Math Awareness Month

An anonymous reader writes: April is Mathematics Awareness Month. Mathematics of the Cosmos is the 2005 theme: Mathematics is at the core of our attempts to understand the cosmos at every level: Riemannian geometry and topology furnish models of the universe, numerical simulations help us to understand large-scale dynamics, celestial mechanics provides a key to comprehending the solar system, and a wide variety of mathematical tools are needed for actual exploration of the space around us."

Comments

Is it...over?

[-kertrats-]

Can we come out now?

Re:Is it...over?

[zaxios]

No, this is just a trick to get you to come out. The next story is about donkeys getting elected to the EU parliament and electricuting themselves with flagpoles.

Stay hidden.

Re:Is it...over?

[T(V)oney]

I'd stay in. I hear it's going to rain Google Gulp through the night.

Zonk!

[PMJ2kx]

You can stop posting the April Foo---oh. It's real.

counting

[gmailflows]

I think I will spend math awareness month counting. I've never tried to count as high as I could. I could keep a tally each night before sleep. Spend the month trying to count to however high a number as possible...

Too late for you, Taco

[zaxios]

Popular Internet website "Slashdot" has ceased and desisted its run of distressingly unfunny April Fool's news entries. Trolls everywhere have reported repeated bouts of jealousy at the power of CmdrTaco to shit all over Slashdot - a capacity whose unhindered, total form had eluded them.

Move along...

[kryogen1x]

nothing to see... oh wait, nevermind.

Riemannian?

[otisaardvark]

Most models of the universe are mixed signature, (normally Lorentzian), so they can approximate special relativity in the limiting cases.

Re:Riemannian?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Riemannian geometry" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase for both Riemannian and pseudo-Riemannian geometry. Besides, the geometry of space is Riemannian.

P.S. Way to nitpick.

Shouldn't it be March?

[zippthorne]

what with pi day and all?

Re:Shouldn't it be March?

[Anonymous Coward]

Pi Day only makes sense in America.

I think we should have a second Pi Day on 31st April for all countries that put dates in ddmmyy format. That way we can have our 0314XX as well :)

Math Apps.

[Anonymous Coward]

Applets and other software that demonstrates mathmatical principles.
http://www.edinformatics.com/il/il_math.htm

http://smard.cqu.edu.au/Database/Teaching/JavaMath .html

[Physics]
http://faraday.physics.utoronto.ca/PVB/Harrison/Fl ash/

Math Awareness Project for Slashdot

[datafr0g]

Can anyone express Slashdot as an equation?

Re:Math Awareness Project for Slashdot

[Just Some Guy]

It's been stated:

The IQ of the group is the lowest IQ of a member of the group divided by the number of people in the group.

Giving:

IQ.min / slashdotters = 180 / 800000 = 1x10^-4

And that's being charitable.

Re:Math Awareness Project for Slashdot

[Infinityis]

sure, you just have to transform to the hackerish domain to do it...

SlAsh d0T
5145h d07

which is obviously a product between a hexidecimal number and a decimal number...

So we get either
238E3 in hex, which is gibberish, or
145635 in decimal.

Transforming back from hackerish, we get "Lasbes"

Either this is a misspelling of "Lesbos" (which I would find highly unlikely), or it's the Klingon way of saying "Drink your Ovaltine" (secret decoder ring needed).

Re:Math Awareness Project for Slashdot

[chris_eineke]

No, but as a crappily coded perl script... ;-)

Finally

[Omnieiunium]

Finally some real news. Thank you slashdot gods.

Mathematics Awareness Month Theme Essays

[Anonymous Luddite]

"The exponential loss of readership due to posting crappy April Fool's day stories"

Possible problem:

[StimpyPimp]

Math+Awareness=null

looks legit to me

[lha2]

Whois says it's not commander taco (unless he went to hella trouble):

Server Used: [ whois.pir.org ]

http://www.mathaware.org/ = [ 130.44.204.33 ]

Domain ID: D68151192-LROR
Domain Name: MATHAWARE.ORG
Created On: 22-Mar-2001 18: 07: 59 UTC
Last Updated On: 22-Oct-2004 22: 18: 24 UTC
Expiration Date: 22-Mar-2008 18: 07: 59 UTC
Sponsoring Registrar: Network Solutions LLC (R63-LROR)
Status: CLIENT TRANSFER PROHIBITED
Registrant ID: 6075150-NSI
Registrant Name: American Mathematical Society
Registrant Organization: American Mathematical Society
Registrant Street1: 201 CHARLES ST
Registrant Street2:
Registrant Street3:
Registrant City: PROVIDENCE
Registrant State/Province: RI
Registrant Postal Code: 02904-2213

CERT reports staggering drop in internet traffic

[Scott7477]

"CERT team notices amazing drop in internet traffic this April 1, goes into panic mode until it is determined that the traffic drop is due to lack of Slashdot clickthroughs. Apparently, no one clicks on links to article posts on April "Fools Day." Meanwhile, Vegas bookies giving odds on first site to be slashdotted when normal posts resume, give 2 to 1 that it will be site linked by slashdot sometime in the last two weeks."

