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old as dirt

(1,972 posts)
26. Math
Sat Feb 18, 2023, 12:04 AM
Feb 2023
What was up with Pythagoras?

Pythagoras had a problem with beans and irrationality. What really happened? I don't know! The square root of two is irrational, and beans are delicious.



How Imaginary Numbers Were Invented

A general solution to the cubic equation was long considered impossible, until we gave up the requirement that math reflect reality.



William Rowan Hamilton (Science YouTuber Collab) | A Capella Science



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Rowan_Hamilton

It is believed by some modern mathematicians that Hamilton's work on quaternions was satirized by Charles Lutwidge Dodgson in Alice in Wonderland. In particular, the Mad Hatter's tea party was meant to represent the folly of quaternions and the need to revert to Euclidean geometry. In September 2022 evidence was presented to counter this suggestion, which appears to have been based on an incorrect understanding of both quaternions and their history.

Alice's adventures in algebra: Wonderland solved

New Scientist

https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427391-600-alices-adventures-in-algebra-wonderland-solved/

Algebra in Wonderland

New York Times (gifted article)

https://nyti.ms/3YJL4Zc

Alice without quaternions: another look at the mad tea-party

British Journal for the History of Mathematics

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26375451.2022.2085446

Recommendations

0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):

Art Quilting - small wall hangings northoftheborder Feb 2023 #1
north, by hand or machine. I tried free style quilting once. Couldn't do it. Glad you have shared debm55 Feb 2023 #4
Do you mean "free motion quilting"? northoftheborder Feb 2023 #56
Yes, couldn't remember the word. Thank you. It was sort of a disaster so I let it be. debm55 Feb 2023 #57
Knitting. FalloutShelter Feb 2023 #2
Fallout, What type of things do you knit? debm55 Feb 2023 #5
Hi... FalloutShelter Feb 2023 #7
I dabble in model RR. GP6971 Feb 2023 #3
GP, do you have it set up year round? We used to go to the model train show in Pittsburgh. Loved to debm55 Feb 2023 #6
Yes. GP6971 Feb 2023 #11
I fly gliders, ride motorcycles, and am a ham radio operator. cloudbase Feb 2023 #8
Wow, you do have alot of hobbies. Do you follow the Pens, too? debm55 Feb 2023 #12
Sort of. cloudbase Feb 2023 #21
Years ago, we waited for years to get season tickets. After waiting for 5 years we got them. They debm55 Feb 2023 #27
Oh, lots TlalocW Feb 2023 #9
Try coating the mold with cornstarch before adding the clay. I use that to natural flowers to make debm55 Feb 2023 #13
My daughter makes earrings from polymer clay. Cracklin Charlie Feb 2023 #10
We have quilts from my MIL that she made for our son and use. She used to do it by hand. debm55 Feb 2023 #15
This makes me happy. Cracklin Charlie Feb 2023 #18
we have a quilt my great great grandmother made and one yellowdogintexas Feb 2023 #65
Oh yellowdog, those are heirlooms. You are so lucky to have them. debm55 Feb 2023 #68
I know. I am so glad my aunt gave me that quilt when she did yellowdogintexas Feb 2023 #74
I take photos and write poems, my dear debm55! Not sure those count as hobbies, though. CaliforniaPeggy Feb 2023 #14
CaliforniaPeggy, you have two hobbies in one--the walking is great exercise and a good hobby and the debm55 Feb 2023 #17
I love taking photos! I have a professional frame them for me. CaliforniaPeggy Feb 2023 #25
I do polymer clay/wire wrapped jewelry and needle felting. woodsprite Feb 2023 #16
woodsprite, you do keep yourself busy with your hobbies. I make a list and use coupons from debm55 Feb 2023 #19
Hubby gifted me with some Cernit Pearl for xmas woodsprite Feb 2023 #34
Watercolor samplegirl Feb 2023 #20
Samplegirl, do you do a certain theme for your watercolors. I originally had my BS in Art Ed. debm55 Feb 2023 #22
