[NEOPO]

Considering the overwhelming mathematical possibilty of advanced intelligent alien lifeforms I would say it is simply arrogance for humans to imagine that they have ever had an "original" thought or have ever actually "discovered" or "invented" anything....

Back into your holes worms!!!

[jboogy]

mathematical epiphany? awright here goes; in either the third or fourth grade I remember I was the last one to memorize the times tables 1thru 9 , felt a small sense of accomplishment , mathematically it's been downhill ever since, math might as well be a chinese cypher to me.

[TheDude]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MD', 'A')n early mathematical epiphany of mine occured when I was bouncing a ball and realized that "hey, if it rebounds to a fraction of it's height each time, then it should bounce forever". I then spent quite a while counting bounces. The "superballs" were the best. The original black ones that came in various sizes were my favorites.

To this day I'd like to try it in a vacuum with various materials. I bet you could get bounce counts in the thousands. The tail-off curves would be immensely interesting, I'm sure.

Surely some school science class has done this . . . time for a quick google.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheDude', '
')
PMS, let me know when Michael Savage Weiner will explain all of this for us.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cynicalheretic', 'D')ude, seriously, go smoke some damn weed.

[kestrel91316]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('cynicalheretic', 'D')ude, seriously, go smoke some damn weed.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kestrel91316', '
')
Hey, PMS - geometry was my FAVORITE part of math. Back in Jr High. 35 years ago.

[shakespear1]

Geometry is problem solving and use of logical reasoning. I agree, good fun.

I wonder if they still have Debate Clubs in schools? Critical thinking is a skill one needs to learn.

[strider3700]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jboogy', 'm')athematical epiphany? awright here goes; in either the third or fourth grade I remember I was the last one to memorize the times tables 1thru 9 , felt a small sense of accomplishment , mathematically it's been downhill ever since, math might as well be a chinese cypher to me.

[TheDude]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('strider3700', 'I') don't blame the math, I blame the english language being used to explain math.

[FourOfSwords]

I don't know. Outside of his theory of the transmigration of the soul et al, I'm not too impressed with Pythagoras and susequent Pythagoreans reducing the world to mathematical equivalents. I'm not too sure this 'western worldview' has not gotten us into the jam we're in right now. Mind you this is comng from someone who rather admires the worldview of Diogenes of Sinope!
A.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('FourOfSwords', 'I') don't know. Outside of his theory of the transmigration of the soul et al, I'm not too impressed with Pythagoras and susequent Pythagoreans reducing the world to mathematical equivalents. I'm not too sure this 'western worldview' has not gotten us into the jam we're in right now. Mind you this is comng from someone who rather admires the worldview of Diogenes of Sinope!

[JustWatch]

Hi Penultimate,
The math is great, wish I could keep up with you on it! But even though I can’t, I do think there is something “magical” about it, even if that’s the only word I can think of to describe it. I’m sure you’ll find someone who can keep up with you.
The circle is such a wonder. It reminds me of sitting on a shoreline, and listening and watching the waves gently lap against the shore. (Ok, so maybe I’m smoking some wild herb too!)
I believe you know the answers you are looking for. Just sit on a shoreline without doing any thinking at all, and they will come to you!

Cheers

[lateralus]

Another curiousity is the fact that the radius of the moon divided by the width of my cat equals the size of the sub sandwich I had for lunch. Coincidence I think not.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('JustWatch', ' ')I had to use trig functions (numbers, calculators, etc) instead of pure geometry to work out the understanding I got about the lune thing I described.

[PenultimateManStanding]

The heptadecagon, Gauss's discovery, which was quite grand and convinced him when he discovered it at 19 years old, to dedicate his intellect, of which he was no doubt highly proud and solicitous as to how he should use it (oh, the glories of a younger Age of humanity), to Mathematics, has not been surpassed, as far as I know, by the discovery of a method of construction of the enneadecagon (19 sides). I looked for it online and couldn't find any hint of a geometrical construction of an enneadecagon. Does anybody know anything about this? Has it been done? The significance of this is that these are prime number constructions. My guess, based on what I've uncovered is that Gauss's discovery, made in 1796, was the highwater mark of Western Geometry.