Recreational Mathematics

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Griff

Even the title of this thread makes me anxious. I do the maths if I need them, but childhood trauma prevents ever attaching recreation to them.

What Griff said.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Griff

Even the title of this thread makes me anxious. I do the maths if I need them, but childhood trauma prevents ever attaching recreation to them.

With very good reason.

A new study by researchers at the University of Chicago has found that for people who get anxious at the idea of doing mathematics, just preparing to do a math problem can trigger activity in a part of your brain that registers physical pain.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

With very good reason.

well, MY dad used to just hit me.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Had the same effect, and indirectly, the same cause.
Of course there was the additional problem of him feeling inferior to someone as smart and attractive as you.

[ZenGum]

Lamplighter, it's true that 1 is a cubic square, but I think 1 is described by the x^2^3 formula.

Bruce ... yours? Congratulations.

[BigV]

http://www.cellar.org/showthread.php...801#post835801

I note that there are some that are exactly two things, some that are exactly three things, one that is exactly seven things, but none that are exactly one thing, none that are exactly four things, none that are exactly five things and none that are exactly six things.

[BigV]

http://www.cellar.org/showthread.php?t=25982

This is Zen keeping it stiff.

[ZenGum]

Animation of zooming into the Mandelbrot set to a magnification of 2.1 x 10^275.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Who are you, Cliff Pickover.

[Ibby]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Final question for discussion: are there any cubic squares other than those described by the x^2^3 formula?

How could there be?

Find any cubic square number. cube-root then square-root it. then quare and cube that solution, and it will have to be the same. it will HAVE to follow the x^2^3 formula.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by Ibby

How could there be?

Find any cubic square number. cube-root then square-root it. then quare and cube that solution, and it will have to be the same. it will HAVE to follow the x^2^3 formula.

I'm *pretty sure* that you are right, but I was wondering about a situation where x^3 = y^2 where x and y are not related in this way.

Something like 7^3 and 19^2, although of course not that.

But yeah, I don't think there can be.

[infinite monkey]

YOU try cooking for the entire village hunting party's return. How am I supposed to know how much lard to use when I usually only cook for my brood of 12?

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

YOU try cooking for the entire village hunting party's return. How am I supposed to know how much lard to use when I usually only cook for my brood of 12?

That's just arithmetic. Divide the number of people in the hunting party by 12 and multiply the result by the amount of lard you normally use and voila!

REAL math always has something spatial hidden away in it, like trying to figure out the area under a curve or those bizzare calculus problems where you are supposed to buy into the concept of X approaching infinity. How the hell do you "approach" infinity, anyhow? And why would you want to?

Or the stupid geometric proofs that almost caused me to drop out of the 10th grade. If I hadn't gotten my Dad to do most of my geometry homework for me, I'd be just another high school dropout standing on a street corner with a sign reading, "Will work for mind altering drugs." Oh wait! I already do that. Never mind.

My point is that it's a well known fact that women have no spatial abilities. Therefore we should stay away from stuff like math and geometry and calculus, and you certainly shouldn't leave camp with any hunting parties. Why, who knows where you might end up wandering off to? Just tend to that cooking fire, woman.

[Lamplighter]

How the hell do you "approach" infinity, anyhow? And why would you want to?

Sam, I thought you already answered those questions (elsewhere)

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

Sam, I thought you already answered those questions (elsewhere)

Yeah, I'm just full of profound statements. Ask anyone.