Discrete Ideas

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I like math. Now, don’t get me wrong; I don’t run around solving Fermat’s Last Theorem for fun on Sunday nights, or anything like that. Perhaps it would be more clear to say I enjoy math, for many reasons, not the least of [...]

li { padding-bottom: 3px; }

About two years ago, I got interested in Geocaching1. I call it “organized littering”. Essentially, people have taken the time to hide caches (usually tupperware containers full of bric-a-brac) all over the world. They then log the lat/long coordinates of their stash, and enter them along with [...]

li { padding-bottom: 3px; }

A lot of math is broken down into processes. Start with a problem, do this, do that and, voila, you have the answer. Most people in America learn the same processes for doing most basic arithmetic, and it’s easy to forget there might be other ways to solve these [...]

li { padding-bottom: 3px; }

Shortcuts are a great way to do a lot of math in your head. You know the guy in the office that always responds when you ask “What’s 25 times 56?” He’s using shortcuts, and so can you. The best thing about these so-called tricks? They always [...]

You may have noticed that I like math. This is not a new thing for me. Math has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and not in the organic sense of counting blocks or birthdays. My parents, both with degrees in mathematics, spent a good [...]