Tony Phillips’ Column Archive

Here are Tony Phillips’ older Feature Columns. Tony’s newest columns may be found here.

• November 2020 – Completing the Square (History of Mathematics)
• May 2019 – Topology and Elementary Electric Circuit Theory, II: Duality (Geometry and Topology, Math and the Sciences)
• October 2018 – Topology and Elementary Electric Circuit Theory, I (Geometry and Topology, Math and the Sciences)
• October 2017 – The Early History of Calculus Problems, II (Calculus and Analysis, History of Mathematics)
• May 2017 – Surface Topology in Bach Canons, II: The Torus (Geometry and Topology, Math and the Arts)
• October 2016 – Surface Topology in Bach Canons, I: The Mobius strip (Geometry and Topology, Math and the Arts)
• May 2016 – The Early History of Calculus Problems (History of Mathematics, Calculus and Analysis)
• October 2015 – Hidden Symmetries of Labyrinths from Antiquity and the Middle Ages (History of Mathematics, Geometry and Topology)
• May 2015 – Math and the Sewing Machine (Miscellaneous, Math and Technology)
• October 2014 – The Topology of Impossible Spaces (Geometry and Topology, Math and the Arts)
• May 2014 – The Knots in the Quipu, and in the Friar’s Belt (History of Mathematics, Math and the Arts, Geometry and Topology)
• October 2013 – Spherical Dodecahedral Space (Geometry and Topology)
• May 2013 – Galileo’s Arithmetic (History of Mathematics)
• October 2012 – William Thurston (Geometry and Topology)
• May 2012 – Old Babylonian Multiplication and Reciprocal Tables (History of Mathematics)
• October 2011 – X-ray Crystallography and the Fourier Transform (Math and the Sciences, History of Mathematics)
• May 2011 – How Not to Square the Circle (History of Mathematics, Geometry and Topology)
• October 2010 – Farey Numbers and the Magnetic Cactus (Math and Nature, Math and the Sciences)
• May 2010 – From Pascal’s Triangle to the Bell-shaped Curve (Probability and Statistics)
• October 2009 – A Non-Commutative Marriage System in the South Pacific (Algebra, Game Theory and Social Choice)
• May 2009 – Simon Newcomb and “Natural Numbers” (Benford’s Law) (Probability and Statistics, History of Mathematics)
• October 2008 – Inside-out Frieze Symmetries in Ancient Peruvian Weavings (History of Mathematics, Math and the Arts)
• May 2008 – The Mathematics of Surveying: Part I (Geometry and Topology, History of Mathematics)
• June 2007 – The Mathematics Behind Quantum Computing: Part II (Math and Technology, Algebra)
• May 2007 – The Mathematics Behind Quantum Computing: Part I (Math and Technology, Algebra)
• October 2006 – The Princess of Polytopia: Alicia Boole Stott and the 120-cell (History of Mathematics, Geometry and Topology)
• May 2006 – The Octosphericon and the Cretan Maze (Geometry and Topology, Math and the Arts)
• November 2005 – The Mathematical Uncertainty Principle (Calculus and Analysis, Math and the Sciences)
• June 2005 – Topology of Venn Diagrams (Geometry and Topology, Discrete Math and Combinatorics)
• January 2002 – Alberti’s Perspective Construction (Geometry and Topology, Math and the Arts)
• December 2001 – Topology and Verb Classes (Geometry and Topology, Calculus and Analysis, Math and the Arts)
• November 2001 – Finite-dimensional Feynman Diagrams (Math and the Sciences, Calculus and Analysis)
• October 2001 – The Romance of Double-Entry Bookkeeping (Miscellaneous, Algebra)
• September 2001 – Latin Squares in Practice and in Theory II (Algebra, History of Mathematics, Probability and Statistics)
• August 2001 – Latin Squares in Practice and in Theory I (Algebra, History of Mathematics, Probability and Statistics)
• June 2001 – Fourier Analysis of Ocean Tides III (History of Mathematics, Calculus and Analysis, Math and the Sciences)
• May 2001 – Fourier Analysis of Ocean Tides II (History of Mathematics, Calculus and Analysis, Math and the Sciences)
• April 2001 – Fourier Analysis of Ocean Tides I (History of Mathematics, Calculus and Analysis, Math and the Sciences)
• February 2001 – The Mathematical Study of Mollusk Shells (Math and Nature, Calculus and Analysis)
• January 2001 – Celestial Mechanics on a Graphing Calculator (Calculus and Analysis, Math and Technology)
• November 2000 – The Mathematics of Communication (Math and Technology, Probability and Statistics)
• September 2000 – The Mathematics of Piano Tuning (Calculus and Analysis, Math and the Arts)
• August 2000 – Navigational Mathematics (Geometry and Topology)
• June 2000 – The Catastrophe Machine (Calculus and Analysis, Math and the Sciences)
• March 2000 – Visual Explanations in Mathematics (Geometry and Topology)
• February 2000 – The ABC of DNA Computing (Math and the Sciences, Math and Technology, Discrete Math and Combinatorics)
• January 2000 – The Method of Archimedes (History of Mathematics, Geometry and Topology, Calculus and Analysis)
• December 1999 – The Mathematical CAT scan (Math and the Sciences, Calculus and Analysis)
• November 1999 – Metonymy and Metaphor in Mathematics (Math and the Arts, Algebra, Calculus and Analysis)
• October 1999 – The Differential Geometry of the Sphericon (Geometry and Topology)
• September 1999 – Descartes’ Lost Theorem (Geometry and Topology, History of Mathematics)
• August 1999 – The Most Irrational Number (Geometry and Topology, Algebra, Math and Nature)
• June 1999 – Multiple Mathematical Intelligences (Miscellaneous)
• May 1999 – From Euclid and Euler to Public-key Codes (Algebra, Math and Technology)
• April 1999 – Knots and their Polynomials (Geometry and Topology, Algebra)
• March 1999 – Math and the Musical Offering (Math and the Arts, Calculus and Analysis)
• February 1999 – Gravitational Lensing and Geometric Lensing (Math and the Sciences, Geometry and Topology)