Recently, I kayaked with two friends on the River Shannon, which flows southward through the centre of Ireland. Starting at Dowra, Co. Cavan, we found it easy paddling until we reached Lough Allen, when the going became very tough. It was an uphill struggle. Could we really be going uphill while heading downstream? That seems … Continue reading Paddling Uphill
Month: July 2013
Matholympic Heroes
That’s Maths in the Irish Times this week ( TM025 ) is about the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), which takes place in Santa Marta, Columbia next week. Every year, bright young students from around the world compete in solving tough mathematical problems. The 54th IMO will be held in Colombia next week and a team … Continue reading Matholympic Heroes
The Ups and Downs of Hailstone Numbers
Hailstones, in the process of formation, make repeated excursions up and down within a cumulonimbus cloud until finally they fall to the ground. We look at sequences of numbers that oscillate in a similarly erratic manner until they finally reach the value 1. They are called hailstone numbers. The Collatz Conjecture There are many simply-stated … Continue reading The Ups and Downs of Hailstone Numbers
The School of Athens
That's Maths in the Irish Times this week ( TM024: search for "thatsmaths" ) deals with perspective in art and its mathematical expression as projective geometry. The study of geometry evolved from measuring plots of land accurately and from the work of builders and carpenters. So Euclidean geometry emerged from the needs of artisans. Another … Continue reading The School of Athens
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