I just do easy stuff samplegirl Feb 2023 #37
I crochet baby blankets for charity Beatlelvr Feb 2023 #23
Beatlelvr, How wonderful for you to do that. Your kindness is wonderful. Now tell me , as a mystery debm55 Feb 2023 #29
Dance Tree-Hugger Feb 2023 #24
Oh who I always wanted to take a Belly Dance class at the local community college. Always booked up, debm55 Feb 2023 #30
Math old as dirt Feb 2023 #26
old as dirt, what an interesting hobby. I like the fractuals and numbers system that artists use in debm55 Feb 2023 #31
Can't wait for the warm weather to get here. multigraincracker Feb 2023 #28
My close neighbor down the street does that. He is the reason I posted this thread as he told me debm55 Feb 2023 #32
I paint pretty pictures, using acrylics and watercolors Trailrider1951 Feb 2023 #33
Trailrider, absolutely beautiful. Is it by the canyons? I visited all the National Parks from Denver debm55 Feb 2023 #39
Thank you, I'm glad you like it. It's a place in Canyonlands National Park Trailrider1951 Feb 2023 #45
I agree about the acrylics. Again, beautiful painting. debm55 Feb 2023 #47
DIY, woodworking, refinishing, doing people's taxes for them, spreadsheets, music. n/t LuckyCharms Feb 2023 #35
Wow, Lucky, you have alot of hobbies too. Do you sale your refinished pieces or are they for debm55 Feb 2023 #40
Just for personal use, Deb LuckyCharms Feb 2023 #43
Smoking weed and fishing 🐟. Emile Feb 2023 #36
Emile, what type of fishing do you do--trout. catfish,etc. Do you eat what you catch or throw it debm55 Feb 2023 #41
Anymore I just panfish. I use to make trips to Emile Feb 2023 #52
I render Mega Construx elements for use with open-source LEGO CAD platforms Orrex Feb 2023 #38
Orrex, sounds interesting mixing a hobby with math skills. debm55 Feb 2023 #42
Which LEGO CAD platform might you recommend? Ptah Feb 2023 #71
LOL. Great question! Orrex Feb 2023 #72
Trying to teach myself guitar Auggie Feb 2023 #44
Auggie, it seems to be easier to learn on nylon string and move into the steel string. Best of luck. debm55 Feb 2023 #48
I love to crochet. area51 Feb 2023 #46
I had a club at school, where I taught crochet to the kids and we donated to Project Linus through debm55 Feb 2023 #50
I like to paint!❤️ lucca18 Feb 2023 #49
Get them framed or frame them yourself. I am sure they will look beautiful in your home. Art, is the debm55 Feb 2023 #51
Thank you debm55 for your beautiful words of encouragement.❤️ lucca18 Feb 2023 #77
Gardening, reading, DIY remodeling, antiquing Luciferous Feb 2023 #53
Luciferous, gardening is up for us too. Will begin planting the seeds in the basement. I like your debm55 Feb 2023 #58
Not really. I've renovated 5 houses. Luciferous Feb 2023 #61
Is that your full time job or do you renovate on the side? That seems like it would take alot of debm55 Feb 2023 #62
I used to be a stay at home mom Luciferous Feb 2023 #63
Wood and metal Hermit-The-Prog Feb 2023 #54
Hermit, that sounds very interesting. Do you have training or was it something you learned along the debm55 Feb 2023 #59
Almost all self-taught -- that's been part of the fun! Hermit-The-Prog Feb 2023 #73
I don't have a lot of free time lately. Niagara Feb 2023 #55
Niagara, you sure do have alot of hobbies. I play solitaire on my tablet. My hummingbirds come at debm55 Feb 2023 #60
Yes. Once the hummingbirds know the feeder is up, Niagara Feb 2023 #67
I crochet,read and bake. yellowdogintexas Feb 2023 #64
Thank you, yellowdog, hobbies are like that--they provide us with a means of relaxing, are fun and debm55 Feb 2023 #66
I shop thrift stores and the such for used and unique photo frames... Tikki Feb 2023 #69
Tikki, those are beautiful. I love how you use the things that others don't want or need and turn debm55 Feb 2023 #70
I play piano sakabatou Feb 2023 #75
Any special type--classical. jazz,etc debm55 Feb 2023 #76
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