tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.comments2011-07-04T18:57:15.179-04:00News from the Math WizardJapheth Woodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17314060401914172768noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-52112477012396404202011-07-04T11:35:08.581-04:002011-07-04T11:35:08.581-04:00Thanks!Thanks!Sue VanHattumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10237941346154683902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-44781097424259786332011-07-04T11:31:48.099-04:002011-07-04T11:31:48.099-04:00I just added a small picture to make it easier to ...I just added a small picture to make it easier to find.Japheth Woodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17314060401914172768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-76003381712005900232011-07-04T11:27:58.865-04:002011-07-04T11:27:58.865-04:00Hi Sue!
The link is a bit hidden in the next titl...Hi Sue!<br /><br />The link is a bit hidden in the next title. <br /><br />Here's the direct link:<br /><br />http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/131224/bonus-curriculum-is-greatest-common-factor-for-local-math-mastersJapheth Woodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17314060401914172768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-59484894885720491102011-07-04T11:19:46.893-04:002011-07-04T11:19:46.893-04:00Am I missing something? I don't see a link to ...Am I missing something? I don't see a link to the video...Sue VanHattumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10237941346154683902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-61036739015200510252011-06-03T16:07:08.595-04:002011-06-03T16:07:08.595-04:00I see littering and birdfeeding as one act, so lit...I see littering and birdfeeding as one act, so littering is fine as long as it's not accompanied by birdfeeding.Zenohttp://www.ptg.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-62636520493166189242011-05-28T02:12:45.757-04:002011-05-28T02:12:45.757-04:00I love these instances of what contemporary rhetor...I love these instances of what contemporary rhetorical theorists call the aporia (from the Greek) for that gap which sometimes opens up between intention and delivered or received message. <br /><br />My own favorite example of this slippage of language comes from a sign on the Via Chiantigiana (the Chianti Road in Tuscany's Chianti country) at a woodland turn=off on the road.<br /><br />Two signs, the ostensibly translated English version above that requests, "Speak Slouly Please" and the probable Italian intention, asking "Parlare a bassa voce," meaning "Speak quietly please."<br /><br />An obvious gap between intended signified and actual imperative, yet one in which the stakes are in fact extremely low.<br /><br />Still, there is delight to be taken in our inherent human fallibility. In the (translated) words of the old Yiddish proverb, "Man thinks, God laughs."<br /><br />- Elizabeth (aka @cheesemonkeysf on Twitter)cheesemonkeysfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09311170815422010013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-22822762253214110462011-05-27T09:53:13.650-04:002011-05-27T09:53:13.650-04:00I can get all these readings, but actually I think...I can get all these readings, but actually I think the most natural reading for me is in the (E) category:<br /><br />"If you litter, you will be feeding the birds, and this is no good, so don't litter."<br /><br />It's amazing how much propositional (both descriptive and normative) content I'm getting out of a sentence that is formally an imperative:<br /><br />a) "If you litter, this will feed the birds" (Descriptive proposition.)<br /><br />b) "This would be bad." (Normative proposition.)<br /><br />c) "So don't do it." (Imperative.)<br /><br />... but even though this is the most natural reading for me, it's still unsatisfying. What's wrong with feeding birds?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-63696717830570970972011-05-10T12:54:44.822-04:002011-05-10T12:54:44.822-04:00This is great advice Japheth! Keep them coming!
