Archimedes and the Volume of a Sphere

One of the most remarkable and important mathematical results obtained by Archimedes was the determination of the volume of a sphere. Archimedes used a technique of sub-dividing the volume into slices of known cross-sectional area and adding up, or integrating, the volumes of the slices. This was essentially an application of a technique that was … Continue reading Archimedes and the Volume of a Sphere →

Airport Baggage Screening with X-Ray Tomography

When you check in your baggage for a flight, it must be screened before it is allowed on the plane. Baggage screening detects threats within luggage and personal belongings by x-ray analysis as they pass along a conveyor belt. Hold-baggage and passenger screening systems are capable of detecting contraband materials, narcotics, explosives and weapons [TM175 … Continue reading Airport Baggage Screening with X-Ray Tomography →

Elliptic Trigonometry: Fun with “sun”, “cun” and “dun”

Introduction The circular functions arise from ratios of lengths in a circle. In a similar manner, the elliptic functions can be defined by means of ratios of lengths in an ellipse. Many of the key properties of the elliptic functions follow from simple geometric properties of the ellipse. Originally, Carl Gustav Jacobi defined the elliptic … Continue reading Elliptic Trigonometry: Fun with “sun”, “cun” and “dun” →

The Vastness of Mathematics: No One Knows it All

No one person can have mastery of the entirety of mathematics. The subject has become so vast that the best that can be achieved is a general understanding and appreciation of the main branches together with expertise in one or two areas [TM174 or search for “thatsmaths” at irishtimes.com]. In the sciences, old theories fade away … Continue reading The Vastness of Mathematics: No One Knows it All →