From Terry Tao’s blog (thanks to Michael Trick via Peter Haas for bringing it to our attention): There is [a] type of “bug” that affects mathematicians—the attempt to solve certain problems. These problems have been called “diseases,” which is a term coined by the great graph theorist Frank Harary. A mathematical disease [has these symptoms]: […]
Tag: mathematics
Mathematical Embarrassments
From Dick Lifton’s blog (thanks to Peter Haas for bringing it to our attention): Terry Tao is one of the greatest mathematicians of our time…. Today I want to talk about a topic that he has discussed: mathematical embarrassments—the name is mine, but I hope he will agree with spirit of this term…. A mathematical […]
The lazy bureaucrat problem
The lazy bureaucrat problem is ancient, as old as bureaucracy itself. In the 1990s, mathematicians decided to look at the problem. They have since made progress that, depending on your point of view, is either impressive or irrelevant. Four scientists at the State University of New York, Stony Brook issued the first formal report. The […]
Mathematics, the law, and birds
A Pennsylvania judge allegedly used simple mathematics to decide how long a newly convicted felon would stay in prison, according to a December 29, 2009 Citizensvoice report (thanks to Ted Nimes for bringing it to our attention): Former Luzerne County Judge Mark A. Ciavarella Jr. sentenced one former juvenile defendant to six months at a […]
The Mathematician and the Beatles chord
Jason Brown of Dalhousie University published a study called “Mathematics, Physics and A Hard Day’s Night.” The abstract reads, in whole: “In this article we shall use mathematics and the physics of sound to unravel one of the mysteries of rock ’n’ roll – how did the Beatles play the opening chord of A Hard […]
A golden mean in your mouth
Dr Eddy Levin, of Harley Street in London, puts a golden ratio, not just golden teeth, into people’s mouths. Levin has been at this for a while. In 1978, he wrote a study called Dental Aesthetics and the Golden Proportion, which was published in the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. The golden ratio is a special […]