Christy Hovanetz, Ph.D., is a Senior Policy Fellow for ExcelinEd focusing on school accountability and math policies.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of master sleuth Sherlock Holmes, was born in Scotland on May 22, 1859. Doyle wrote four novels and 58 short stories about Sherlock Holmes published over a span of 40 years (1887–1927). These imaginative works have inspired adaptations in radio broadcasts, television series, theater productions, movies, video games and, yes, even math puzzles.
At 17, Doyle wrote to a friend admitting, ”mathematics of every sort I detest and abhor.” Yet a decade later, he was inventing Detective Holmes, who is a master of deductive reasoning, along with Holmes’ arch nemesis, James Moriarty, a professor of mathematics. If you’ve read any Sherlock Holmes stories, you know they are filled with sleuthing methods that use logic and math to solve cases.
Let’s take a look one of those methods. Deductive reasoning is how theorems are proven in math. This is done by applying larger truths and overarching facts to smaller questions in order to arrive at a logical answer. For example, I know that all my ExcelinEd colleagues are humans. I also know that all humans are vertebrates. So, I can deduce that all my ExcelinEd colleagues are vertebrates.
Holmes’ famed, oft-repeated quote, “When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth,” embodies deductive reasoning.
Deductive reasoning is a highly useful, learned skill. With regular practice, it gives students the power to question, learn and discover through logic, analysis and critical thinking. It also helps students see the patterns and underlying assumptions that govern math, science and nearly all fields of human knowledge.
Learn how to solve a problem that Sherlock Holmes couldn’t get right in The Adventure of the Priory School. From tire tracks left in the mud, Holmes tries to deduce if a bike rider is going from the direction of a school. While Holmes’ logic is shaky, he does come to the correct conclusion (because it’s fiction, and he always cracks the case!). But by using math and tangent lines to analyze the curves, you can actually prove the direction of the rider and affirm Holmes’ detective work.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be a sleuth to deduce the math policies that will work best in your state. ExcelinEd has provided all the clues in our fundamental principles and comprehensive K-8 math model policy. Both are based on the findings of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel to guide and support state leaders implementing and/or strengthening math policy in their K-12 systems.
Here’s another challenge: Grab a Sherlock Holmes story adapted for kids to read with your child tonight. It’s a two-fer, reading and math in one activity!
