Author: David Soquet, Math Teacher

Originally from Brittany, David Soquet graduated from the Université de Rennes, before becoming a math teacher. After honing his skills at a middle school near Paris, he joined the Lycée Français in 2008. He is the father of two children and is passionate about the history of science. In his teaching, he tries to balance the rigor required by mathematics with humor and discovery. He is very curious and his interests range from modular origami and norse mythology to Fritz Lang’s cinema and music.
Innovation

The Math Hatter Chronicle #14

In his latest installment, the Math Hatter stays current with a look at a formula for classroom arrangements in the era of social distancing, false positives in Covid-19 testing, and the late, great British mathematician John Conway. The unusually high number of calls received by the 1-800-MATHATTER hotline over the

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Community / Innovation

The Math Hatter Chronicle #11

Upon arriving at the Lycée, there are a few things a French teacher needs to adapt to, and I’m not talking about the seven-day schedule because that novelty is not exclusive to French teachers, nor new teachers for that matter. No, what I’m thinking about are these small details which

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Secondary

The Math Hatter Chronicle #10

I’m sure you heard that one : Cervantes and Shakespeare died on the same day, April 23, 1616. Isn’t that neat ? The two famous writers, arguably the best poets of their time, relinquishing their last breath at about the same time, a few miles apart. This fun fact surely

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Secondary

The Math Hatter Chronicle #8

I can’t sleep on a plane. I don’t think it’s due to fear of flying because I can’t sleep on a train either or any moving object for that matter. And if you’re anxious to get on planes I guess it’s the night before you can’t sleep because, once you’re

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Secondary

The Math Hatter Chronicle #7

Pythagoras was the Tom Thumb of Ancient Greece. Wherever he was going, the mathematician was carrying pebbles in his pockets, small stones. The reason is that Pythagoras liked to do calculations, a word that comes from the Latin calculus and literally means “stone”. A kidney stone is called a “calcul”

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Secondary

The Math Hatter Chronicle #6

I don’t know about you but I’ve always had a thing for bathtub problems. I know they are a bit out of fashion and may be responsible for a lot of despair among students of past generations but I always liked them for their ingenuity. Of course, these problems can

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