What do you get when you take a trained meteorologist with a Master of Science in electrical engineering and 15 years experience in the engineering field who finally decides to pursue his life-long interest in art? The artist Ken Leap and his intriguing new artistic form, based on mathematics, called Refractive Relief Sculpture.
President Garfield and the Pythagorean Theorem
In 1876 a member of the House of Representatives produced a new proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. The proof itself is somewhat unusual in that it is based on a trapezoid, although inspection shows that it bears a resemblance to an argument found in the oldest known Chinese mathematics text. More interesting is the fact that Congressman James Abram Garfield, who later became the twentieth President of the United States, apparently had a rather mixed ability and background in mathematics, although he exhibited an unusually high level of overall intelligence.
A Mathematical Seduction
"Math Forum" has been a nonexistent, regular feature of Math Horizons since the late 1960's containing letters from readers depicting intimate mathematical experiences. This story may not be appropriate for all readers - especially those who are offended by explicit math acts.
Life and Death on the Go Board
It is reported that on his deathbed, a wise Chinese philosopher remarked that if he could live his life over again he would dedicate half of it to playing Go. The twentieth-centure Japanese Go champion, Kaoru Iwamoto, commented only somewhat facetiously that the philosopher seemed to lack any real enthusiasm for the game by promising to dedicate such a small part of his life to Go.
The Canoe Curve
I met my favorite equation in a canoe. We had just bought it and were trying it out (the canoe, not the equation). Since my wife, who is also my business manager, had some concern whether we would use it enough to justify the purchase, I set to ruminating as we paddled around in Lincoln's Holmes Lake Park.
In Search of a Practical Map Fold
In the history of origami there has been occasional mention of how various people folded maps. Examples of ancient folded maps can be found, but modern paper-folders have been searching for "better" map folds than the awkward, fold in half over and over again method. One notable example is the Miura map fold, invented by Professor Koryo Miura of Japan, which can be opened and closed easily merely by separating two opposite corners. Such a trick is not a mere novelty: Miura has used his map fold to design solar panel arrays that can be opened and closed easily in space satellites. Other map folds exist that are sold commercially. I have seen one subway map that opens and closes using an array of pleats along the side. But I had never thought of other, more practical possibilities for map folds until I received the following email.
The Prizes Rite
Each weekday, a workshop filled with interesting, challenging and delightful mathematics, is played out on national TV - on a game show called The Price is Right. Playing along with contestants and scrutinizing their decisions on TPIR is perhaps the closest that many Americans come to dealing with serious mathematical analysis and strategic decision-making, whether they realize it or not. After reading this article, we hope you'll be at least a little bit better prepared should you ever hear your name with that famous call to come on down.
Fishy Mathematics
We were all brought up to believe that big fish eat little fish. It is logical to suspect that the relative mixture of fish within the marine ecosystem influences individual species abundances.
Problem Section
S-62.
Determine the maximum and minimum values of a sin(2x) + b sin(x) cos(x) + c cos(2x) where a, b, c are given constants.
S-63.
Proposed by George Takarsky and the Problem Editor (M.S.K.), University of Alberta. P is an interior point of triangle ABC such that angle BPC < angle B. Prove that PB < AB.
S-64.
Proposed by P. Wagner, Chicago IL. Given that yz + a = x^2 and zx + a = y^2 where x does not equal y. Determine xy + a as a function of z.
The Final Exam: Function Fun
I wonder how many students will do this puzzle in INK!?!
