During the semester, one of the objectives is to describe the properties of parabolas. ”Parable” and “parabola” have the same etymology, so we asked students to describe the geometrical properties of their favorite parable.
Students internalized the definition of a parabola and were able to better understand the mathematics behind the geometry. They loved the integration of mathematics and faith! They remarked that it made complete sense to describe a parable in terms of a geometric shape like the parabola. They came up with all sorts of explanations; some that we expected, and some that totally took us by surprise and amazement.
From Dr. Posta’s class:
“In a parabola, there is one common focus point. Similarly, in a parable from the Bible, the common focus point is an almighty God. Every parable in the Bible is parabolic in reflecting something that is true in our lives. Similarly, our own lives can be found in the parables of the Bible. Look deep into the parables and the Bible, and you will find the focus: an almighty God. Every parabola has a focus that is the origin from which the parabola is constructed. When light travels on a path parallel to the axis of the parabola, regardless of whichever point it falls on the parabola, it will be reflected towards one common focus point. Look deep into the parabola and always you will find the focus.
I chose the parable of the lost sheep. The vertex of the parable is when one man who has 100 sheep loses one. The parabola faces up since the man who lost one sheep of the 100 that he had, leaves the 99 to go after the lost sheep until he finds it. The end points for this parable are the man finding the lost sheep, joyfully putting it on his shoulders, and going home.”
From Mr. Van’s class:
“In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the man who is robbed experiences life in parabolic form. He begins his day walking along a dangerous road, is robbed, stripped naked, beat up, and left for dead. Thus, his downward slope begins. Down, the priest passes by, down, the scribe passes by, and then a leveling off, the Samaritan stops. Through the subsequent help of the Samaritan, we see the upward slope of the man’s life. Up, he is lifted up from the ground, up, he is taken to the inn, and up, he is cleaned up and left in good care by the Samaritan. Parabolas are defined by a turning point, where they change from a downward progression to an upward progression. The man in the parable experiences that turning point in his life when he most needed it, and God will do the same in our lives.”
The results of this integration of faith into a mathematics class has encouraged us to look deeper and to search for ways that not only allow for faith to be brought into class, but for that integration to also translate into better learning and understanding.
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More about the Authors:
Filippo Posta comes from a little village near Siena, Tuscany in Italy. He always dreamed of playing professional soccer and going to America. The soccer thing did not pan out despite making as much as a half-million per week…in Italian liras (about $20 USD). Dr. Posta’s passion for teaching and doing research in math landed him a scholarship to study at NJIT. After graduating, he switched coasts and ended up at GCU (via UCLA). What a blessing! He and his wife, Emily, are truly happy living in Scottsdale, AZ, and they have found a very supportive environment for their kids, Nicolas and Oliver. He looks forward to their future in the Valley since Nico wants to be Thunder when he grows up.
Read more about Filippo Posta
Ben VanDerLinden grew up in Phoenix. He attended grade school through college within a mile of his home. He left the area to go to Tucson for grad school. Ben holds a BS and an MS in mathematics and has taught at the community college/university level for almost 20 years. Ben has been married for 15 years and had three anniversaries in that time. He has no kids but does have a 20-year-old cat. Ben loves movies, pastoring skeptics and teaching math/psych. He is a self-proclaimed foodie and coffee snob; however, he still drinks church coffee and eats Five Guys on occasion.