Brainstorm Academy
5353 Lakeshore Rd. #36 L7L 1C8 Burlington, ON, Canada

#DidYouKnow that the word "hundred" is actually derived from the Old Norse word "hundrath," which actually means 120, not 100. More specifically, "hundrath," in Old Norse, means "long hundred," which equals 120, due to the duodecimal system.

When will I ever use this in real life? It’s a question we hear all the time from students learning skills like trigonometry or algebra. And it’s a good question. Sometimes it’s hard to see how abstract concepts like these will apply in everyday life. ... But the truth is that learning these skills gives us tools to use in our lives that can solve problems that would otherwise get the better of us. See more on the Brainstorm Blog: https://www.brainstormacademy.ca/brainstorm-academy-blog

With so much distance between us & our friends, it’s more important than ever to remember that you are not alone! There are so many supports out there to help and today we wanted to share a great resource for LGBTQIIA+ students who need someone to talk to. Check out https://www.youthline.ca/ for resources, live chat with peer support volunteers, and more.

With the new semester just around the corner, this will be the first start-to-finish online course many students have taken. Lets take a look at some strategies that could help you make the most of it. https://www.brainstormacademy.ca//14/online-courses-and-you

How you respond to setbacks is what defines your character, says Stacey Abrams, the first black woman in the history of the United States to be nominated by a major party for governor. In an electrifying talk shared by Ted-Ed, she shares the lessons she learned from her campaign for governor of Georgia -- and some advice on how to change the world. https://ed.ted.com//3-questions-to-ask-yourself-about-ever

Education doesn’t have to be mass-produced. At Brainstorm Academy, we’re committed to helping students reach their full potential. Looking for private tutoring? Our students benefit from highly personalized lesson plans, based on the curriculum and courses they are taking, delivered the way they learn best. Learn more: https://www.brainstormacademy.ca/

Hey everyone, We don't post much, I know. If anything is going to rouse us from our social media slumber, it's this. Schools are closed for two weeks after March Break, as I'm sure you know, and we're just as concerned about the supports that students will have during this extended time off. The closures seemed to have caught many schools off guard, and may leave students without work or educational supports for over the break. ... Brainstorm Academy is offering to put free multi-part learning packages together for your children to help tide them over during the break. The package begins with a more general set of resources and worksheets for students. Once those resources are worked through and you're looking for the next step, contact us and we'll help give direction and brainstorm a work plan for you and your family to carry out at home! Our resources, as you can imagine, are limited. We will try to get these packages to everyone that needs them, but if we have a higher than expected demand, we really appreciate your patience! Call us at our office number, (905) 333-5444, or email me directly at [email protected] and we'll figure out what you need and start getting it assembled for you. See our website for more details! Stay healthy! -Jordan Rakowski Director + Principal, Brainstorm Academy. https://www.brainstormacademy.ca/closure-resources

Hey everyone, We dont post much, I know. If anything is going to rouse us from our social media slumber, its this. Schools are closed for two weeks after March Break, as Im sure you know, and were just as concerned about the supports that students will have during this extended time off. The closures seemed to have caught many schools off guard, and may leave students without work or educational supports for over the break. ... Brainstorm Academy is offering to put free multi-part learning packages together for your children to help tide them over during the break. The package begins with a more general set of resources and worksheets for students. Once those resources are worked through and youre looking for the next step, contact us and well help give direction and brainstorm a work plan for you and your family to carry out at home! Our resources, as you can imagine, are limited. We will try to get these packages to everyone that needs them, but if we have a higher than expected demand, we really appreciate your patience! Call us at our office number, (905) 333-5444, or email me directly at [email protected] and well figure out what you need and start getting it assembled for you. See our website for more details! Stay healthy! -Jordan Rakowski Director + Principal, Brainstorm Academy. https://www.brainstormacademy.ca/closure-resources

Are your young ones ready for the transition from SK to Grade 1? We can help bridge the gap! http://brain-power.ca/student-workshops/

In 1859, a revolutionary piece of scientific literature was released: On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin. This book laid out the evidence for the theory of evolution; how current species of life have come to be by means of evolving traits from a common ancestor. He proposed that a process called natural selection would force a given life form to develop new traits in order to best cope with its environment and survive long enough to pass on its genes to the next...Continue reading

Grade 10 History Students: It is okay to refer to the 1920's as "The Roaring Twenties", but you should not refer to the 1930's as "The Dirty Thirties". You'll lose marks on your reports if you do.

