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Reaction about the history of mathematics
Reaction about the history of mathematics
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The Ellipse, Parabola and Hyperbola Mathematicians, engineers and scientists encounter numerous functions in their work: polynomials, trigonometric and hyperbolic functions amongst them. However, throughout the history of science one group of functions, the conics, arise time and time again not only in the development of mathematical theory but also in practical applications. The conics were first studied by the Greek mathematician Apollonius more than 200 years BC. Essentially, the conics form that class of curves which are obtained when a double cone is intersected by a plane. There are three main types: the ellipse , the parabola and the hyperbola . From the ellipse we obtain the circle as a special case, and from the hyperbola we obtain the rectangular hyperbola as a special case. These curves are illustrated in the following figures. cone-axis …show more content…
The plural of focus is foci. The midpoint of the segment joining the foci is called the center of the ellipse. An ellipse has two axes of symmetry. The longer one is called the major axis, and the shorter one is called the minor axis. The two axes intersect at the center of the ellipseThe center of the ellipse is at (h, k). The radius of ellipses are not a constant distance from the center. To find the distance to the curve from the center you have to find the distance from the center to the curve for the x and y separately, these points are called vertices. The vertices are on the major axis and minor axis. The major axis is the longer axis and the minor axis is the shorter axis through the center of the ellipse. To find the distance from the center in the x direction you take the square root of a2. To find the distance from the center in the y direction you take the square root of b2. You then will have two points on the x direction and two points in the y direction and you use these four points to draw your ellipse. Ellipses are symmetrical across both of there
For an eye to focus correctly on an object, it must be placed in a certain position in front of the eye. The primary focal point is the point along the optical axis where an object can be placed for parallel rays to come from the lens. The secondary focal point is the point along the optical axis where in coming parallel rays are brought into focus. The primary focal point has the object's image at infinity, where as the secondary focal point has the object at infinity. For people who have myopic eyes, the secondary focal point is anterior to the retina in the vitreous. Thus, the object must be moved forward from infinity, in order to be focused on the retina. The far point is determined by the object's distance where light rays focus on the retina while the eye is not accommodating. The far point in the myopic eye is between the cornea and infinity. The near point is determined by which an object will be in focus on the retina when the eye is accommodating. Thus, moving an object closer will cause the perception of the object to blur. The measurement of these refractive errors are in standard units called diopters (D). A diopter is the reciprocal of a distance of the far point in meters (Vander & Gault, 1998). The myopic condition manipulates these variables in order to ultimately make a nearsighted individual.
“Inspired Eccentricity” is a story of Bell Hooks about her grandparents, Daddy and Baba Gus. The two main characters are described with many contrasts. They are opposite in many ways: physical looks, characters, and even their effects on Hooks. Their marriage seems to be a strange combination, but very few people understand that Daddy and Baba Gus are not only different but also complementary each other.
He specifically used parabolas in many of his paintings and drawings. In paintings such as the Mona Lisa, The Virgin of the Rocks, Child With Saint Anne, Lady With An Ermine, and many others, parabolas are seen. The parabolas in these art works can be seen often or scarcely depending on the painting or drawing. Parabolas are commonly seen on faces or body parts. In the Mona Lisa painting, the most noticeable feature of this painting can be the slight smile on the face. You can clearly see the parabola if you look closely. In the painting, The Virgin of the Rocks, the use of parabolas is very common. You can see parabolas were by Leonardo da Vinci to shape the faces of the people, to make the eyebrows, and lips. In the cut of the clothing of the Virgin, you can see a parabola as well. The other woman in the painting has a cloth hanging on her shoulder that is shaped in a parabolic form. Looking at the shape of the arm of the baby on the left is even shaped in a parabolic manner. Parabolas are also seen all throughout the background of this painting. You can see them on the rocks or pillar-like shapes. On the painting, Child With Saint Anne, parabolas can be seen on the faces to make the eyebrows on the woman in the back. This is also the case in her smile or grin. Throughout the clothing of the women, the use of parabolas are common. If you look closely at the knees of the women, you can see that Leonardo da Vinci used parabolas as a guide to paint and/or draw them. The painting, Lady With An Ermine, has many visible parabolas. The more obvious parabolas are on the neck and chest of the lady. Her necklace forms two perfect parabolas, one above the other. The general shape of the lady from her shoulders down is a wide parabola. Similar to many other da Vinci paintings, the face contains many parabolas. The eyebrows, chin, and hairline were clearly used by parabolas to make. As we
Empedocles was born in Acragas, Sicily about 492 BCE to a distinguished and aristocratic family. His father, Meto, is believed to have been involved in overthrowing Thrasydaeus who was the tyrant of Agrigentum in the year 470 BCE. Empedocles is said to have been somewhat wealthy and was a popular politician and a champion of democracy and equality.
Through Descartes’s Meditations on the First Philosophy, he runs into many dilemmas while trying to rebuild what he knows. One of the most well-known and problematic issue for Descartes is the Cartesian Circle. Even though Descartes believes he solves his problem, many to this day still don’t believe he came to the conclusion he believed he did. Overall, I do not think Descartes properly rescued this problem due to in accurate definitions and lack of distinction and details.
