Curiosities

Watch Full Episodes Online of PBS NewsHour on PBS | Math is amazing and we have to start treating it that wayWhy math doesn’t deserve its boring reputation.

Why does math need to be useful?

Mathematicians have been exploring the beauty of mathematics for centuries; the usefulness follows from the awe and wonder.

Hexagons

It's a good day when a chance conversation in the photocopier room reminds me about the missing piece of a puzzle from class, and then I happen upon something by chance that will add to our conversation about the mystery of math. These two videos added to our conversation in calculus class about the strange wonder of a path between four towns placed on the corners of a square.

Math is foreverWith humor and charm, mathematician Eduardo Sáenz de Cabezón answers a question that’s wracked the brains of bored students the world over: What is math for? He shows the beauty of math as the backbone of science — and shows that theorems, not diamonds, are forever. In Spanish, with English subtitles.

Why do honeybees love hexagons? - Zack Patterson and Andy PetersonHoneybees are some of nature’s finest mathematicians. Not only can they calculate angles and comprehend the roundness of the earth, these smart insects build and live in one of the most mathematically efficient architectural designs around: the beehive. Zack Patterson and Andy Peterson delve into the very smart geometry behind the honeybee’s home.

The beautiful math of coralMargaret Wertheim leads a project to re-create the creatures of the coral reefs using a crochet technique invented by a mathematician -- celebrating the amazements of the reef, and deep-diving into the hyperbolic geometry underlying coral creation.

Want to learn more about the coral reef project? Visit the website of the Institute for Fingering:

www.theiff.org/

Knit Purl

This article makes me want to teach all my students how to knit and crochet.

Girls Knit Their Way to a Math CareerGirls Knit Their Way to a Math Career

Pi Day: pi transformed into incredible art – in picturesThe number 3.14159 … as you have never seen it before. Striking computer-generated images of the most famous number in maths

Why Pi MattersYes, Pi Day is again upon us. And not just any Pi Day. They’re calling this the Pi Day of the century: 3.14.15. Pi to five digits.

Looking for a good puzzle to ponder?

Take the Ada Lovelace challenge.

from https://www.theguardian.com/science/series/alex-bellos-monday-puzzle

If you get stuck, sleep on it. Your brain will continue to work on solving the problem while you sleep.

Ada Lovelace puzzle.pdf

Ada LovelaceEnglish mathematician Ada Lovelace, the daughter of poet Lord Byron, has been called "the first computer programmer" for writing an algorithm for a computing machine in the mid-1800s.

Report abuse