- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
no the math teacher was just insane... I seriously hated math more because of her class. She never challenged us and taught like we were all 5 and couldn't handle basic adult conversation!
For Spun Silver -- Was Thomas Aquinas wrong?
- Thread starter Mathman
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
A couple of months ago, there was an interesting article out of the Vatican. Apparently, God cannot forgive an unborn fetus for something that happened 7,000 years ago.
No triple integrals nor eigenvectors required.
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
My inner mathemetician needs to be nutured? I don't want it to be...I just like it being dormant....not looking to be a rocket scientist. 
As long as I can balance my check book and do my taxes then I am happy!!! :thumbsup:
As long as I can balance my check book and do my taxes then I am happy!!! :thumbsup:
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
"Beware of mathematicians and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that mathematicians have made a covenant with the Devil to darken the spirit and confine man in the bonds of Hell." -- St. Augustine (354-430)
Hey guess what, guys? I just got as letter from Michelle Kwan!
"Dear Mathman," (she writes). "Thanks for sending me the lovely wrist watch.
"Two nights ago at midnight I was studying in the library here at the University of Denver. I set the watch up on it's edge, facing West, with 12:00 pointed at the Northern horizon. Then I timed how long it took for the minute hand to sweep up until it was pointed directly at the North Star. It took 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
"The next night I had to speak at a seminar at the USFSA headquarters in Colorado Springs, 69 miles due South. I repeated the experiment. This time it took 6 minutes, 30 seconds for the minute hand to reach the altitude of the North Star.
"From this I concluded that the circumference of the Earth is 25,000 miles.
"Love and kisses, 'Chelle."
Well, I had to give Shelly an A+ for that one. How did she do it?
Hey guess what, guys? I just got as letter from Michelle Kwan!
"Dear Mathman," (she writes). "Thanks for sending me the lovely wrist watch.
"Two nights ago at midnight I was studying in the library here at the University of Denver. I set the watch up on it's edge, facing West, with 12:00 pointed at the Northern horizon. Then I timed how long it took for the minute hand to sweep up until it was pointed directly at the North Star. It took 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
"The next night I had to speak at a seminar at the USFSA headquarters in Colorado Springs, 69 miles due South. I repeated the experiment. This time it took 6 minutes, 30 seconds for the minute hand to reach the altitude of the North Star.
"From this I concluded that the circumference of the Earth is 25,000 miles.
"Love and kisses, 'Chelle."
Well, I had to give Shelly an A+ for that one. How did she do it?
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
In 6 minutes and 40 seconds, a minute hand will traverse ( 6 + 40/60 ) / 60 of a full circle; or 0.1111 of a circle; or 40.0 degrees. In 6 minutes and 30 seconds, a minute hand will traverse ( 6 + 30/60 ) / 60 of a full circle; or 0.1083 of a circle; or 39.0 degrees.
The difference between the 2 locations is 1 degree of arc, or 1/360 of a circle. ( Since Colorado Springs is due south of Denver, we don't need any trigonometry here. ) The circumphrence of the Earth is therefor 69 miles / ( 1 / 360 ) = 69 * 360 = 24, 840 miles, which we can round off to 25,000 miles.
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
OK, now try this one.
A room is occupied by only birds and dogs.
You look inside the room and count the heads and legs on these animals. You find that :
A) There are 32 more legs than heads.
B) There are 43 more legs than dogs.
How many birds and dogs are in the room?
A room is occupied by only birds and dogs.
You look inside the room and count the heads and legs on these animals. You find that :
A) There are 32 more legs than heads.
B) There are 43 more legs than dogs.
How many birds and dogs are in the room?
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2003
Aquinas is a biggie for those who believe in a supreme being.
One of my big problems with a supreme being is why he can't do his own work? Why are people bent on doing it for him?
I'm sure there's a mathematical reason.
Joe
One of my big problems with a supreme being is why he can't do his own work? Why are people bent on doing it for him?
I'm sure there's a mathematical reason.
Joe
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
Aquinas is a biggie for those who believe in a supreme being.
One of my big problems with a supreme being is why he can't do his own work? Why are people bent on doing it for him?
I'm sure there's a mathematical reason.
Joe
Not only can't he do his own work, but he needs billions of our dollars as well.
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
why do math fanatics have to create problems that go with a story? I mean really... no matter how you package it it is still MATH LOL
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
OK, Tone, let's work on this together...
Let's see now...
B = the number of birds, D = the number of dogs.
Then the total number is legs is...hmm...2B+4D, and the total number of heads is B+D.
So the problem says
2B+4D = B+D+32, and
2B+4D = D+43.
So far so good...
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
Huh?
seriously math and me are like oil and water, it ain't gonna work, ever... I'm math stupid!
seriously math and me are like oil and water, it ain't gonna work, ever... I'm math stupid!
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Pokymer Bob said:
In fact, from any point in the Northern hemisphere the altitude of the North Star is the same as the latitude of the point of observation. So we just measured the latitude of Denver (40 degrees North) and of Colorado Springs (39 degress), with nothing but a pocket watch.
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As part of her duties as a U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy (P.D.E., LOL), Michelle journeyed to the south and found himself on the equator at dawn of the first day of spring. She climbed a 50-foot tree to watch the sunrise. But just as Michelle saw the sun peep over the horizon, she fell out of the tree.
Recovering her breath while lying prone on the ground, Michelle saw the sun rise again – 30 seconds later, according to her trusty watch.
“Just as I thought," she exclaimed. “The circumference of the earth is 25,000 miles.”
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Wait, wait! Don't give up! Get all the B's and D's on one side of the equation:Huh?
B+3D = 32
2B+3D = 43. :agree:
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
As part of her duties as a U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy (P.D.E., LOL), Michelle journeyed to the south and found himself on the equator at dawn of the first day of spring. She climbed a 50-foot tree to watch the sunrise. But just as Michelle saw the sun peep over the horizon, she fell out of the tree.
Recovering her breath while lying prone on the ground, Michelle saw the sun rise again – 30 seconds later, according to her trusty watch.
“Just as I thought," she exclaimed. “The circumference of the earth is 25,000 miles.”
Since it is the equinox at the equator, the sun rises straight up.
The top of Michelle's tree is point T. There is a spot in front of Michelle's tree, probably several miles away, where a person lying on the ground would see the sunrise the same instant as Michelle on top of her tree. A line drawn from the top of the tree to the sun would just skim the ground at this point. Call it point G.
Call the center of the Earth point C. Now we have a right triangle. TG is the short side, GC is the long side and CT is the hypotenuse. ..................... to be continued.
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2006
Oh no.....math word problems...the bain of my existence!!!
:scratch:
:scratch:
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2003
Hey Lion, don't panic! Bob has laid it all out for you. In his triangle, CG is the radius of the earth. How much longer is CT? Find angle GCT. (You need to know that the earth rotates all the way around in 24 hours). Use trigonometry to find the lengths of the sides. 
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2003
Run Toni, run!!! Run as fast as you can!!! He's going to get you !!!Huh?
seriously math and me are like oil and water, it ain't gonna work, ever... I'm math stupid!
Dee
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2007
So the sunrise, as seen from the ground, travels from point G to the ground below Michelle's tree in 30 seconds.
There are 3600 seconds in an hour, and 24 x 3600 or 86,400 seconds in a day. The Earth rotates 360 degrees in a day, or 360 deg / 86,400 sec = 0.00416667 degrees per second.
In 30 seconds, this is 0.00416667 x 30 = 0.125 degrees. This is the angle of the right triangle at the center of the Earth. ............... to be continued.
