Perspective in beautiful action: bridge painters in old New York City
This photo from 1914 is gorgeous. I’m sure it could be used when discussing perspective, maybe with a geometry tie-in.
From NYC Department of Records, via the Daily Mail.
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Tag: math
April 25, 2012
When Pi reversed equals Pie.
Not sure of the source of this one, although the actual idea is everywhere on the net.
March 22, 2012
When Zombies Attack! Math and medicine (and zombies) combine for interesting epidemiology paper.
– – –
Title: WHEN ZOMBIES ATTACK!: MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF AN OUTBREAK OF ZOMBIE INFECTION
Authors: Philip Munz, Ioan Hudea, Joe Imad, Robert J. Smith.
Reference: Infectious Disease Modelling Research Progress, Chapter 4. Editors: J.M. Tchuenche and C. Chiyaka, pp. 133-150. ISBN 978-1-60741-347-9. c 2009 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Abstract: Zombies are a popular figure in pop culture/entertainment and they are usually portrayed as being brought about through an outbreak or epidemic. Consequently, we model a zombie attack, using biological assumptions based on popular zombie movies. We introduce a basic model for zombie infection, determine equilibria and their stability, and illustrate the outcome with numerical solutions. We then refine the model to introduce a latent period of zombification, whereby humans are infected, but not infectious, before becoming undead. We then modify the model to include the effects of possible quarantine or a cure. Finally, we examine the impact of regular, impulsive reductions in the number of zombies and derive conditions under which eradication can occur. We show that only quick, aggressive attacks can stave off the doomsday scenario: the collapse of society as zombies overtake us all.
Link to full paper – here.
March 18, 2012
It’s like math but louder…
From Wondermark. (Click on image for larger version).
March 14, 2012
Lovely mnemonic for Pi involving liquor and physics.
It goes:
How I want a drink, alcoholic, of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics!
If you count the letters in each word, you get: 3.14159265358979
This lovely bit of wordplay is attributed to Sir James Jeans (Gardner 1966, p. 92; Castellanos 1988, p. 152; Eves 1990, p. 122; Davis 1993, p. 9; Blatner 1997, p. 112).
February 29, 2012
Awesome animated gif of a physics blackboard
Can’t find out the source for this (do let me know if you know).
February 23, 2012
The fraction 1 over 473684210526315789 is pretty outstanding!
1/473684210526315789 = 0.000000000000000002111111111111111113222222
2222222222243333333333333333354444444444444444465555555555555555576
6666666666666666877777777777777777988888888888888889100000000000000
0002111111111111111113222222222222222224333333333333333335444444444
4444444465555555555555555576666666666666666687777777777777777798888
8888888888889100000000000000000211111111111111111322222222222222222
4333333333333333335444444444444444446555555555555555557666666666666
6666687777777777777777798888888888888888910000000000000000021111111
1111111111322222222222222222433333333333333333544444444444444444655
5555555555555557666666666666666668777777777777777779888888888888888
8910000000000000000021111111111111111132222222222222222243333333333
3333333544444444444444444655555555555555555766666666666666666877777
7777777777779888888888888888891000000000000000002111111111111111113
2222222222222222243333333333333333354444444444444444465555555555555
5555766666666666666666877777777777777777988888888888888889100000000
0000000002111111111111111113222222222222222224333333333333333335444
4444444444444465555555555555555576666666666666666687777777777777777
7988888888888888889100000000000000000211111111111111111322222222222
2222224333333333333333335444444444444444446555555555555555557666666
6666666666687777777777777777798888888888888888910000000000000000021
1111111111111111322222222222222222433333333333333333544444444444444
4446555555555555555557666666666666666668777777777777777779888888888
8888888910000000000000000021111111111111111132222222222222222243333
3333333333333544444444444444444655555555555555555766666666666666666
8777777777777777779888888888888888891000000000000000002111111111111
111113222222222222222224…
Via Futility Closet.
February 21, 2012
Justin Bieber physics question. #funny
(This is circulating on tumblr, but not sure of the original source).
December 15, 2011
God, seriously. Stop with the triangle jokes.
Via somuchpun.com.
December 12, 2011
The Newton Digital Library: His “Waste Book.”
I love the back story to this:
“Much of Newton’s important work on calculus is developed in this large notebook, which he began using in 1664 when he was away from Cambridge due to the plague. Newton inherited the book from his stepfather, Rev Barnabas Smith, who used it from about 1612 to record his own theological notes (see, for example, his notes on adultery, in Latin). Newton was not interested in his stepfather’s jottings: its value to him was the large number of blank pages, which he began filling with his mathematical and optical calculations. Although the bulk of his work in this manuscript dates from the mid-1660s, Newton continued to use into the 1680s and possibly even the 1690s.” (link)
More of Newton’s papers at the Cambridge Digital Library
popperfont.net 