Asymptotic to awesome. A mathematical thread.

[.Andy]

I'll admit maths wasn't really my thing at school. It's only been afterwards that I have become a bit more of enthusiast for things mathematical (but still suck at it). Last weekend I watched Dangerous Knowledge, a BBC documentary about the amazing yet tragic lives of Georg Cantor, Ludwig Boltzmann, Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. You can watch it here on youtube (and it is awesome).

It got me thinking how there are some mathematical whizzes here and the many ways numbers can be used to illustrate a point or break down an issue into its most basic components. Like Doctor Q's stats threads or a recent post by xUKHCx working out how much space individuals in a truck would have each. What other mathematical awesomeness can you guys share? Graphs, charts, theories, documentaries, geometry, itunesU lectures, podcasts, physics, trivia about the lives of great mathematicians, your favorite equation or principle etc.

Thanks in mathematical advance for educating an ignorant

 

[Andeavor]

Taken from The Big Bang Theory:

"The best number is 73. Why? 73 is the 21st prime number. Its mirror (37) is the 12th and its mirror (21) is the product of multiplying, hang on to your hats, 7 and 3. ... In binary, 73 is a palindrome, 1001001 which backwards is 1001001."

 

[iStudentUK]

I was always enjoyed maths, along with science it was my strongest subject. I studied chemistry at uni, which contained quite a bit of maths.

I was always one of those sceptical people who, when maths teachers would say "you'll need this in the future", would think "it is interesting, but is it useful really in normal life?".

Well, I owe my maths teacher an apology! I did use trigonometry in "real life" when my father wanted a porch on the gable end of his house parallel to the roof line. Sure enough good old sohcahtoa came out!

 

[.Andy]

Taken from The Big Bang Theory:

"The best number is 73. Why? 73 is the 21st prime number. Its mirror (37) is the 12th and its mirror (21) is the product of multiplying, hang on to your hats, 7 and 3. ... In binary, 73 is a palindrome, 1001001 which backwards is 1001001."

Damn that is cool. On the last point there is something attractive about palindromes. I work in a field where we have a lot of six digit numbers. Every time a palindrome comes up the number really grabs my attention for presumably some instinctual pattern recognition reason.

I was always enjoyed maths, along with science it was my strongest subject. I studied chemistry at uni, which contained quite a bit of maths.

I was always one of those sceptical people who, when maths teachers would say "you'll need this in the future", would think "it is interesting, but is it useful really in normal life?".

Well, I owe my maths teacher an apology! I did use trigonometry in "real life" when my father wanted a porch on the gable end of his house parallel to the roof line. Sure enough good old sohcahtoa came out!

Haha I did this under very similar circumstances. Did some building for some cash after school and used sohcahtoa relatively frequently. To the uninitiated it was like witchcraft going the sums with a carpenters pencil on a timber off cut .

 

[iStudentUK]

Haha I did this under very similar circumstances. Did some building for some cash after school and used sohcahtoa relatively frequently. To the uninitiated it was like witchcraft going the sums with a carpenters pencil on a timber off cut .

Witchcraft is the word!

Some people use maths without really knowing it. I once heard on the radio a mathematician describing when she walked past a building site and they were making a right-angled triangle by measuring the lengths of three pieces of wood very carefully. She remarked that it is interesting to see Pythagorus' Theorem being used in the real world, they looked at her like she was crazy and said "we are using the 3,4,5 method!".

 

[.Andy]

Witchcraft is the word!

Some people use maths without really knowing it. I once heard on the radio a mathematician describing when she walked past a building site and they were making a right-angled triangle by measuring the lengths of three pieces of wood very carefully. She remarked that it is interesting to see Pythagorus' Theorem being used in the real world, they looked at her like she was crazy and said "we are using the 3,4,5 method!".

It's late here and the Wikipedia pages long, but tomorrow I'm exploring the history behind sohcahtoa, the 3,4,5 and golden triangle*. This is the stuff I didn't appreciate at school and should have .


*all these years I have been calling the 3 4 5 triangle the golden triangle when the golden triangle is an awesome isosceles. I have done each a disservice.....

 

[ender land]

I like math and science a fair bit...

I recently wrote a computer simulation for a traffic intersection and to get acceleration of the cars to work I had to use a fair bit of calculus and math to get the relationships I was looking for.

Kinda nice to be able to do stuff like that whenever you need to

 

[Surely]

Numbers have always been something that fascinated me. I loved math when I was in school.....I ended up majoring in statistical sciences in undergrad.

I can think of a few people around here that would love this watch (I'm looking at you, Q).

 

[fireshot91]

I've always had a fascination for math, and the answer to questions just came to me.

I'll be a senior next year, and I'm taking Calculus over the summer, and then taking MultiVariable Calculus/Linear Algebra next year. I REALLY wish my school had a math history class where it teaches you about Why/How/When these theories we use everyday came to be.

 

[InsanelyApple]

numbers have always been something that fascinated me. I loved math when i was in school.....i ended up majoring in statistical sciences in undergrad.



image

i can think of a few people around here that would love this watch (i'm looking at you, q).

omg!!! Must. Have. That. Watch. That is now the B- day present I want. Along with the Lion Upgrade.

 

[InsanelyApple]

I've always had a fascination for math, and the answer to questions just came to me.

I'll be a senior next year, and I'm taking Calculus over the summer, and then taking MultiVariable Calculus/Linear Algebra next year. I REALLY wish my school had a math history class where it teaches you about Why/How/When these theories we use everyday came to be.

I'm going to be taking Summer PerCalc starting Tuesday and take Calc next school year as a Junior, and I too would love a Math History class. Probably would be the only history class I'd like.

 

[wordoflife]

I love the title of this thread. Asymptotic. lol

 

[Dr Kevorkian94]

School math is different from real world math. Even though it's the same thing it's not asked in question form and there is never some sort of secret thing u forget that makes the answer wrong. Like I'm much better at physics and the formulas/math that go with that than I am in actual math class. I'm bad at math to begin with too, but when I understand it I love it. And by the way I love that watch!

 

[lewis82]

I really love math. There are things that fascinate me, for example, the integral of a function over an infinite region (thus, a sum of an infinite number of parts) can give a finite answer. It's extremely counter-intuitive but really cool

Also, maths are very very very logical. The fact that you can solve the same problem using different approaches is awesome, it proves that our theories/inventions (after all, maths are the invention of humans, but yet we discover them) are true.

 

[0098386]

I got a D in Math back at school. But I got into game design so I effectively taught myself the bits I needed to know. Currently doing an evening class and I'm set for an A (exams next week!), considering taking it further at college or uni.
Love the stuff now! Just last night I built an analytical engine into one of the games I'm working on. IMO it's great to build something to process all this data to make adjustments to the software itself.

Stats! Data! Math! Oh my!

 

[DavidB52]

I like math too. It's a hobby and I think I am pretty good at it. There is always something new being developed in the field. And I am always coming across new websites on the topic of math that intrigue me.