[Ham]

This semester, I'm teaching math at the basement level.

the local community college hired me before I had the degree.

So what am I teaching.. the last two math classes that anyone else did not take.

they have no idea of what they are missing.

I have assumed the role of my last professor..

I feel like I'm some kind of Indian guide, helping these students through the wilderness..

I know where they need to go and why..

it really can't get better than this..

well, if it can.. it will be when I have some of the same students in Intermediate Algebra, pre calc, calculus..

[Rocky]

This semester, I'm teaching math at the basement level.

the local community college hired me before I had the degree.

So what am I teaching.. the last two math classes that anyone else did not take.

they have no idea of what they are missing.

I have assumed the role of my last professor..

I feel like I'm some kind of Indian guide, helping these students through the wilderness..

I know where they need to go and why..

it really can't get better than this..

well, if it can.. it will be when I have some of the same students in Intermediate Algebra, pre calc, calculus..

I couldn't even "get" calculus as a sophomore undergrad. Probably the hardest class I ever took., besides advanced accounting. I sometimes dream of what it would be like to earn a law degree...

So, corngradumation HAM!

[Dot Matrix]

WOW, congratulations!