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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Articles 1 - 6 of 6

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Perturbation - For Nature Computes On A Straight Line (In Seven Balancing Acts), Vijay Fafat Jul 2022

Perturbation - For Nature Computes On A Straight Line (In Seven Balancing Acts), Vijay Fafat

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

What if all of our Reality is a simulation? What, perhaps, are the unintended artifacts if we are an "approximate" simulation because God could not muster sufficient computational power for the Equations capturing the ultimate Theory of Everything? Are life and Sentience something She intended, a problem with the simulation's code, or an irreducible, teleological inevitability in Creation?


What Makes A Theory Of Infinitesimals Useful? A View By Klein And Fraenkel, Vladimir Kanovei, Karin Katz, Mikhail Katz, Thomas Mormann Jan 2018

What Makes A Theory Of Infinitesimals Useful? A View By Klein And Fraenkel, Vladimir Kanovei, Karin Katz, Mikhail Katz, Thomas Mormann

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Felix Klein and Abraham Fraenkel each formulated a criterion for a theory of infinitesimals to be successful, in terms of the feasibility of implementation of the Mean Value Theorem. We explore the evolution of the idea over the past century, and the role of Abraham Robinson's framework therein.


From Pythagoreans And Weierstrassians To True Infinitesimal Calculus, Mikhail Katz, Luie Polev Feb 2017

From Pythagoreans And Weierstrassians To True Infinitesimal Calculus, Mikhail Katz, Luie Polev

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In teaching infinitesimal calculus we sought to present basic concepts like continuity and convergence by comparing and contrasting various definitions, rather than presenting “the definition” to the students as a monolithic absolute. We hope that our experiences could be useful to other instructors wishing to follow this method of instruction. A poll run at the conclusion of the course indicates that students tend to favor infinitesimal definitions over epsilon-delta ones.


My Finite Field, Matthew Schroeder Jan 2015

My Finite Field, Matthew Schroeder

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A love poem written in the language of mathematics.


Harmonics In The Library, Charles Coppin Jul 2013

Harmonics In The Library, Charles Coppin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Students of traditional calculus courses can discover significant mathematics original to themselves, especially if these courses are taught in a way that allows shafts of mathematical light to shine through. We tell a story of such an incident in the form of a dialogue between two fictional students. Our students, on their own, discover (or rediscover) a well-known problem based on the harmonic series. We believe opportunities for such discoveries are greater if students have had some experience with inquiry-based learning prior to entering a traditional course. More broadly, we aim to demonstrate what can occur when students feel no …


Math Moment, Paige S. Orland Jul 2012

Math Moment, Paige S. Orland

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A short poem comparing Exponential and Logistic functions.