Source: https://xkcd.com/1856/
All posts for the month May, 2020
Existence Proofs
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 29, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/29/existence-proofs/
The NBA Data Scientist
This is a nice feature from Bloomberg about Ivana Seric, a data scientist who uses statistical analysis for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 25, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/25/the-nba-data-scientist/
How To Use Facebook Emoji to Respond to a Mathematical Proof
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 22, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/22/how-to-use-facebook-emoji-to-respond-to-a-mathematical-proof/
Snakes on a Plane
Sadly, the snakes fail the vertical line test.
Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2275159199164147&set=gm.500736803735509&type=3&theater
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 18, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/18/snakes-on-a-plane/
How to Mow Your Lawn Using Math
News You Can Use, courtesy of Popular Mechanics: The mathematical ways to most efficiently mow your yard, by shape of yard.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/math/a28722621/mow-your-lawn-using-math/
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 15, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/15/how-to-mow-your-lawn-using-math/
The Mathematical Equivalent of Sticking a Fork into an Electrical Socket
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 11, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/11/the-mathematical-equivalent-of-sticking-a-fork-into-an-electrical-socket/
A Quick Message to the UNT College of Science Class of 2020
We interrupt our regular programming for this quick message to the University of North Texas College of Science Class of 2020, whose graduation we had planned to celebrate this weekend.
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 8, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/08/a-quick-message-to-the-class-of-2020/
Goodbye Aberration: Physicist Solves 2,000-Year-Old Optical Problem
This was a nice write-up (with some entertaining interspersed snark) of the solution of the the Wasserman-Wolf problem concerning the construction of a perfect lens (like a camera lens). Some quotes:
[L]enses are made from spherical surfaces. The problem arises when light rays outside the center of the lens or hitting at an angle can’t be focused at the desired distance in a point because of differences in refraction.
Which makes the center of the image sharper than the corners…
In a 1949 article published in the Royal Society Proceedings, Wasserman and Wolf formulated the problem—how to design a lens without spherical aberration—in an analytical way, and it has since been known as the Wasserman-Wolf problem…
The problem was solved in 2018 by doctoral students in Mexico. For those fluent in Spanish, the university press release can be found here. As an added bonus, here’s the answer:
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 4, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/04/goodbye-aberration-physicist-solves-2000-year-old-optical-problem/
Can I Do Something To Help My Grade?
Posted by John Quintanilla on May 1, 2020
https://meangreenmath.com/2020/05/01/can-i-do-something-to-help-my-grade/