In this task I will investigate the patterns in the intersections of parabolas and the lines y = x and y = 2x. Forming a conjecture that holds true for the vertex of the parabola being in the first quadrant and then change it so it holds true for the vertex is in any quadrant. Then I will prove my conjectures for other lines like y = 3x and 4x and so on and I will also change the degree of the polynomials and their values to prove the conjuncture to be true for values greater than 3.
It is well known that in the past, Renaissance artists received their training in an atmosphere of artists and mathematicians studying and learning together (Emmer 2). People also suggest that the art of the future will depend on new technologies, computer graphics in particular (Emmer 1). There are many mathematical advantages to using computer graphics. They can help to visualize phenomena and to understand how to solve new problems (Emmer 2). “The use of ‘visual computers’ gives rise to new challenges for mathematicians. At the same time, computer graphics might in the future be the unifying language between art and science” (Emmer 3).
...er than the natural focus is called the far field, far zone or Fraunhofer zone (Miele).
Fractal Geometry The world of mathematics usually tends to be thought of as abstract. Complex and imaginary numbers, real numbers, logarithms, functions, some tangible and others imperceivable. But these abstract numbers, simply symbols that conjure an image, a quantity, in our mind, and complex equations, take on a new meaning with fractals - a concrete one. Fractals go from being very simple equations on a piece of paper to colorful, extraordinary images, and most of all, offer an explanation to things. The importance of fractal geometry is that it provides an answer, a comprehension, to nature, the world, and the universe.
Conic sections are used all over the world. Conic sections are used in things such as bridges, roller coasters, stadiums, and other objects. A conic section is the intersection of a plane with a cone. The changes in the angle of the intersection produce a circle, ellipse, parabola, and hyperbola.
Ever wonder how scientists figure out how long it takes for the radiation from a nuclear weapon to decay? This dilemma can be solved by calculus, which helps determine the rate of decay of the radioactive material. Calculus can aid people in many everyday situations, such as deciding how much fencing is needed to encompass a designated area. Finding how gravity affects certain objects is how calculus aids people who study Physics. Mechanics find calculus useful to determine rates of flow of fluids in a car. Numerous developments in mathematics by Ancient Greeks to Europeans led to the discovery of integral calculus, which is still expanding. The first mathematicians came from Egypt, where they discovered the rule for the volume of a pyramid and approximation of the area of a circle. Later, Greeks made tremendous discoveries. Archimedes extended the method of inscribed and circumscribed figures by means of heuristic, which are rules that are specific to a given problem and can therefore help guide the search. These arguments involved parallel slices of figures and the laws of the lever, the idea of a surface as made up of lines. Finding areas and volumes of figures by using conic section (a circle, point, hyperbola, etc.) and weighing infinitely thin slices of figures, an idea used in integral calculus today was also a discovery of Archimedes. One of Archimedes's major crucial discoveries for integral calculus was a limit that allows the "slices" of a figure to be infinitely thin. Another Greek, Euclid, developed ideas supporting the theory of calculus, but the logic basis was not sustained since infinity and continuity weren't established yet (Boyer 47). His one mistake in finding a definite integral was that it is not found by the sums of an infinite number of points, lines, or surfaces but by the limit of an infinite sequence (Boyer 47). These early discoveries aided Newton and Leibniz in the development of calculus. In the 17th century, people from all over Europe made numerous mathematics discoveries in the integral calculus field. Johannes Kepler "anticipat(ed) results found… in the integral calculus" (Boyer 109) with his summations. For instance, in his Astronomia nova, he formed a summation similar to integral calculus dealing with sine and cosine. F. B. Cavalieri expanded on Johannes Kepler's work on measuring volumes. Also, he "investigate[d] areas under the curve" ("Calculus (mathematics)") with what he called "indivisible magnitudes.
The Scientific Revolution was sparked through Nicolaus Copernicusí unique use of mathematics. His methods developed from Greek astr...
Analytic geometry combines algebra and geometry in a way that allows for the visualization of algebraic functions. Rene Descartes, a French philosopher, and Pierre de Fermat, a French lawyer, independently founded analytic geometry in the early 1600s. Analytic geometry subsequently paved the way for calculus and physics.
“Cogito ego sum” - this is a famous quote from Rene Descartes. This quote means," I think, therefore, I am." His beliefs are considered to be epistemological and he is also considered as the father of modern philosophy. In his letter of meditation, he writes about what he believes to be true and what is not true. He writes about starting a new foundation. This meant that he was going to figure out what is true and what is false.
Abstractions from nature are one the important element in mathematics. Mathematics is a universal subject that has connections to many different areas including nature. [IMAGE] [IMAGE] Bibliography: 1. http://users.powernet.co.uk/bearsoft/Maths.html 2. http://weblife.bangor.ac.uk/cyfrif/eng/resources/spirals.htm 3.