In both baseball and mathematics education, the conventional wisdom is to avoid errors at all costs. That advice might be on target in baseball, but in mathematics, it is not always the best strategy. Sometimes an analysis of errors provides much deeper insights into mathematical ideas and, rather than something to eschew, certain types of errors…

Why a computer error occurred is considered by analyzing the binary system and decimal fractions. How the computer stores numbers is then described. Knowledge of the mathematics behind computer operation is important if one wishes to understand and have confidence in the results of computer calculations. (MNS)

In this study, 35 students in two sections of a second remedial mathematics course for technical majors were given lectures with and without intentional errors. Achievement in the non-error group was higher, but evaluation scores for teachers making errors were higher. (MNS)

Numerical inaccuracies, which occur in many ordinary computations, can create serious problems and render answers meaningless. Cancellation and accumulation errors are described, and suggestions for experimentation are discussed. (MNS)