Monthly Archives: June 2011
A slight discrepancy
The image above shows the mesh top of a patio table, photographed after a soaking rain. Some of the openings in the mesh retain drops of water. What can we say about the distribution of those drops? Are they sprinkled … Continue reading
Posted in computing, featured, mathematics, physics
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Don’t try to read this proof!
On the subject of the Collatz conjecture (also known as the 3x+1 problem), Paul Erdos remarked: “Mathematics is not yet ready for such problems.” Shizuo Kakutani joked that the problem was a Cold War invention of the Russians meant to … Continue reading
Posted in mathematics, problems and puzzles
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