Grade 10 History Students: It is okay to refer to the 1920s as "The Roaring Twenties", but you should not refer to the 1930s as "The Dirty Thirties". Youll lose marks on your reports if you do.

Newton Sir Isaac Newton is, Id imagine, one of the more widely-known names on this list. His work dominates a large portion of the high school math and science curriculum to this day (not to mention how accurately it models a tremendous amount of real world phenomena), and put to rest any questions about Copernicus heliocentric model which was published some 100 years earlier. Since Im limiting myself to a relatively small number of words here, Im only going to touch on ...Continue reading

So way back when, we (not Brain Power, but society in general) thought the Earth was in the centre of the heavens and that the sun, the moon, and everything else orbited us. This was the geocentric model, and it was profoundly wrong. Copernicus put a different model together, which he felt better explained the motion of the celestial bodies: the heliocentric model (helio = sun, so sun centered model). This theory was published the same year that he died, 1543, but didnt re...ally cause too much trouble with society until over 60 years later. Galileo (another famous guy, but no logo so well circle back to him in a later post) stirred things up with the heliocentric model some 73 years later and was famously put in a lot of trouble for it (LOTS of trouble), but in his defense, Copernicus started it! We know now that the sun is the centre of our solar system and that Copernicus theories were correct, but at the time this was a radical thought formed by painstakingly meticulous calculations and a brilliant observation of natural celestial phenomena. It also kicked off an event in science called the Copernican Revolution, which began the widespread shift in belief from the geocentric model to the heliocentric model, and led to much more work to be done in this field by Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton years and years later. We see his work featured in the logo with the C replaced with Earth's orbit, the O replaced with the sun at the centre of the orbit, and the tittle on the I (yeah, the dot on lowercase I and J is called a tittle) being the Earth itself. Directors note: I'm particularly fond of this one because I'm a sucker for the Century Gothic font.

Archimedes of Syracuse: known to science and math teachers as a prolific inventor, engineer, and mathematician of ancient times, and known to science and math students as the guy who ran down the street naked and shouting after overflowing his bath tub. Eureka! Archimedes is credited with a wide variety of inventions and firsts, including: the screw pump; compound pulleys; approximating pi, and the areas and volumes of circles and spheres; how to calculate the volume of a no...n-standard shaped object (Archimedes Principle); how to set boats on fire with polished mirrors to repel invaders, and so on. Seriously, theres tons of stuff. In a writing by Pappus of Alexandria, Archimedes said Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth. What weve got in his log is a demonstration of the this principle of the lever. While Archimedes didnt discover the lever, he LEVERAGED (har har) this understanding in to the development of the compound pulley, which itself was used by sailors in Ancient Greece to lift extremely heavy objects. Directors Note: Drop in some time and listen to me tell the story about Archimedes Principle. Its a good one, and I really enjoy telling it.

Pythagoras of Samos: this is a dude whose work weve all bumped in to at some point in our studies of mathematics in the form of the Pythagorean Theorem. While its arguable that Pythagoras wasnt the initial discoverer of this theorem, and that scholars in other cultures (the Babylonians and the Indians) were using these concepts before him and his students hit the scene, its got his name on it so were going to go ahead and chalk this one up for him. I guess they had a r...eally good marketing department. The Pythagorean Theorem states that in a right angled triangle, the sum of the squares of the lengths of the legs (the parts touching the right angle) is equal to the square of the length of the hypotenuse (the slanted part). Its a really elegant geometric relationship, true for all right angles of any size. It's written algebraically as a + b = c, and is one of the first formal formulas that young mathematics students are taught (grade 6 or 7, I think). Its also interesting in that the exponent of 2 on each of those terms is the highest exponent you can stick on all of the terms and still have it be true in all cases (which is a terrible paraphrasing, on my part, of Fermats Last Theorem, which is its own beast), but I think well leave that discussion for another day! Director's Note: I'm extremely thankful that Fermat isn't on that original image that was posted, since I can't make heads or tails of the solution to Fermat's Last Theorem.

