first base. It's also 90' from first base to second base, How far is it directly from second base to home plate? A Greek mathematician, Pythagoras, showed us how to figure this out 2500 years ago: the square of the distance from home plate to 2 nd base is equal to the sum of the square of the distance from home to first plus the square of the distance from first to second. Here, let's try it. Certainly, as we get older, our ability to quickly associate the abstraction to a concrete example that relates to our lives improves. As a Homeschool Educator, It is your responsibility to gauge where your student stands on that continuum, and adjust the way you introduce new concepts accordingly. It's an art. But the glassy eyes probably mean something. And the level of enthusiasm also tells you a lot. How do you come up with good concrete examples of an abstraction? Think about what excites the student. Here are my typical starting points: sports; money; dating; games; family; electronics; their future. Was this article helpful? Was it worth $1.00 to you? Your donation of $1 helps to keep this site operating and allows Beverley Paine to continue helping encourage and reassure families wanting better outcomes for their children. Thank you - your help is very much appreciated! Make a gift contribution and help keep Beverley online! Since 1989 Beverley Paine has steadfastly promoted and supported home education as an educational choice for Australia families.