Math frequently features in my dreams, and never in a good way. In the latest nightmare I was punted back to high school to retake precalculus. I sat there, embarrassed, hoping to will myself into invisibility. My attempts were unsuccessful. While telling us about the required book for the class the teacher looked over her glasses at me to say “And, Brian, I know you know what to expect, so maybe you’ll actually pass this time.” I was mortified, and I was almost glad to be snapped out of my dream by the 5:30AM alarm telling me it was time to go to work.

My relationship with math has never been good. Even the mention of the word “math” brings up