I saw this picture make its rounds a while ago titled: "If Scientists Had Logos", and thought it was a remarkably clever way to combine their name with one of major achievements. Why not use this as an opportunity to explain the creativity by way of introducing these thinkers with the achievement in their logo?

Feeling lost already? We've been there too. Get yourself that new-school-year pep talk from our director. Things are going to be fine!

The plural of goose is geese, but why isn't the plural of moose meese? It's because "moose" is an Eastern Algonquian word and has different pluralization rules than "goose", which is Germanic (along with tooth and foot). The more you know!

Feeling lost already? Weve been there too. Get yourself that new-school-year pep talk from our director. Things are going to be fine!

The plural of goose is geese, but why isnt the plural of moose meese? Its because "moose" is an Eastern Algonquian word and has different pluralization rules than "goose", which is Germanic (along with tooth and foot). The more you know!

Our director somehow forgot about the partial eclipse today, but we still got to sneak a peek at it with a custom built "Eclipse-o-Matic"! We're sure he'll be ready for the total eclipse in 2024, though...

Have you seen this dog? You would have if you were at Brain Power on Friday! Fact: Studying at Brain Power increases your chances of seeing this dog.

Want some more fuel for your "English is an awful language" fire? The verb "to dust" has two meanings that are complete opposites of each other.

Want to win two hours of free tutoring support over the summer? Read on! BBC Radio 4 has new bit going on: Puzzle of the Day". Here's the first one:... "Take the digits 1,2,3 up to 9 in numerical order and put either a plus sign or a minus sign or neither between the digits to make a sum that adds up to 100. For example, one way of achieving this is: 1 + 2 + 34 - 5 + 67 - 8 + 9 = 100, which uses six plusses and minuses. What is the fewest number of plusses and minuses you need to do this?" I got lucky and did it in 4 right off the bat, but apparently the lowest you can do is 3 (with a solution shown on the BBC's page). According to that page, there's 11 possible solutions if you don't restrict the total number of plusses and minuses. There's one presented in the question itself, and one in the solution on the BBC, but what are the other 9? Let us know if you find the other solutions! Good luck! Original Problem: http://www.bbc.co.uk//5wkxjTtqRvq8Cyrrjxt/puzzle-for-today

Looking to review before final exams? Brain Power is running small group, comprehensive course reviews for grade 11/12 math, chemistry, and physics in the days before finals! Learn more at http://brain-power.ca/complete-course-reviews/, and contact us right away to reserve your spot!

As we do every summer, we're running our one-to-one credit course program through July and August. Students who successfully complete their course earn a high school credit that goes towards earning their high school diploma! Our one-to-one programs have helped students all across the Golden Horseshoe build a better understanding and develop the skills they need to be successful in their future studies! Contact us today to set up an appointment for more information on how we... can help you and your kids! (905) 333-5444 http://brain-power.ca/high-school-credits/

As we do every summer, were running our one-to-one credit course program through July and August. Students who successfully complete their course earn a high school credit that goes towards earning their high school diploma! Our one-to-one programs have helped students all across the Golden Horseshoe build a better understanding and develop the skills they need to be successful in their future studies! Contact us today to set up an appointment for more information on how we... can help you and your kids! (905) 333-5444 http://brain-power.ca/high-school-credits/

Interested in brushing up on your skills right before exam time? Brain Power is holding small group sessions on weekends in June that will cover your course from day 1 to exam. Class sizes will be kept small (10 students max), so contact us today and reserve your space! (905) 333-5444... [email protected] http://brain-power.ca/complete-course-reviews/ See more

We all know that if we practice a skill repeatedly, we become more familiar with it and can repeat it more easily in the future. This is a bit of a two-edged sword, though. If we practice it correctly, those good habits stick around. If we practice it incorrectly though, it can be challenging for us to correct in the future. Ask any self-trained musician or artist that went to learn from a professional instructor about their bad habits, but be sure to bring some popcorn al...Continue reading

Now that exams are upon us, I wanted to share a bit of advice that one of my high school teachers gave us: "Don't be afraid to skip questions. If you get stuck, come back to it later!" The order of questions on a test typically has no bearing on the order that you MUST complete them in. Question 1 just sits higher on the page than Question 2. That's it. By skipping questions and coming back to them, you can move through your exam and knock out all the "easy questions" scat...tered throughout. That momentum that you build up by finding questions that you think are easy and solving them translates directly in to improved confidence. Higher confidence = better performance. Another benefit to skipping these questions is that you've given yourself the appearance of more time to finish the remaining problems. By knocking a few out quickly, you've got the remaining time left to tackle the hard ones. If you work sequentially, you may get hung up on a "hard question" for longer than you expected, and panic about how much time you have remaining. Lastly, solving easy questions first can sometimes help unlock answers for other ones. For example, if you've forgotten a particular character's name in a book, that name may be used in a future question that you haven't seen yet. By jumping from easy question to easy question, you can use your own test as a memory aid and help you recall those little bits of knowledge that may be necessary in other problems. Good luck with your exams this semester! Get lots of sleep, eat well, yadda yadda, but most importantly: relax, and go own that test. ---Links--- Test Taking Strategies as recommended by Mohawk College http://www.mohawkcollege.ca//alternative-/test-taking-tips

Have you seen that math problem floating around facebook lately? 6/2(1+2) = ?? Its seeming to be more divisive than the results of the recent US election: people are militantly defending their response of either 1 or 9. Im willing to throw my hat on in this problem (against better judgment, probably) with the following response:... Its ambiguous, so its both 1 and 9. Whaaaaaaaaat? Depending on how you have interpreted the question, theres two possible answers. This seems ridiculous though, right? How can there be two answers? Because of the way we read this question and apply our rules of BEDMAS and implied brackets, we get the two possible answers of 1 and 9. Before launching in to my defense of ambiguity, I want to point out that this is the mathematical equivalent of an argument about grammar. When using BEDMAS, division is not necessarily done before multiplication, but instead done left-to-right. If a multiplication happens before a division, we will evaluate that first (e.g.: 5 x 6 / 2, the 5x6 should be done first). However, when division shows up in the mix, its implied that the terms above and below the vinculum (the fraction line) are bounded inside brackets (even if the brackets arent written!) So, using our left-to-right rules, we have 6 / 2 x (1+2), or 3 x 3, or 9. However, using the implied brackets from a fractional notation, we have 6 / (2 x (1+2)), or 6 / 6, or 1. Overall, the question is intentionally written poorly and takes advantage of this misinterpretation. We have rules on how we write mathematical statements, and rely heavily on this clear syntax to ensure that no matter who reads our question can come to the same clear response. In this case, weve ignored an easily simplification of laying down extra brackets to clearly demonstrate to the reader the intended order of operations in the problem, giving rise to two simultaneous solutions to a problem that should really only have one. I found a similar problem online, and associated explanation of this can be found here: https://math.berkeley.edu/~gbergm/misc/numbers/ord_ops.html. Same type of question, different numbers, made the rounds on the internet 5 years ago. Ive also input the problem in to two different systems exactly as written and wound up with both responses (see the attached image). This isnt the first time weve seen a problem like this, and it isnt going to be the last time. Write your math problems clearly, people, so we can avoid these arguments in the future.

Who can remember the cold sweats and the panicked breathing around test time? I sure can, and I teach! I remember once I had to do a 15 second advert on the morning announcements in fifth grade, and having my mom keep me home from school that day because I was sick from fear. One of the most common phobias people have is that of public speaking. It terrifies us to no end, to the point of making excuses to get out of it. This is something that we've accepted as commonpla...ce, but a fear of mathematics seems to be swept under the rug. According to a 2015 Stanford University study, math problems trigger the same fear responses in the amygdala - almond shaped regions in the brain responsible for the fear and anxiety responses, among others - as actual-for-real-terrifying situations and scenarios. This was demonstrated with MRI and fMRI scans of the students' brains while they took the test. After receiving "in an intensive, eight-week tutoring program consisting of 22 lessons", the test was readministered and all students not only showed a significant improvement in their abilities, but students who also initially showed a high amount of anxiety were now showing significantly lower levels. By facing phobias head-on with a knowledgeable leader in a safe, calm environment, the fear and anxiety response associated with the phobia can be greatly minimized. Math anxiety is a very real phobia, and we're here to help. Give us a call at (905) 333-5444, and set up a time with our director to learn how we can help you and your children get through your fear of mathematics! ---Links--- Summary of the 2015 Stanford study: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases//sumc-trm090315.php The Amygdala - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amygdala MRI and fMRI - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_resonance_imaging https://en.wikipedia.org//Functional_magnetic_resonance_im

Have you seen that math problem floating around facebook lately? 6/2(1+2) = ?? It's seeming to be more divisive than the results of the recent US election: people are militantly defending their response of either 1 or 9. I'm willing to throw my hat on in this problem (against better judgment, probably) with the following response:... It's ambiguous, so it's both 1 and 9. Whaaaaaaaaat? Depending on how you have interpreted the question, there's two possible answers. This seems ridiculous though, right? How can there be two answers? Because of the way we read this question and apply our rules of BEDMAS and implied brackets, we get the two possible answers of 1 and 9. Before launching in to my defense of ambiguity, I want to point out that this is the mathematical equivalent of an argument about grammar. When using BEDMAS, division is not necessarily done before multiplication, but instead done left-to-right. If a multiplication happens before a division, we will evaluate that first (e.g.: 5 x 6 / 2, the 5x6 should be done first). However, when division shows up in the mix, it's implied that the terms above and below the vinculum (the fraction line) are bounded inside brackets (even if the brackets aren't written!) So, using our left-to-right rules, we have 6 / 2 x (1+2), or 3 x 3, or 9. However, using the implied brackets from a fractional notation, we have 6 / (2 x (1+2)), or 6 / 6, or 1. Overall, the question is intentionally written poorly and takes advantage of this misinterpretation. We have rules on how we write mathematical statements, and rely heavily on this clear syntax to ensure that no matter who reads our question can come to the same clear response. In this case, we've ignored an easily simplification of laying down extra brackets to clearly demonstrate to the reader the intended order of operations in the problem, giving rise to two simultaneous solutions to a problem that should really only have one. I found a similar problem online, and associated explanation of this can be found here: https://math.berkeley.edu/~gbergm/misc/numbers/ord_ops.html. Same type of question, different numbers, made the rounds on the internet 5 years ago. I've also input the problem in to two different systems exactly as written and wound up with both responses (see the attached image). This isn't the first time we've seen a problem like this, and it isn't going to be the last time. Write your math problems clearly, people, so we can avoid these arguments in the future.

Interested in pushing your mathematics and programming skills forwards? Check out http://www.projecteuler.net! Our director has been flying through these, but they're keeping him on his toes!... Have you tried any? Which ones are you most proud of completing?

Drop in and sharpen your skills for next year! Our tutors will get you prepared for your next year of school by pre-teaching you the curriculum in any course you're taking so you can go to class confident and ahead of the curve! Give us a call at (905) 333-5444 to set up a no-cost, no-commitment meeting with our director and tutors who will help you get started on the right path!

Playing Pokemon Go? Stop by for a water on the way to the Skyway Arena Pokestops! Are you interested in registering for summer support? If your team controls the St. Patrick's Church Gym, we'll give you a special discount on your first four sessions!

This is certainly something weve noticed over the past few years and it has been a key part of our educational philosophy; its near impossible to find your way if you dont know where you are. Share your math fears with us, past and present, and let us help you get your bearings and get a handle on effective mathematics skills!

This is certainly something we've noticed over the past few years and it has been a key part of our educational philosophy; it's near impossible to find your way if you don't know where you are. Share your math fears with us, past and present, and let us help you get your bearings and get a handle on effective mathematics skills!

Summer day-camp? Of course there is! Elementary students looking to connect reading, writing, and mathematics skills to real world and outdoor experiences are going to love this! Check it out: http://brain-power.ca/summer-camp/

Having trouble engaging your children when reading to them at home? Check out our short Before-During-After strategies to help build interest and skills in reading and verbal communication! http://brain-power.ca/3-steps-to-reading/