Re:Question

[Storlek]

The asx file is here, and it eventually points to mms://a36.v9890f.c9890.g.vm.akamaistream.net/ 7/36/9890/v0001/abcvod.download.akamai.com/9890/ media/Primetime/lost_117_recap_joi8_high.asf (get rid of the spaces)

Celebrate with a Good Book

[Jeremy Erwin]

I plan to celebrate April (and May, and possibly June) by reading Roger Penrose's The Road to Reality an entertaining tome of but 1100 pages that purports to teach the reader all the math he needs to understand modern physics. Penrose is the ultimate optimist, but I must confess, I'm having difficulty after only chapter 8 (Riemann surfaces and complex mappings) of 34. Maybe, if I don't pay too much attention to the math, I'll breeze right through it. But then, that would defeat the whole purpose of Math Awareness Month.

Where to go from here?

[Just Some Guy]

I came "this close" to completing a math minor. I recently read Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea and became interested in picking up where I left off. Upon the recommendation of the math department head at the school I graduated from, I bought a textbook on topology and have been reading that at night before I go to bed.

Any suggestions on what to tackle next? I really liked set theory, Boolean calculus, and so on (which means the topology book has been really enjoyable so far). My main goal is to be able to read the occasional article on higher math that filters through Slashdot, and the various interesting-looking physics books I find when I make it in to a city with a real bookstore (the best my town has to offer is a Hastings).

I know that the real answer is "whatever I'm interested in", but I haven't been exposed to enough math beyond multivariate calculus to know what I'm interested in. Was there any class you took or book you read that made you look at the world differently or left you hungry for more?

Re:Where to go from here?

[sfcat]

Was there any class you took or book you read that made you look at the world differently or left you hungry for more?

For the layperson, number theory and permutations are very accessible and interesting. These areas of math don't require alot of prior knowledge of obscure topics, formulea, or theories that won't really interest most people. Plus, there is a possibility (albeit a very slim one) that you could solve some interesting problem whereas most types of math require alot of topic specific knowledge just to understand the problem, let alone solve it.

Re:Where to go from here?

[rsilverman]

Some of my favorites:

"Topics in Algebra" by Herstein

"Topology" by Hocking and Young [Dover]

"Counterexamples in Topology" by Steen & Seebach [Dover]

"A Mathematical Introduction to Logic" by Enderton

"Galois Theory" by Stewart

Re:Where to go from here?

[kfg]

Bell's "Men of Mathematics" is not to be missed.

KFG

Re:Where to go from here?

[Coryoth]

Given a good grasp of topology, and presuming you enjoy that, a couple of directions to aim for are Differential Geometry (which gets you a nice understanding of General Relativity, the shape of the universe, and that sort of thing), or if you want to head in a more pure direction, Algebraic Topology. Both those topics are "hard" in the sense that they may require material from other fields, advanced calculus for Differential Geometry, modern algebra for Algebraic Topology. Both are interesting topics in their own right though, and it should be easy enough to pick up a textbook on one of those for some background reading before starting in on your topic of choice.

Jedidiah.

Math Does Not Exist

[lousyd]

Mathematics is at the core of our attempts to understand the cosmos at every level

Ha! April Fool's! That's obviously not true.

"Calculus is just a theory!"

[tenzig_112]

Oh, God. Have you seen this one?
The evolution/creationism debate has gone to the next level in a small Pennsylvania town

Summary for the link deprived: Parents are furious with a math teacher for refusing to present Biblical cubit-based mathematics alongside higher math concepts, and not allowing children with strong faith objections to opt out of certain classes. They also want textbooks to carry warning stickers: Calculus is just a theory and not mentioned anywhere in the Bible.

Topology Text

[Anonymous Coward]

If you're really interested, and have a little more background, you should read Hatcher's "Algebraic Topology." It's available free at his home page.

Re:Topology Text

[Coryoth]

I'll second that, Hatcher's is a great book on algebraic topology which is, in itself, a vastly interesting topic. You'll need some background in modern algebra. If you don't have that, there are plenty of good textbooks in it. I always quite liked the one by Fraleigh (A First Course in Abstract Algebra), but your taste may differ.

Jedidiah.

Re:What is Maths

[Aardpig]

In the USA, 'mathematics' is abbreviated to 'math'. In the UK, it is abbreviated to 'maths'. Since the UK comprises England amongst other countries, and England created the English language, the abbreviation 'maths' would appear to be a perfectly valid -- if not even 'more correct' -- usage.

