Monthly Archives: October 2007
Bumped off
Two of the best science-blog articles of 2007 appeared early in the year at Cosmic Variance. They were written by John Conway (not the John Conway, the other John Conway) and gave an inside view of what happens in a … Continue reading
The family tree
When is a tree (large, woody plant) not a tree (connected acyclic graph)? This has something or other to do with the topic of the previous post. (The tree (?) is a crepe myrtle near the campus of North Carolina … Continue reading
Posted in biology, computing, mathematics
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How many of your ancestors are you related to?
David Aldous asked me that question over lunch one day. I didn’t have an answer, so he explained: In the simplest model of human genetics, you get half your genes from each parent, a fourth from each grandparent, and so … Continue reading
Posted in biology
9 Comments
Hung over
The drawing below, brazenly swiped from a 1964 Martin Gardner column, illustrates the solution to a well-known puzzle. If you stack n bricks on a table, how far can you make them extend over the edge without toppling? The answer … Continue reading
Posted in mathematics, physics, problems and puzzles
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Multicore madness
The new issue of American Scientist is now available both on the web and on paper. The subtitle of my “Computing Science” column makes the following rash assertion: Multicore chips could bring about the biggest change in computing since the … Continue reading
Posted in computing
2 Comments
Conquering divide
This morning I am enjoying the benefits of jet lead. My watch says it’s 7:30, but the hotel-room clock reads 4:30, so I have a few hours free to lie awake and solve the world’s problems. As a warmup exercise … Continue reading
Posted in computing, mathematics
17 Comments
Antinomies on the landscape
From the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guide to the Pacific Northwest, page 218: In spite of its name, False Creek is not a creek at all….
Posted in mathematics, quote
2 Comments