Even the most casual observers note the changes in the phase of the Moon as it goes from crescent to half to full and back again with a "monthly" cycle. (See Glenn Simonelli's PUMAS submission "Modeling the motions of the Earth, Sun and Moon" [PUMAS Example 03_10_04_1].) Their observations, or what is "common knowledge", lead them to believe the Moon does loops around the Earth. But is this true?

Many students approach college level math courses with anxieties approaching phobic levels. Math instructors continue to search for innovative teaching methods which make math concepts easier to understand, and at the same time, lessen student fears. Various techniques, such as mnemonics, acronyms and other minds/hands-on techniques, have been used in attempts to increase student understanding, encoding, retrieval and usage of information. This article presents a conceptual teaching tool which consists of attaching new ideas or techniques to a previously learned concept or behavior.