When we were two little boys

My twin brother was okay at maths, but never performed nearly as well in formal maths exams as I did.

 Maths exams then, like now, favoured those who enjoyed the abstract realms of mathematics.

However, at the age of 13, my brother built himself a six inch reflecting telescope (yes, it was inches back in those days!)

There was I, in the classroom, solving endless fascinating quadratic equations!

There was in he, in the garage, grinding and polishing a quadratic equation in the form of a mirror over 15 cm in diameter.

Carborundum and rouge for polishing flew in all directions.

I knew in my head what a Quadratic equation was.

He knew in his hands and heart what a Quadratic feels like.

Sadly the two worlds never met. Or did they? How else did he figure the focal length and where to put that second mirror? Trial and error?

Here is a six inch reflecting telescope, but the man is not my brother.

So perhaps rather than the mindless inane examples of quadratics presented in highschool texts, why not something like this to challenge the students and make maths come alive.