Math
We summarize the week's scientific breakthroughs every Thursday.
- Math
The Math Hatter and More
Looking for a cool gift for someone mathematically inclined? An unusual, conversation-generating token of appreciation? The World Wide Web offers a number of intriguing possibilities–if you know where to stop and shop. Metro cars in action. Smart Mouth letter dispenser. Original Stonehenge watch. A little ad in a mathematics newsletter recently alerted me to the […]
- Math
Knot Possible
Knot theorists are getting closer to their goal of developing practical procedures for distinguishing knotted curves from unknotted ones.
- Math
Canary Songs
All it takes to sing like a canary is good breath and muscle control. Simply by manipulating air pressure and muscle tension in its vocal organ, or syrinx, a canary can generate an amazingly varied repertoire of trills, warbles, and other melodic syllables. This insight comes from a novel mathematical model of sound production in […]
- Math
Canary Songs
All it takes to sing like a canary is good breath and muscle control. Simply by manipulating air pressure and muscle tension in its vocal organ, or syrinx, a canary can generate an amazingly varied repertoire of trills, warbles, and other melodic syllables. This insight comes from a novel mathematical model of sound production in […]
- Math
Online Bidding Tips
The auction Web site known as eBay has become a vast marketplace, bringing together buyers and sellers of all sorts of goods. It has also become a handy laboratory for testing ideas in economics about markets and prices. In general, auctions ought to serve as an efficient mechanism for setting prices. Consequently, you would expect […]
- Math
Online Bidding Tips
The auction Web site known as eBay has become a vast marketplace, bringing together buyers and sellers of all sorts of goods. It has also become a handy laboratory for testing ideas in economics about markets and prices. In general, auctions ought to serve as an efficient mechanism for setting prices. Consequently, you would expect […]
- Math
Absolutely Abnormal
Identifying the normal (or even the abnormal) in mathematics can pose serious difficulties. In 1909, mathematician Émile Borel (1871–1956) introduced the concept of normality as one way to characterize the resemblance between the digits of a mathematical constant such as pi (the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter) and a sequence of random […]
- Math
Tolstoy’s Calculus
“Absolute continuity of motion is not comprehensible to the human mind. Laws of motion of any kind become comprehensible to man only when he examines arbitrarily selected elements of that motion; but at the same time, a large proportion of human error comes from the arbitrary division of continuous motion into discontinuous elements.” This striking […]
- Math
Firm Data
Business firms range in size from boutiques operated by individuals to huge multinational corporations employing thousands. You would expect that there are fewer large businesses than small ones. In economics, however, it’s useful to characterize the size distribution of firms more precisely than that. Within an industry, for example, the firm size distribution would indicate […]
- Math
Spotting Ladybugs
Ladybugs are among the most familiar of beetles. More than 4,000 species are found throughout the world, ranging in size from 4 to 18 millimeters. Also known as lady beetles or ladybirds, these insects (coccinellids) have rounded bodies and bright red, orange, or yellow wing covers, which usually bear an array of contrasting black spots […]
- Math
Spotting Ladybugs
Ladybugs are among the most familiar of beetles. More than 4,000 species are found throughout the world, ranging in size from 4 to 18 millimeters. Also known as lady beetles or ladybirds, these insects (coccinellids) have rounded bodies and bright red, orange, or yellow wing covers, which usually bear an array of contrasting black spots […]
- Math
Knot Views
Interested in playing around with some mathematical knots? Manuel Arala Chaves of the University of Porto in Portugal has created a table illustrating all 75 knots with up to 9 crossings in their standard representation. If your computer can handle LiveGraphics3D, you can manipulate the knots in three dimensions and look at them from different […]
