Math in the Media: Arguing on Pi-Day

I cannot say that we, as mathematicians, do not have our fair share of math-arguments and inside jokes and math puns and such.  You know, stuff that the "outside" world would either groan at or simply walk away from in a head-shaking fashion.  But Pi-Day, March 14, or 3/14, does seem to bring things like this to the surface....

Here are two articles that have leaked out into the "real" world.  The first is not a real debate or controversy, really..., but it is kinda fun in a strange sort of way.  It is an argument for a better way to generally represent the constant that arises from comparing the diameter or radius of a circle to its circumference.  Since pi radians represents only half a turn around a circle, why not have the universal constant simply be 2pi, representing a full turn around the circle.  Call this number tau = 2pi.  The article, in the Verge, is kind of a rant on pi's fame:

Stop Celebrating Pi Day and embrace Tau as the true circle constant

I am not sure about this one, but the accompanying "Tau Manifesto" is a pretty good read. 

The other is really more of a comedy routine, designed to educate and highlight some real math.  The sort of sweetened medicine you were forced to take as a child.  Broadcast via Mother Jones, the interview/debate

What is the greatest number of all time?

is an argument between two mathematicians Tom Garrity and Colin Adams.  Clever....

Enjoy Pi-Day!!!

What is Mathematics? Passages....

So I was asked during the break between the semesters to take part in an Intersession course designed to bridge the void between the sciences and the humanities (mind the gap!) by having professors from all stripes discuss common topics to a diverse audience.  The idea is that each professor sees the topic from the perspective of their chosen field and the same topic often looks quite different to different people.  It is a wonderful idea hatched and developed by Dr. Kristin Cook-Gailloud, the Director of the Program in French Language and Culture here at Hopkins.  This is the second year running this course and I thoroughly endorse it.  Alas, due to scheduling issues, I did not participate this year.  But a topic in this year's course, Passages, stuck in my head.  The idea of movement from one state to another is something innate to a mathematician, if regarded as movement from a state of ignorance and confusion to clarity and enlightenment. 

So I wrote an essay to clarify my idea of passage in mathematics.  It is here:

Passages in Mathematics

Enjoy and do let me know what you think....

Real Mathematics!

I am gearing up for the fall semester here at Hopkins.  This fall, I am teaching our version of vector calculus (aka multivariable calulus), 110.202 Calculus III.  It is a great course, beautifully visual and quite subtle in many ways.  Good stuff! 

I sent out a "hello" email to my 300+ students, inviting them to check out the webpage and generally welcoming them to the course.  In this email, I say near the end:

Even though one may think of calculus as simply a math course where one learns some techniques for solving physics and statistics problems, it actually is much more than this.  Instead of simply learning techniques, we will be learning how and why the techniques even exist, what they say about the structure of mathematics like calculus, and how to think analytically and reason deductively and abstractly.  THIS is the real mathematics.  The techniques will come along for the ride.  You will learn those also. 

Perhaps the best way to drive this point home is the following:  It does not matter what your current and/or future major is or will be.  You are here at Hopkins to train to be a scholar at something.  Part of that training includes proficient and efficient understanding of the abstract logical structural framework found in all complex ideas and constructions.  This is really what mathematics is.  We typically use numbers and operations on those numbers to study and exhibit mathematical ideas because they provide the self-consistent framework needed for the study.  I will say a lot more about this on the first day of class. 

Perhaps this is one of my personal definitions of mathematics.  But I like it.  Make sense?