Monthly Archives: November 2011

Sources and citations

Posted on November 16, 2011 by strathmaths

For those of you doing final-year projects, today’s comic on xkcd provides the best short explanation I’ve seen of why your supervisor makes so much fuss if you borrow “facts” from Wikipedia. (The second-best explanation I’ve seen was provided by … Continue reading →

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Puzzles in mathematical economics (loosely speaking)

Posted on November 15, 2011 by strathmaths

Actually, weighing coins… 1 [easy]. Suppose you have 100 bags of coins, each containing at least 363 coins. A genuine coin weighs 10 grams. One bag is full of counterfeit coins, which are a gram lighter.  If you have a … Continue reading →

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Quotation for the week: Shakespeare

Posted on November 14, 2011 by strathmaths

Although it’s not clear that Shakespeare himself had much experience of mathematics or mathematicians, at least one of his characters had strong feelings about them. Here’s Iago, a hard-bitten professional soldier, complaining that his commanding officer has promoted somebody else … Continue reading →

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Maths at Strathclyde: some scenes from history

Posted on November 12, 2011 by strathmaths

I’m grateful to Professor Stephen Wilson for circulating a history of the Department written in the mid-1970s by the former Head of Department, Professor Donald Pack. Not all of it is terribly interesting, but there are some fascinating details that … Continue reading →

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René Descartes: plane but not straightforward?

Posted on November 9, 2011 by strathmaths

René Descartes (31 March 1596 — 11 February 1650) is decidedly a mixed blessing to humanity. His mind/body duality idea has confused generations upon generations of thinkers. His distillation of the (reductionist) scientific method is arguably naïve and misleading. It … Continue reading →

Posted in A mathematical abecedary | 3 Comments

SIAM Student Chapter launched

Posted on November 8, 2011 by strathmaths

On Monday 28th November, we are holding the inaugural meeting of the Strathclyde SIAM Student Chapter. This meeting will be held from 1500–1715 in LT908 and consist of three 20 minute talks given by Prof. Mark Ainsworth, Prof. Ernesto Estrada … Continue reading →

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Quotation for the week: Galileo

Posted on November 7, 2011 by strathmaths

The great Galileo Galilei should need no introduction. Here he is in typically combative form, on the subject of being told what to do by nitwits: And who can doubt that it will lead to the worst disorders when minds … Continue reading →

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A problem with polynomials: solution (part 1)

Posted on November 4, 2011 by strathmaths

The problem before us was: show that the equations and have a root in common. I know that we asked you to show that they have a real root in common, but the method of solution will indeed demonstrate that … Continue reading →

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The meaning of the Freshman’s Dream

Posted on November 3, 2011 by strathmaths

What does it mean to write the following? Let me clarify what I have in mind.

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Puzzle: a problem with polynomials

Posted on November 1, 2011 by strathmaths

The Open University equivalent of DoF is the M500 magazine, the publication of the M500 Society , a self-help group, which “helps to mitigate student isolation by means of the M500 Magazine and the Mathematics Weekends”. It is not clear … Continue reading →

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