Stressed out? Try some math!

Stressed out? Try some math!

(Developing a case for using math to generate cognitive load distraction

from the ‘news of the day’)

Debra Plowman, PhD

COEHD

Curriculum, Instruction and Learning Sciences

On top of the demands of work and school, daily news of the COVID-19  Pandemic brings us has created a lot of stress in our everyday lives. When I am stressed my wonderful partner will give me a math problem.  

“What?” you say, “A math problem? That would make me more stressed!” 

Sadly, it is true that for many people the mere thought of solving a math problem stresses them out. But hang in with me for a few paragraphs and I’ll explain why that is not so for us and how math works as a de-stressor for me. Perhaps it can also help you, too.

How many people have used counting sheep or even counting backwards to go to sleep? In my personal experience concentrating on one thing, by counting backwards from 1000 for example, can occupy just enough brain power for a moment that I let other thoughts go. In other words, counting provides just enough “cognitive load” that I let go of thoughts that are preventing me from sleep. 

I have often wondered about why it works.  While not much research has been conducted on this particular strategy, the idea aligns with what is known about concentrative meditation as a strategy to relieve stress. Research on these types of meditation have found increased theta wave activity --  an indicator of relaxation  -- associated with attentional focus on  simple cognitive tasks (e.g. Baijal & Srinivasan 2010; Cuthbert, et  al 1981) .  Using math to relax helps me forget about other things if the problem is “just right”. The cognitive load encountered in doing these “just right” problems allows an immersion in thought that can provide a needed break from the heavier challenges everyday life bombards us with. 

As an example of a ‘just right’ mathematical tasks, I like to play with 99  + anything. 99 + 3 is 102 because 99 and one more makes 100 and just two more is 102. 99 + 56 works the same way.  Use any starting number you want to and you will find a pattern. Try 67  + anything. What patterns will arise? I encourage you to do these in your head. I also enjoy multiplication puzzles like 4 times anything or 50 times anything. For example, 50 times a number is  the same as 100 times the number divided by 2.

There are several problems that Number Theorists have yet to solve, but are easily  studied by a common person. Here are a couple of examples of famous problems that make what I call “just right” for relieving stress. A “just right” problem begins with an easy idea that you can use simple mathematics to begin to explore. The Collatz[†] Conjecture is a famous unsolved problem in mathematics that anyone can explore using a sequence rules: a) pick any whole number (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,….) b) if your number is even, then divide by two and if the number is odd then multiply by 3 and add 1, c) if the next result is an even number, divide by 2, if not, multiply by 3 and add 1. Keep doing those steps until you get an answer of 1. The conjecture is that any whole number selected will always end at 1. Another interesting question related to these sequences is the predictability of the length of sequences given any number.  

Okay, so let’s give a number a try using the rules involved in the Collatz Conjecture. Let’s try starting with  10.

Example with the Number  10

·      So, 10 is even, divide by 2 and you get 5. 

·      Five is odd so multiply by 3 and add 1 and you get 16. 

·      16 is even and now divide by 2, that’s 8 so divide by 2 again and you get 4. 

·      Four is  even so divide by 2 again you get 2 and then 2 again and you get 1. Done!

Number theorists record these sequences to look for patterns and the pattern we created here is: 10,5,16,8,4,2,1- a 7-number long sequence. Doing this in your head is fairly easy, the rules are simple and you have to  concentrate just enough to keep the numbers straight, but it is complex enough so that other thoughts cannot intrude. This meets my criteria for a math stress reliever. Another thing to notice is if I had begun with the number 16 a larger number, my sequence would have been shorter at just 5 numbers in length (16, 8,4,2,1).

Try  a couple of numbers yourself to see. Try it while you are walking somewhere, or sitting on the couch trying to not check your phone for news alerts, or even, trying to fall asleep. Share the love! Play around with the conjecture with a friend so you both are not looking at the news! 

Another ‘Big Unsolved’ is the Goldbach Conjecture, that all even numbers can be written at the sum of two primes. This conjecture has been around since the early 1730s, and the largest number ever tested is 4 x 10¹⁴ (that is 4 with 14 zeros!). And yes, it worked. An interesting thing about working with this problem is that it takes a little more exploration, rather than the straight-forward, mechanical operation of Collatz. This can start with a conversation on an afternoon walk, and end with writing some simple calculations down and looking for patterns. 

So, I have shared a few examples of what works for me, and I hope that you will find solace in these ideas. I also want to share some other math diversions that can help you get through these times. The first two are YouTube channels which fall into the category of “Math-tainment” and the third is an invaluable resource to find fun and engaging math tasks to do with the whole family. I have presented more ideas and thoughts in this vein on my blog: Math Nerd Under Construction (http://debbieplowman.blogspot.com).

Enjoy your Cognitive Load!

Numberphile (https://www.numberphile.com)

The host is video-journalist Brady Haran. He interviews mathematicians from around the world who are willing to explain in engaging ways about many topics often using plain brown paper and simple drawings and calculations.

3 Blue 1 Brown (https://www.3blue1brown.com)

Grant Sanderson, author of this channel uses visualization to share big mathematical ideas. Math “eye-candy”, if you will, that allows you to see the mathematics even if you are not ready to make any calculations.

NRich Maths (https://nrich.maths.org)

I have used this website to do some math on my own as well as curate for lessons with my students  as well as families. The description directly from the website explains it best: 

“NRICH is an innovative collaboration between the Faculties of Mathematics and Education at the University of Cambridge, part of the University’s Millennium Mathematics Project. NRICH provides thousands of free online mathematics resources for ages 3 to 18, covering all stages of early years, primary and secondary school education - completely free and available to all.”

References

Cuthbert, B., Kristeller, J., Simons, R., Hodes, R., & Lang, P. J. (1981). Strategies of arousal control: Biofeedback, meditation, and motivation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 110(4), 518.

Baijal, S., & Srinivasan, N. (2010). Theta activity and meditative states: spectral changes during concentrative meditation. Cognitive processing, 11(1), 31-38.

Thanks Tony for finding my de-stress zone and for the counseling reference help!

---

[†] Named after Luther Collatz, but also explored by  other mathematicians and  other names such as the Syracuse problem, and the hailstone sequence or numbers