Category Archives: Math

Calculus! #37: Early Transcendentals 3.5A

Posted on December 13, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetSection 3.5: Implicit Differentiation WOOP! Implicit differentation is actually one of the concepts that got me into the idea of textblogging. It’s something that completely baffled me the first time around because I didn’t really understand what a derivative was. … Continue reading →

Posted in Autodidaction, Math | 2 Comments

Calculus! #36: Early Transcendentals 3.4B

Posted on December 11, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetSo, now that you understand the chain rule, you can rederive some of the tricks you’ve already learned. The book gives a very cute proof of the fact that . But screw that, we’re onto bigger game. Let’s prove the … Continue reading →

Posted in Autodidaction, calculus, Math | 3 Comments

The Mathroom!

Posted on September 11, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetIs BACK. My favorite mathrooms were the ones that were a little open-ended in terms of what equations and values you employ, but which still have answers that different people would converge on. Hopefully the wording here is clear enough … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, mathroom | 18 Comments

Physics! #3: University Physics 1.3

Posted on June 30, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetSection 1.3: Standards and Units Not much for me to add here. This is basically a discussion of the fundamentality of length, mass, and time. They do put forth a fun term – “operational definition,” meaning a physical quantity that … Continue reading →

Posted in Autodidaction, Math, Science | 8 Comments

Mid-day Ramblings: War and Ethics

Posted on April 21, 2011 by ZachWeiner

Tweet Do you remember a time you were in an ethics class and were given a “Sophie’s Choice?” That is, a choice between two things that are so horrible that a good choice is impossible. Common versions are “kill this … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Philosophy, rambling | 33 Comments

Discrete Math Glossary

Posted on March 29, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetI’ve been getting bogged down in discrete lately, trying to keep up with all the concepts. The tricky thing is this: while most of the concepts are easy to understand, the nuances can trip you up when you’re dealing with … Continue reading →

Posted in Math | 11 Comments

Weinersmith’s Book Club, Part 3

Posted on February 5, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetJan 3 – Up From Slavery (Washington) Rating: 4/5 It’s a little hard to rate this book, since it’s of historical importance, so consider the 4/5 as an indication purely of how enjoyable a read it was. For those who … Continue reading →

Posted in Book, Book Club, Math | 6 Comments

Morning Ponderings: Math, Sexism, and Behavioral Genetics

Posted on January 6, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetI mentioned a few posts back that Steven Pinker’s book “The Blank Slate” convinced me that there probably are SOME behaviorally genetic differences between human males and human females. He cited a number of excellent examples, including very convincing work … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Pondering | 32 Comments

Einstein’s Zebra Puzzle

Posted on January 4, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetI just solved this one. Took me about an hour, though I think I could now do a similar problem much more quickly. It’s from Rosen’s “Discrete Mathematics with Applications” 6th Ed. I’m curious to see if others get the … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Puzzle | 23 Comments

Does Anyone Else? #1

Posted on January 1, 2011 by ZachWeiner

TweetDoes anyone else? #1 Whenever I get a new math book, I do something I call “cigar sniffing.” In the same way a cigar fancier (I’m told) enjoys a new cigar by smelling it before smoking it, I like to … Continue reading →

Posted in Math, Science | Tagged , , | 10 Comments