Applied Math
Knowledge Is Power… Maybe
At least since Sputnik in 1957, various tests and reports such as the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) have asserted that students in the United…
Applied Math
Articles
Applied Math
Plotting and Graphics in Octave
Introduction This is the fourth article in an occasional series of articles about Octave, a free open-source numerical programming environment that is mostly compatible with MATLAB. This series…
Applied Math
A Closer Look at Maxima
The primary purpose of software estimation is not to predict a project’s outcome; it is to determine whether a project’s targets are realistic enough to allow the project…
Applied Math
LAME: A Case Study in Mathematical Programming
Introduction This is the second in a series of articles on mathematical programming starting with The Scope of Mathematical Programming Projects. This article discusses LAME (LAME Ain’t an…
Applied Math
Using Maxima Output in Octave
Introduction This is the third in a series of articles on Octave starting with Octave, An Alternative to the High Cost of MATLAB. Octave is a free, both…
Applied Math
On Concavity, Calculus, and Crescents
Concavity characterizes so much of the world — from the distribution of sizes of animal species, to the potential return-on-investment from small vs large companies, to the temperature…
Applied Math
Using Octave, a Free MATLAB Alternative
Introduction Octave is a free, both free as in beer and free as in speech, MATLAB compatible numerical programming tool available under the GNU General Public License. MATLAB,…
Applied Math
Octave: An Alternative to the High Cost of MATLAB
Introduction Octave is a free (both free as in beer and free as in speech) MATLAB compatible numerical programming tool available under the GNU General Public License. MATLAB,…
Applied Math
When Science Fails
The recent New Yorker article The Truth Wears Off: Is there something wrong with the scientific method? by Jonah Lehrer (December 13, 2010) discusses several cases where a…
Applied Math
The Joy of Stats (Video)
The Joy of Stats is an hour long BBC documentary by Professor Hans Rosling, in which he illustrates the beauty and importance of statistics as a means of…
Applied Math
Gold Fever
Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. Common quotation, variously attributed to Yogi Berra, Niels Bohr, Mark Twain and others. Introduction In Isaac Asimov’s famous science fiction…
Applied Math
Frankenstein Functions
Henry Frankenstein: Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive… It’s alive, it’s moving, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE! Victor Moritz: Henry – In…