Oh, and chaps: it's aluminium.

Math Apps-II

[Anonymous Coward]

Merlot

SMETE

["An Agent-Based Architecture
for Supporting High-Level Search Activities
in Federated Digital Libraries
for Computer Science"]
Daffodil*

*Just a fancy way of saying a front-end to online libraries.

Protests at Math Awareness Month

[dangitman]

A large group of Irrational Numbers picketed this month's Math Awareness Parade. Waving reams of perforated computer paper, they screamed "We're here, we're queer, get used to it!" and spitting on passing integers.

Re:between high school and doctorate

[kromozone]

WikiVersity School of Mathematics

take some more classes

[xlurker]

I don't know how old you are or what level classes you referred to, but if you really liked it that much, then take some more classes. If you're good enough at it, then you will really like:

Analysis, Number Theory and Function Theory

Like any other discipline, once you grasp the basics , admiring the cleverness and hacks of the people in that discipline can be very awe inspiring.

Math is an intimidating discipline, usually because many things have to be thought out thoroughly. Proofs can sometimes be very long. An incredible part is when you find or learn about alternative proofs. The ones that are only a few lines, that at the core contain a clever new idea that for some strange reason had eluded everyone for ages.

In a way math and mathematical proofs are like lock-picking. In the worst case you have to use a drill or explosives, in the best cases - the cases that are always hoped to be found - the are ways to open the vault by listening, maybe using a magnet or string and giving it a final kick.

what if, what if, what if an apple!=an apple

[xlurker]

Short answer: it doesn't matter.

Long answer: Mathematics is based on the basic rules we have inferred from observing reality. If somehow reality changed, then we would infer other basic rules.

IOW Mathematics is about inferring basic rules and then building on top of these rules to come to (interesting) conclusions.

There will always be certain basic rules as long as you are in a system where you can make differenciable observations.

What you asked is a bit philosophy and a bit silly and unfortunately in the tone of anti-science ideologues (sorry).

I'll explain:

• I haven't seen any compelling proof that the cosmos IS mathematical.

  What is that supposed to mean?!
  Mathematics is not a religious ideology or cult. It is a though process. Reality simply "is". No matter what you're compelled to believe in, reality will not change.

• ... happen in a post-mathematical phase of human understanding ofthe cosmos.

  what is that supposed to mean!?
  "post-mathematical" phase... that might be something somebody would say that has no idea what math is .... I already explained the basics on the top. As long as people will be setting up rules to live with reality, they will be practicing math. After that, it's all just a matter of who has the better math.

  If someone always gets shortchanged at the market-place of reality because their "post-mathematical" view of the reality of counting credits is farther advanced than the grocers, then they aren't going to get very much farther on the enlightment road. They also aren't going to get very far in a space ship in cold vacuum if they can't model harsh reality well. There is no such thing as debating, convincing or coming to a consensus with reality. It is does what it does and doesn't care what you think.

• I'm so wrapped up in and surrounded by the mathematical model, that it seems irrefutable. But a look at history provides a proud narrative of ingenious folly.

  I really don't know what to think... are you being pleasantly open-minded and just wondering out loud or (I've heard this kind of talk before) do you have an anti-scientific agenda to push here?

  If our models or reality are wrong, then they will simply be adjusted to fit reality better. But the though process, the process of trying, testing, proposing, refuting, accepting or even simply calling BS will always stay.

Netwons models of force and gravity turned out to not always work. We still use them because they usually work well enough. In the extreme cases Einsteins modifications of his models are used.

Did science change after modifying the models? No. The process of science was to change the models because the modifications worked better.

Cut the knot: the best Mathematics site

[elbow_spur]

The best hands-on mathematics experience, hands down, is at

http://www.cut-the-knot.org/

The topics are accessible, and often accompanied with applets.

I've used this material to give math talks to high school kids - they love it.

Here is a real favourite:

Make a polygon by picking a bunch of points on graph paper (just the grid intersection points) and connecting these points by straight lines. The spiky looking thing is technically called a lattice polygon. A really cool way to calculate the area is to (A) count the grid points strictly inside the polygon (B) count the grid points lying exactly on the edges and vertices, then do (A)+(B)/2-1 Voila!

The applet and explanation is here:
http://www.cut-the-knot.org/ctk/Pick.shtml

(However, the so-inclined may prefer to fool around with this by themselves, first!)

There are many^(many) phenomena out there like pick's theorem. Call them math paradoxes, or theorems, or whatever, but there's lots of mathematics that is easy to perceive and is mysterious as anything. Mathematics awareness can begin by first learning about and experiencing these brain bending phenomena, and then SEEKING an explanation.