Cool Stuff
Here are the links to some sites that you may enjoy exploring. Don't be shy ... you may be surprised by what you may learn about a concept that you thought was simple, or what you can learn about something you thought would be hard.
These YouTube Channels are run by individual mathematicians or groups, that produce videos on an assortment of mathematical topics. They vary in length and are very interesting. A good source for projects and general interest. These are just a sampling.
Vi Hart
Doodling in Math: Spirals, Fibonacci, and being a plant
Doodling in Math Class: Infinity Elephants
Doodling in Math: Sick Number Games
Doodling in Math Class: Snowflakes, Starflakes, and Swirlflakes
Prime Numbers and the Sieve of Eratosthenes
Videos
A NOVA program on fractals: "Hunting the Hidden Dimension"
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/hunting-hidden-dimension.html
Pendulum Patterns: A cool 1.5 minute youtube video shows some amazing patterns produced by a set of pendulums of different lengths. It's an example of Simple Harmonic Motion and trigonometric functions can be used to describe the patterns you see.
a "wikipedia"-like site for all things mathematics
Project Euler is a series of challenging mathematical/computer programming problems that will require more than just mathematical insights to solve. Although mathematics will help you arrive at elegant and efficient methods, the use of a computer and programming skills will be required to solve most problems.
Podcasts for Interest or Research
RadioLab has 3 segments available:
In "25 Minutes to Go," Johnny Cash counts down the minutes to his hanging. This precipitates an argument between Robert and Jad about whether you could live without numbers. Jad introduces his newborn son, Amil, and insists that he has no concept of numbers whatsoever. Like father, like son?
Mark Nigrini shares the story of physicist Frank Benford, a man whose curiosity about a book inspired a bizarre discovery. Benford's Law, as it is now known, reveals a cosmic preference for certain numbers. Then Darrell D. Dorrell, a forensic accountant, describes how he uses Benford's Law to bust crooks.
Paul Hoffman tells us the story of a boy trapped in a world of numbers, who grew into one of math's greatest proselytizers, Paul Erdös. Joel Spencer and Jerry Grossman help bring to life the man behind the numbers.
Producer Soren Wheeler brings us a story about a friendship between Steve Strogatz and his high school math teacher, Don Joffray. Steve explains how numbers can connect you and where they fall short.
CBC Ideas - Shape: Hidden Geometry
In his latest book, Shape, mathematician Jordan Ellenberg reveals the geometry lurking beneath history, democracy, biology, and everything else. He argues geometry is a way of thinking, a method of reasoning and argument, and a system for making sense of the world.
Aired: May 11, 2022