Colin the Mathmo / is on Nostr

Fulltime freelance provider of outreach and enhancement in maths ... I talk a lot. About maths.

I talk about other stuff too, like ballroom dancing, juggling, unicycling, education, engineering, software, and "other things".

But mostly about maths.

I tend to follow back, but only if you have something in your profile.

Web site: https://www.solipsys.co.uk
Pronouns: He/Him

Last Notes

2024-09-21 08:30:03

Today, I realized that maths problems are the only place where someone can buy 60 watermelons and no one wonders why.

2024-09-18 11:22:43

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According to the report they didn't have tickets.

2024-09-18 10:00:05

Here's a headline:
"Gatwick train cancelled after squirrels board and 'refuse to leave'"
https://news.sky.com/story/gatwick-train-cancelled-after-squirrels-board-and-refuse-to-leave-13217117

2024-09-18 10:00:05

Here's a headline:
"Gatwick train cancelled after squirrels board and 'refuse to leave'"
https://news.sky.com/story/gatwick-train-cancelled-after-squirrels-board-and-refuse-to-leave-13217117

2024-09-16 13:21:52

Facepalm:
"The area of the square whose side is the hypotenuse (the side opposite the right angle) is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares on the other two sides. It is written as a²+b²=c².
"One of the interesting things about this bedrock mathematical equation is that for 2,000 years, no mathematician has been able to demonstrate the truth of it without simply using the equation itself as proof; what is called circular logic, and not accepted as true evidence of proof.
"Johnson and Jackson reference Elisha Loomis’s The Pythagorean Proposition, a book investigating this concept, which flatly states that ‘there are no trigonometric proofs because all the fundamental formulae of trigonometry are themselves based upon the truth of the Pythagorean Theorem,'"
-- https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/charles-barkley-donates-1-million-to-new-orleans-academy-where-these-teens-solved-pythagoras-theorum/

2024-09-09 14:09:30

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Thanks for the memory!
Yes, I know "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" *very* well, and I'm familiar both with his techniques, and the claim that Bethe was better.
Great reference.

2024-09-09 13:16:50

I don't know what 55² is, and I wouldn't bother to compute it by hand.
But I do know:
a²-b² = (a-b)(a+b)
a² = (a-b)(a+b)+b²
Setting a=55 and b=5 we get
55² = (55-5)(55+5) + 5²
Suddenly it's obvious, not because of the numbers, but because of the structure.
The facility with numbers is an epiphenomenon.
2/n, n=2

2024-09-04 12:12:05

It is utterly infuriating that being ecologically friendly is just so expensive in terms of both money and time.
So frustrating.
So. So. Frustrating.

2024-08-13 14:34:06

OK, I used to be able to do this, but it appears not to work any more ... what should I do instead.
In an HTML file I could have this:
<img
src="/cgi-bin/x.py?parm"
alt=""
/>
Then the "x.py" script could have this:
#!/usr/bin/python
sys.stdout.write(
file('x.png').read()
)
So the script is run and hands back the image to the HTML, which then displays it.
What can I do instead that is similarly minimalist?
To the people who know more about web-programming than I, and who can make things like this work ... thank you.

2024-08-08 13:22:31

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OK, it's here:
https://www.worchle.com/haystack/
It's a word search, but there is only one word to find.
But *all* the letters are from that word!

2024-08-08 13:13:02

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Currently out, I'll give you a link shortly. It's a "word search" puzzle ... More soon.

2024-08-08 09:41:08

Continuing #haystack
Today's time: 23s
Average: 40s
Streak: 35

2024-08-03 20:52:59

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(cont'd)
After Sydney, Eric kept swimming. In 2004 he swam a 100 free time 56.9s (compared to 1:52.72 in Sydney).
Two years later, he achieved a PB of 52.18 (5 seconds off the winning time Sydney 2000), and would've been fast enough for a Gold Medal at the Melbourne 1956 Olympics!
The IOC's wild card initiative, designed to nurture sport in developing nations, arguably found success in Eric's story.
He became an icon for swimming in Equatorial Guinea, which now features two Olympic-size pools, and Eric became the national coach in 2012.
Here is Eric's iconic swim on YouTube :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P8U4g_srRU
The conclusion of his story is arguably more important than its beginnings.
#Olympics
/end
3/n, n=3

2024-08-03 20:52:21

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(cont'd)
The IOC's wild card strategy aimed to boost sports in developing nations like Equatorial Guinea.
Eric heard the call for swimmers on the radio, and since he was the only one to show up, he made the team!
The only issue was, Eric couldn't swim.
So a few months out from the games, Eric started his training, partly with the assistance of fisherman in a lake.
He was also given access to a 12M long hotel pool for up to 1hr, three times a week.
Equatorial Guinea had no 50m pools.
When Eric turned up to Sydney, and swam in a 50M pool for the first time, he couldn't have been less prepared.
The blue speedos he raced in were given to him by the South African swimming coach just prior to his race, who noticed Eric training in shorts.
What happened next?
2/n

2024-08-03 20:51:46

The true spirit of the Olympics.
Do you remember "Eric the Eel" ??
Here's a thread from the site formerly (and to be honest, still) known as Twitter.
Here's the thread:
https://x.com/Aaronsmith333/status/1817431315916165475
Here's an "Unroll" of it:
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1817431315916165475.html
It's by Aaron Smith : @Aaronsmith333
Quoted here in full, sans images.
You probably know the start of this Olympic story, but do you know how it finished?
Eric Moussambani, aka 'Eric the Eel' from Equatorial Guinea, competed in the 100m Freestyle event at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, alone.
Why?
Eric's heat started with 2 other competitors; one from Niger and the other from Tajikistan. Eric's competitors however both broke, and were disqualified, leaving him to swim this event alone.
Eric hadn't completed a full length of a 50m pool before, but he dived in anyway.
It seemed like he wasn't going to make the distance. Touching a lane rope would've been automatic disqualification.
He completed in 1:52.72, the slowest time in Olympic History, and for comparison, 47 seconds slower than I did recently, in my late 40s. Remember these times.
Why was Eric there?
1/n