Beyond Euclid - #117
Welcome to Beyond Euclid #117, the newsletter for the best mathematics and science stuff of the week. I am Ali, and I curate cool math and science stuff every week to help you have a better week.
📰 Happy Friday, everyone! It feels so good to wrap up another week of hard work, but before you go off to enjoy the weekend, make sure to check out this week's newsletter that I just finished! Inside, you'll find some great posts, tools, and interesting facts that will make your day. Take a few minutes to sit back, relax, and enjoy the newsletter. I hope you find it informative and entertaining. Have a fantastic weekend!
And if you appreciate the work I do, please consider being a paid subscriber. I truly value your support. While reading this issue, you can listen to The Flower of Carnage from Meiko Kaji.
• We all know that 1 is not equal to 2. However, there is an easy way to prove 1 = 2. I know that sounds ridiculous, but you can see below. It is like “I see, but I don’t believe!” situation.
• Hans Bethe, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist, once made a bold statement about the nature of genius. He said that there are two types: ordinary and magical. The former are those who achieve great things through hard work and dedication, but they leave room for others to believe they could do the same with enough effort. The latter, however, are an entirely different breed. These are the magicians, the geniuses whose abilities are so exceptional that mere mortals cannot even comprehend how they do what they do. Bethe believed that Richard Feynman was one of these magicians, a physicist whose extraordinary intellect left his colleagues and admirers in awe.
• Richard Johnson photographed hundreds of Canada's ice huts, temporary winter structures residents build on frozen lakes. Once lakes freeze over thickly enough in late December/January, residents head out in groups to fish and construct colorful huts of found materials. Lake Simcoe in Ontario hosts over 4,000 huts annually, attracting more ice anglers than any other North American lake. Johnson captured a variety of designs, from tarps on poles to more elaborate mini cabins, in square format photographs showing individual personalities. Some huts are small and portable, while others include space for sitting, a stove, and supplies for extended stays. The huts' bright colors and decorations gave the impression of an outdoor exhibit on the frozen lakes.
• These beautiful mathematics and nature posters that make you love mathematics from Megan Emma Moree. You can find the rest of them here.
• This Fourier Series of Square Wave made me look.
• In the world of engineering and advanced mathematics, a reliable graphing calculator is more than just a tool—it’s an essential ally. I delve into the best 5 graphing calculators to help engineers and calculus students achieve their academic and professional goals effectively.
• For many of us, Pluto was more than just a remote, icy rock floating in space - it was a planet, just like the rest. So when scientists announced that it was no longer considered a full-fledged member of our solar system, it was a blow many of us still struggle to come to terms with. And to those who dared to declare that Pluto was no longer worthy of being called a planet, I want to say this: I will never forgive you. Because for those of us who grew up learning about the nine planets in our solar system, Pluto will always be a planet in our hearts and minds. And nothing you say or do can take that away from us.
• When playing with LEGOs, most of us stick to the basics - building towers or cars. But artist Jeff Sanders takes it to a whole new level. He uses colorful bricks to create geometric designs that will blow your mind. Sanders can twist and turn LEGOs to bring his stunning ideas to life, and he shows us his designs on his YouTube channel.
• The Periodic Table by Primo Levi is a captivating book that invites readers on a journey through the world of chemistry. Its unique approach to telling the stories of twenty-one individual elements from the periodic table is both informative and entertaining. Levi's writing style is engaging, making the book a joy to read. It's no wonder that in 1975, The Royal Institution of Great Britain named it the best science book ever. Whether you have a background in science or not, this book will leave a lasting impression and provide a fresh perspective on the elements that make up our world.
• Researchers developed a camera system that captures video from four color channels: blue, green, red, and ultraviolet (UV). The camera simultaneously records video in these channels under natural lighting conditions. Software processes this data based on knowledge of animal vision to produce videos replicating how colors appear to different animals. Testing found the system predicted animal color perception over 90% accurately compared to traditional spectrophotometry methods. The open-source system allows scientists to better understand animal communication and behavior by seeing colors as they do.
• European Space Agency astronaut, Marcus Wandt, is set to leave the International Space Station after a short but insightful stay, during which he recorded and shared a captivating video of Earth from 250 miles above. The video, subsequently published by the ESA, features Wandt in the ISS's cupola – a seven-windowed room facing Earth – offering stunning views and opportunities for deep reflection.
• Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's mission ends after exceeding expectations. It achieved its first powered, controlled flight on Mars on April 19, 2021. Originally planned for up to 5 flights but executed an impressive 72 flights.
• • Here is another reason to love the internet. Someone made a website that shows Big Mac costs at every US McDonald's in early 2023. For instance, while preparing this newsletter, the prices were higher on the east and west coasts, the most expensive in Lee, MA, at $8.09. And, probably, shipping likely causes higher prices in Hawaii and Alaska.
Loved the Lego one!😁
Brilliant as usual! Question: How did the 4th line, (a - b)(a + b) = b(a - b) turn into a + b = b ?