Recent content by Amergin

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    High School Square of Odd Integers & Justifying "If P2 Is Even, Then P Is Even

    (2x+1) is odd. (2x+1)^2=4x^2+4x+1 but 4x^2+4x is even and even +1 gives odd. So (2x+1)^2 is odd
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    Undergrad Circle & Infinity: Why Is a Line?

    When I was 12 in a maths lesson I was doing simple equations the answers of which were of the form x=3 etc. We were required to double underline our answers. Being 12 I used the curved edge of my protractor and for the short answers the arc of 10 degrees seemed straight to me. I figured if I had...
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    Undergrad Circle & Infinity: Why Is a Line?

    Consider a circumscribed n-agon. Join each vertex of one of the sides AB to the centre O. The length of the sides of AO and BO would be the radius of the circle r. The area of the triangle AOB using the trigonometry equation would be ½ AO*BO sin {360/n} or ½ r^2 sin{360/n} The area of the...
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    Undergrad Arrange Cows in Pens: 1000 Cows & 10 Pens

    Concerning the solution to the riddle. The use of the binary notation is interesting.When I was younger and we weighed in lbs and ozs we had a set of scales with weights that stacked neatly by the side of the scales The weights were 1,2,4,8 and 1 lb =16oz then the same with lb weights stopping...
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    High School Is zero positive or negative ?

    I was always led to understand that zero was devised by Hindu mathematicians as a place filler and borrowed by the western traders and scientists to create our number system using Arabic numerals and getting rid of the virtually impossible to use Roman system that would not usefully allow...