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Mystery mathematician |
2001-10-08 |
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From A student:
Theres a mathematician that was born on October 16 1879 in England and died on October 1 1921 in England. Suffered from severe disabilities. Did poorly in his degree and settled for a pass degree. Was awarded the Allen scholarship for research in 1904. He also applied logic to Physics in papers such as On Some Points in the Foundation of Mathematical Physics (1908). Who is it?
Answered by Claude Tardif. |
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15 mice in 4 cages |
2001-10-08 |
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From Chelsea:
How can you fit 15 mice into 4 cages with an odd number of mice in each cage?
Answered by Claude Tardif and Harley Weston. |
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Finite differences |
2001-10-08 |
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From Murray:
My name is Murray and I am a 10th grade student. Me and my friend have recently discovered and proved a theorem of a relitively advanced nature. It is that the the nth difference of an nth degree equation = n! times the coefficient of the highest power. One of my teachers said this theorem is part finite and that she thinks she has seen it before, but she does not remember what it is called, at what level it is taught, who discovered it or when it was invented. I would greatly appretiate answers to any of these questions.
Answered by Chris Fisher. |
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Locusts |
2001-10-08 |
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From A parent:
JOHN CONJECTURED THAT BOTH 13-YR.&17-YR. LOCUSTS CAME OUT THE SAME YEAR. ASSUME IT IS CORRECT. HOW MANY YEARS PASS BETWEEN THE YRS. WHEN BOTH 13 YR. & 17YR. LOCUSTS ARE OUT AT THE SAME TIME? EXPLAIN. NEXT, SUPPOSE THERE WERE 12YR.,14 YR.,& 16YR. LO- CUSTS,& THEY ALL COME OUT THIS YR. HOW MANY YRS. WILL IT BE BEFORE THEY ALL COME OUT TOGETHER AGAIN?
Answered by Leeanne Boehm. |
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Simplify the expression |
2001-10-08 |
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From Natalia:
simplify expression 4(x-7)+(-5x)=-10
Answered by Leeanne Boehm. |
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Percentage in our daily lives |
2001-10-08 |
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From Natasha:
What are the uses of percentage in our daily lives?
Answered by Leeanne Boehm. |
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The amount of gravel needed to fill a hole |
2001-10-06 |
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From Rhett:
My name is Rhett and my problem is...I am a contractor and I am having problems determining the amount of gravel(in tonnage) needed to fill this hole,the measurements are 60' in length,22' in width,and 14' in height....the problem is that it is not a usual box shaped hole or in this case a rectangle shaped hole,but more of a triangular shaped hole.I refer to the triangular shape as the interior shape of the crater not the exterior,which is shaped like the above dimensions.If you could help it would be greatly appreciated.P.s.This was a retaining wall project,built by myself, in front of a sloped end of a yard,so if you could imagine a 14" high hill with a landslide looking face,then build in your mind a three sided rectangle in front of it using the hill side that slopes as the fourth side of the rectangle,then you may be able to imagine what I mean as a triangular shaped interior of the hole.
Answered by Penny Nom. |
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Subtracting 5 from 25 |
2001-10-05 |
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From Melissa:
How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25?
Answered by Leeanne Boehm. |
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A circle and a triangle |
2001-10-04 |
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From Christina:
The points (3,4), (9.-2), and (-3,-2) define a circle and a triangle. - find the areas of the circle and the triangle. Find the difference between their areas.
- Find the length of a side of a square with the same area as the triangle.
- Find the length of a side of a Square with the same are as the circle.
Answered by Penny Nom. |
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A Norman window |
2001-10-04 |
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From Erin:
A Norman window has the shape of a rectangle surmounted by a semicircle. If the perimeter of the window is 30 ft, express the atrea, A, as a function of the width x of the window.
Answered by Penny Nom. |
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Zero as an exponent |
2001-10-04 |
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From Wendy:
How do I explain to kids that i.e. 5 exponent 0 = 1? Does 0 exponent 0 = 1?
Answered by Leeanne Boehm and Penny Nom. |
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Who owns what pet? |
2001-10-03 |
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From A parent:
Don, Frank, Jenny, and Ken each come from one state, either Alaska, Maine, Montana, or Oklahoma. They each speak one primary language, either English, french, Russian, or Spanish. And they each have one of four pets, a chinchilla, a dog, a hamster, or a turtle. Figure out which language and what pet each of the four people have, using the following clues.
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Answered by Judi McDonald. |
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A polygon with five sides |
2001-10-03 |
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From A student:
I was asked a question in 5th grade today that goes: i am a polygon with five sides and 2 right angles what do i look like and what is my name
Answered by Penny Nom. |
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The height of the lamppost |
2001-10-02 |
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From Werner:
I am working on question 51,section 3.7 ,page 191 of Stewart's Single Variable Calculus. The question involves a lamp post which is casting a shadow around the eliipse whose formula is x2 + 4*y2 = 5. I have found the derivative of the elllipse both explicitly: x/4(((5-x2)/4)0.5) and implicitly : y' = - x/(4*y).
Answered by Harley Weston. |
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(x^2-5x-6)/(x-6) |
2001-10-02 |
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From Bill:
given f(x) = (x2-5x-6)/(x-6) find f'(6).
Answered by Harley Weston. |
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