Category Archives: Mathematics and Computing

Regression, Twitter, and #Ferguson

Like many people, I have been following news about the events in Ferguson, Missouri with shock and sorrow for almost two weeks. I have been following these events as a human, not as a mathematician. But there’s a mathematical side … Continue reading

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Alias, Schmalias

While the great line from Romeo and Juliet: “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet” rings true, would a digital rose smell as sweet?  We often think of the digital world as a mere “renaming” of the … Continue reading

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Visualize Your Algorithms

As a college student in the ‘90’s with a penchant for “visual learning” I was never drawn to computer science. My one computer science class focused mostly on syntax and basic logic. Had shuffling and sorting been presented as eye-catching … Continue reading

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The Human Side of Computer Science

Dick Lipton is a computer science professor at Georgia Tech who thinks P=NP, and Ken Regan is a computer science professor at the University of Buffalo who thinks P≠NP. Together, they are “Pip,” a Dick-Kens character. Today I want to … Continue reading

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Mathemagical Thinking

So maybe you’ve seen the Flash Mind Reader.  If not, go ahead and try it!  I wouldn’t dream of depriving you (especially as this is year’s MAM theme is mathematics, magic, and mystery awareness).  What you are asked to do … Continue reading

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The Heidelberg Laureate Forum

The first-ever Heidelberg Laureate Forum is taking place this week. It’s modeled after the decades-old Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings, which bring together Nobel Laureates and young researchers for a conference on a particular topic. Mathematics and computer science are not … Continue reading

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String Art, Bezier Curves, Picasso, and me

 Going through some old boxes at my parents house the other day I ran across some line drawings I made as a teenager.  At the time I found it fascinating that just by drawing straight lines I could create beautiful … Continue reading

Posted in Mathematics and Computing, Mathematics and the Arts, Recreational Mathematics | 3 Comments