This is a collection of movie clips in which Mathematics appears.
I'm collecting DVDs and VHS tapes of such movies. This is a
working document to be extended over time. I started this page
during spring break 2006. See also
the page "Begin of lectures in college teaching"
and "End of lectures in college teaching".
To see the movies larger, watch the quicktime ipod version, which are files with .m4v extension.
This
commedy not only shows shots of Harvard college but also some rather
tough math test problems: like Harriet's method of solving cubics,
Diophantine equations or integration problems.
In
this rather enigmatic movie, the enigmatic game of NIM with a 7-5-3-1
initial condition is played twice. (Thanks to John Boller for the
suggestion.)
The
scare crow theorem: in an isoscele triangle, the sum of the square
roots of two sides is the square root of the third side. (Thanks to
Wyley Beatty to suggest this movie).
The
mighty US defense computer "Colossus" develops calculus to communicate
with its buddy in the Soviet union. (Thanks to website visitor "Bob" to
suggest this.)
Some
gimpses of mathematics appear in the BBC drama: Jane Eyre grades Adeles
homework (fraction), a short thene of tutoring and a scene in the
carriage.
A
scene showing a calculus contest in which a system of linear equations
as well as a limit problem appears (thanks to website visitor Lillian
Tubbs to suggest this.)
The
ulam prime spiral appears. One could overlook that almost nothing
connected with codes, physics or math does make sense in this movie,
but that the blue picture of the Ulam spiral is fake is slightly
annoying.
Ian
Hood, the special scientific troubleshooter for the British government
has to solve a riddle from a friend. (Thanks to Robin Zaruba for the
suggestion)
Bartender
Cesar lectures Marius on mixing a picon-citron-curacao: one very small
third of curacao, one third of citron, then a large third of picon. And
to finish, a large third of water. (Movie suggested by Billy Carson)
If
I'm forced to choose from Mozart or Reading and Writing and Long
divisions, I choose long division. - You can cut the arts, but the kids
will have nothing anymore to read and write about.
