在" 學習為應付考試" 的風氣氾濫之下,學生漸漸忽略學習 的其他重要目的。以數學科為例, 「學習目的」應包括發掘宇宙間蘊含的美妙韻律, 欣賞 數學 的美與妙。 【 The study of mathematics should instill in students an ever-increasing sense of wonder and awe at the profound way in which the world displays order, pattern, and relation. Mathematics is studied not because it is first useful and then beautiful, but because it reveals the beautiful order inherent in the cosmos. (from The Education Plan of St. Jerome Classical School, Hyattsville, MD)】 以下是一些 淺白易明的例子顯示數字的美妙組合_ : 1 x 8 + 1 = 9 12 x 8 + 2 = 9 8 123 x 8 + 3 = 9 8 7 1234 x 8 + 4 = 9 8 7 6 12345 x 8 + 5 = 9 8 7 6 5 123456 x 8 + 6 = 9 8 7 6 5 4 1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 12345678 x 8 + 8 = 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 123456789 x 8 + 9 = 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 x 9 + 2 = 11 12 x 9 + 3 = 111 123 x 9 + 4 = 1111 1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111 12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111 123456 x 9 + ...