Shirts

Do you want to share your passion for math? These shirts (and hoodies, bags, etc) come in lots of colors and are sure to get the conversation started.

All proceeds (about $3-5 per item) go directly to the non-profit TODOS: Mathematics for ALL. 

Choose a design to see other color and style options. Share a picture on social media with the tag #mathpositive. 

Fractions make people anxious, but an invitation like like “What fractions do you see?” makes it easy to engage in reasoning and creativity. This design is by Nat Banting and is found on the Fraction Talks website, where you’ll find lots more like it!

Order the image-only version here and the “What fractions do you see” version here.

 

What is your definition of a trapezoid? Take sides with a shirt! Inspired by a phrase from Zak Champagne (“Inclusive with people but exclusive with trapezoids”) and his ongoing debate with Shelby Strong. 

Zak is team exclusive: “The hierarchy of quadrilaterals is already complex enough – so let’s allow trapezoids to have their own unique space with exactly one pair of parallel sides.” More about this on his blog. Buy the exclusive shirts here.

Shelby is team inclusive: “We agree that all squares are rectangles, we agree that all rectangles are parallelograms, so we should also agree that all parallelograms are trapezoids.” More about this on her blog. Buy the inclusive shirts here.

Art by Kristin Welch with design by Zak, Shelby, Kristin and myself.

How often do you hear “I’m not a math person” – too often, right? With the dots on the back or a fraction image on the back, you can give people you meet a positive experience with math that just might change their mind. See below for ideas about how to discuss the dots or fraction image.

Every time I wear this shirt I have a great conversation with a stranger. With the dots on the back or a fraction image on the back, you can introduce people to their own interesting mathematical ideas. See below for ideas about how to discuss the dots or fraction image.

Math is all about noticing patterns and using them to your advantage. This dot arrangement by Chris Hunter (found on NT Images) has endless possibilities for exploiting structure. 

After challenging people to figure out “how many?” consider asking them to how they can use the structure or rearrange the dots to their advantage. You might even ask: “what if there were two 5×5 arrays overlapping, how many dots would there be?” It’s up to you! Click here to order this shirt.

This shirt used to say “18×25,” but people rarely inquired about it. So, in the spirit of inviting strangers to ask us about math, I’ve added a question. 

If it seems appropriate or helpful I add context: “What if it was 18 bags with 25 candies in each, could that help us make sense of it?” Often, people can picture combining 2 bags of 25 candies into one bag of 50 candies, resulting in 9 bags of 50 candies. I might ask: “Which would you rather solve, 18×25 or 9×50?” “What other expressions can you transform into something friendlier?” Click here to order this shirt.

Check out these other Math Shirt shops: