Comments for Math-Blog

Comment on A 10 minute tutorial for solving Math problems with Maxima by Gerry

2008-08-18T01:55:34Z

As the last comment was from ‘07, just wanted to let you know your effort is still appreciated. About 2 days into this, and the main manual is terrible to learn from, even for syntax. Helped a little that I knew Lisp. Picked up a few new items from your examples.
Thanks.

Comment on 3 awesome free Math programs by James

2008-08-16T10:36:45Z

hi,

In the finance industry, which is the preferred CAS/numerical computing software
by both quant engineers and/or software developers ?

Thanks in advance.

Comment on That’s impossible! by Adrian Mac

2008-08-15T00:18:26Z

I’ve only just heard this paradox and likewise thought ‘that can’t be right’. But a pencil and paper proved me wrong.

In trying to convince my son I thought of a persuasive visualisation.

Assuming the rope runs through the poles, don’t add one meter to the rope, add 25cm four times - at both poles and at the equator (both sides) then the four ’segments’ (arcs) can lift apart and away from the earth’s surface by about the amount the calculations show.

That visualisation persuaded him. And, finally, me.

Comment on Polynomial Root-finding with the Jenkins-Traub Algorithm by pelestor

2008-08-07T18:45:02Z

Hello,

ihave use the 493 netlib program to solve an only 8 degree polynome and … it has a bug !

be careful

Comment on The most enlightening Calculus books by Pranay Mishra

2008-08-06T19:02:08Z

Dear friends,
I was searching for Hardy’s book and came to this blog. Interesting topic and involved responses. Anyway, plight of mathematics education is not an American problem but this degradation is everywhere. Students of new age are looking for quick fixes and dummy’s guides and education system is acting more like a grocery shop - quality of supply is to match demand for quality. I am born and brought up in India and story is same here.

Having said that, we have to also realize that education system is devised to cater to the needs of populace that stands in the middle of Gaussian curve of IQ. This system makes sense too; this is how you serve best the maximum part of the population, truly democratic and impartial. Unfortunately, distribution of intelligence is not really impartial. So a good society can never have its core of education system that will be aligned to the needs of the persons that are on the tail of the Gaussian curve of IQ. Hence, if a society can give liberty and space for growth of individuals with special ability, empathize with their special needs and does not thrust upon them the pedagogy and education material made to serve middle of the curve best, that society will never cease to evolve. When I talk about tail of curve of IQ distribution, I talk for both sides; and word ‘IQ’ is just to convey intent, not to be taken literally.

So I find this discussion really amusing when people say that books with more purist sort of approach are better or books with more simplification are better. We must appreciate that all books on same subject don’t have same target audience so no good book (I am not talking about half baked bad books where authors are more desperate to get published than to really share understanding)is better than other.

Now something very personal; I hated throughout my academic career reading school published/ Government published books…I hated being forced by so called education system to attend classes and limit my studies to pre-defined courses where I was forced to study many things that I was not interested to study….Coming from this background, when I got for the first time a second hand thirty year old edition of first part of Apostle’s Calculus, I found it very inspiration. That book changed the way I used to understand and perceive not only calculus but whole mathematics in general. So when people say Apostle’s book is really good but ‘dry’, I have no idea what kind of dryness you talk about. Again, even dryness is relative, if you come from a desert, even a dew drop is a hope of ocean. 

Thanks for giving me link of Hardy’s book.

Comment on On the Importance of Mathematics by nitika

2008-07-29T17:45:43Z

Its great reading this remarkable lucture.After reading it i have gain more interest in maths.EXCELLENT POST!!

Comment on 3 awesome free Math programs by daily post 07/14/2008 | 燃灯佛所

2008-07-14T12:36:06Z

[...] 3 awesome free Math programs | Math-Blog [...]

Comment on 3 awesome free Math programs by freecitizen

2008-07-09T11:49:24Z

Does any of these freewares do dimensional analysis?

Comment on A 10 minute tutorial for solving Math problems with Maxima by Giorgio

2008-06-30T09:05:08Z

This guide is exactly what a beginner need to have a look to Maxima in 10 minutes. I would be happy to find it for any software.
I suggest you to add few lines in guide about GNU TeX macs and SAGE. It’s an important feature in my opinion, mainly for beginners, and I saw it only browsing the messages.
Thank you very much.

Comment on The most enlightening Calculus books by luan

2008-06-24T18:24:59Z

You cannot learn a new language from a reference book of its grammar. Native speakers are little aware of grammar and yet totally fluent in their use of the language. Mathematicians formalise a new branch of mathematics after its creative explosion has died. They then teach us the formalised form. Any field of knowledge grows from 0 to maturity. This is the way knowledge come to the human mind. I wish mathematicians can teach us calculus (or anything else) by following this journey of discovery. Why did Newton needed calculus? What problems were facing him? All the way to the formalisation of calculus in Analysis. Most maths books are just records of the authors’ current knowledge and understanding rather than a help to anyone. They are just “reference grammars”, not much use to people who wish to speak the new language.