MA...This is great advice Japheth! Keep them coming!<br />MARIELLa Vozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05195496593347863073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-21965192027499187742011-04-22T13:57:10.178-04:002011-04-22T13:57:10.178-04:00@ben - That's right, Jim is the binary represe...@ben - That's right, Jim is the binary representation of Nim. Each Jim row, when read in binary (yellow = 1, red = 0) is the number of teddy bears in the corresponding NIm pile.<br /><br />The Jim strategy is easy (easier?) to understand - it's just a parity argument on the number of yellow chips in each column. I decided that understanding that strategy first, before linking Nim to its binary representation, was the way to go.<br /><br />This still begs the question - why does Nim have this binary strategy? So, while I don't feel like I've shed much light on this question, I'm happy with the sequencing of explaining Nim strategy.Japheth Woodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17314060401914172768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-11621744095062715352011-04-22T13:19:57.686-04:002011-04-22T13:19:57.686-04:00If I'm understanding the rules of Jim right, t...If I'm understanding the rules of Jim right, then they are actually isomorphic games, yes?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-32523596284311223622011-04-22T12:49:28.809-04:002011-04-22T12:49:28.809-04:00Great presentation Japheth! Math IS fun and makes ...Great presentation Japheth! Math IS fun and makes sense! :)La Vozhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12960244584487165282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-4799652548968197632011-01-06T13:21:33.464-05:002011-01-06T13:21:33.464-05:00An update: Awesome Math just sent out an announcem...An update: Awesome Math just sent out an announcement: http://awesomemath.org/Japheth Woodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17314060401914172768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-45208049925773090352010-12-31T21:49:59.074-05:002010-12-31T21:49:59.074-05:00Just a completely random comment, but HCSSiM alums...Just a completely random comment, but HCSSiM alums around me also seem to be starting companies! My first startup experience was with Miller "Speed" at TeamSphere Interactive, and now Dennis Kwon at Columbia Business (also HCSSiM) is also doing a lot in NYC!JackPohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00460912375647121942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-82111822882605369352010-12-31T21:47:20.593-05:002010-12-31T21:47:20.593-05:00Ah quite cool, didn't realize Dan was this far...Ah quite cool, didn't realize Dan was this far along already.JackPohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00460912375647121942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-55437546110351632032010-11-01T11:44:28.887-04:002010-11-01T11:44:28.887-04:00Interestingly, the best LaTeX reference I know is ...Interestingly, the best LaTeX reference I know is now from the art of problem solving:<br /><br />http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:AboutJackPohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00460912375647121942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-86031241842986497872010-09-21T23:27:59.750-04:002010-09-21T23:27:59.750-04:00Thanks, Allen! I'm very happy with it (but mig...Thanks, Allen! I'm very happy with it (but might tweak it a bit with Ben's suggestion in mind). <br />I've taken up problem posing for my monthly column in La Voz (http://lavoz.bard.edu/), and am slowly developing my rudimentary computer graphics skills.<br />How's your new job treating you?Japheth Woodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17314060401914172768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-26552342460761984942010-09-21T22:58:07.809-04:002010-09-21T22:58:07.809-04:00Nice graphic! Having come here roundaboutly, I had...Nice graphic! Having come here roundaboutly, I had the picture without the problem statement, hence the metaproblem "What is this problem?" which was rather nice to solve.Allen Knutsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15616422252030334511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-11898518283248370342010-09-21T01:05:07.937-04:002010-09-21T01:05:07.937-04:00With more time to think, I vote dangerous.With more time to think, I vote dangerous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-47753463532034521092010-08-27T18:37:35.235-04:002010-08-27T18:37:35.235-04:00Awesome! I didn't even know it was called &qu...Awesome! I didn't even know it was called "God's number."<br /><br />In a way it's sort of nice that this project didn't find optimal solutions for every position; there's still some mystery left to the cube. At Williams somebody told me Checkers had been completely solved and there is an online computer program that plays it perfectly; this is cool but also sort of sad to me. All the mystery has been exhausted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-84721556011491813532010-08-12T07:38:39.651-04:002010-08-12T07:38:39.651-04:00Right! That about sums up the question. We'd l...Right! That about sums up the question. We'd like to find a Hamilton circuit through the Cayley graph of the group (the Rubik group / the symmetric group, ...). <br /><br />The specifics are that:<br />* We're talking specifically about the Cayley graph of group G whose directed edges correspond to cube moves or to (specific) transpositions.<br />* The circuit should first traverse a complete set of coset representatives of subgroup H and then step into the next set of coset representatives.<br />* Subgroup H should be a fairly large cyclic subgroup, hopefully largest possible, so that the set of coset representatives is kept "small".<br />* The result is that we can repeat a specific sequence of |G|/|H| moves exactly |H| times to traverse the entire Cayley graph.<br /><br />By the way, did you hear that it is now known that God's number is 20? http://cube20.org/<br />One of LZ's former students set the lower bound of 20 and upper bound of 29 in 1995.Japheth Woodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17314060401914172768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7269643900637972693.post-54415444486368530042010-08-12T00:57:32.315-04:002010-08-12T00:57:32.315-04:00Seems like the broad goal is to find a Hamilton ci...Seems like the broad goal is to find a Hamilton circuit through the Cayley graph?<br /><br />As for the specific method, is there a reason to believe problems 3 and 4 will have solutions?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com