Video: Connecting Dots

I don't have the most mathematical mind, but it's crazy to stop and think about the math that exists all around us.  Even seemingly simple doodles have amazing mathematical properties.

Mind Blowing Examples of Exponential Growth

Types of Infinity

Why stick with one type of infinity when there are so many possibilities?

V is for Variable Star

As I mentioned in an earlier post, parallax is a method of measuring the distance of nearby stars. The next step on the cosmic distance ladder is a kind of star known as a Cepheid Variable.  This video explains what these stars are and how they're used to determine cosmic distance.  There's also a little bit about the history of women in astronomy, which I think is cool.  Enjoy!

P is for Parallax

Astronomers use different methods for measuring the distances of stars.  As you may imagine, cosmic distances can be tricky to pin down accurately given how impressively far apart everything in the universe is, but with the right measurements and a little mathematical prowess, it can be done.

One method for measuring stellar distances is parallax.  Parallax refers to the apparent change in position of a star that occurs as the Earth orbits the sun.  The shifts are tiny given that we're dealing with such large distances, and they grow smaller as that distance increases.  That's why parallax, while useful, is limited to our cosmic neighborhood.  Anything too far out requires other means of measurement to determine distance.

By P.wormer (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

If you're interested in learning how to determine parallax, you can watch these videos.  They spell out the process as clearly as possible and should give you a good idea of how it's done.  Yes, they're a bit long, but they're packed with information!  (And yes, I personally watched all of them all the way through!)

Yay Flexagons!

So, for those of you who didn't know, October is flexagon month.  In honor of this obscure celebration, here is a great video that shows how wonderful flexagons can be.  I also recommend you follow this video up with part 2 and the safety guide.  Links are provided at the end of each video, so you should have no trouble finding them.

A Delicious T-Shirt Concept

Thank you George Takei for sharing this!

Seeing these little things on Facebook really makes my day sometimes.

Happy Pi Day!

Photo by NicoCanali  at Flickr

For everyone who loves math, or numbers that just can't seem to decide when to stop, here's me wishing you a wonderful Pi Day!  Kick back and have a piece of your favorite pie!