Category Archives: geometry

Math is fun: website

November 5, 2017 – 5:36 pm

https://colleenyoung.wordpress.com/2017/11/05/math-is-fun/

With thanks and regards to Colleen Young.

By Nalin Pithwa | Also posted in algebra, applications of maths, Fun with Mathematics, motivational stuff | Comments (0)

Pick’s theorem to pick your brains!!

April 20, 2017 – 9:55 am

Pick’s theorem:

Consider a square lattice of unit side. A simple polygon (with non-intersecting sides) of any shape is drawn with its vertices at the lattice points. The area of the polygon can be simply obtained as (B/2)+I-1 square units, where B is number of lattice points on the boundary, I is number of lattice points in the interior of the polygon. Prove this theorem!

Do you like this challenge?

Nalin Pithwa.

By Nalin Pithwa | Also posted in Basic Set Theory and Logic, Cnennai Math Institute Entrance Exam, Fun with Mathematics | Comments (0)

The Porter Lecture — Interview with Prof. Erik Demaine

March 4, 2017 – 11:15 pm

By Nalin Pithwa | Also posted in Fun with Mathematics, mathematicians, motivational stuff | Comments (0)

Mobius and his band

January 22, 2017 – 2:24 am

There are some pieces of mathematical folklore that you really should be reminded about, even though they are “well-known” — just in case. An excellent example is the Mobius band.

Augustus Mobius was a German mathematician, born 1790, died 1868. He worked in several areas of mathematics, including geometry, complex analysis and number theory. He is famous for his curious surface, the Mobius band. You can make a Mobius band by taking a strip of paper, say 2 cm wide and 20 cm long, bending it around until the ends meet, then twisting one end through 180 degrees, and finally, gluing the ends together. For comparison, make a cylinder in the same way, omitting the twist.

The Mobius band is famous for one surprising feature: it has only one side. If an ant crawls around a cylindrical band, it can cover only half the surface — one side of the band. But, if an ant crawls around on the Mobius band, it can cover the entire surface. The Mobius band has only one side.

You can check these statements by painting  the band. You can paint the cylinder so that one side is red and the other is blue, and the two sides are completely distinct, even though they are separated by only the thickness of the paper. But,, if you start to paint the Mobius band red, and keep going until you run out of band to paint, the whole thing ends up red.

In retrospect, this is not such a surprise, because the 180  degrees twist connects each side of the original paper strip to the other. If you  don’t twist before gluing, the two sides stay separate. But, until Mobius (and a few others) thought this one up, mathematicians didn’t appreciate that there are two distinct kinds of surface: those with two sides and those with one side only. This turned out to be important in topology. And, it showed how careful you have to be about making “obvious” assumptions.

There are lots of Mobius band recreations. Below are three of them:

  • If you cut the cylindrical band along the middle with two scissors, it falls apart into two cylindrical bands. What happens if you try this with a Mobius band?
  • Repeat, but this time, make the cut about one-thirds of the way across the width of the band. Now, what happens to the cylinder and to the band?
  • Make a band like a Mobius band but with a 360 degrees twist. How many sides does it have? What happens if you cut it along the middle?

The Mobius band is also known as a Mobius strip, but this can lead to misunderstandings, as in aLimerick written by a science fiction author Cyril Kornbluth:

A burleycue dancer, a pip

Named Virginia, could peel in a zip,

But she read science fiction

and died of constriction

Attempting a Mobius strip.

A more politically correct Mobius limerick, which gives away one of the answers, is:

A mathematician confided,

That a Mobius strip  is one-sided,

You’ll get quite a laugh

if you cut it to half,

For it stays in one piece when divided.

Ref: Professor Stewart’s Cabinet of Mathematical Curiosities.

Note: There are lots of interesting properties of Mobius strip, which you can explore. There is a lot of recreational and pure mathematics literature on it. Kindly Google it. Perhaps, if explore well, you might discover your hidden talents for one of the richest areas of mathematics — topology. Topology is a foundation for Differential Geometry, which was used by Albert Einstein for his general theory of  relativity. Of course, there are other applications too…:-)

— Nalin Pithwa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Nalin Pithwa | Also posted in Fun with Mathematics, pure mathematics | Comments (0)

Geometry problems for Pre-RMO

June 2, 2016 – 8:25 pm

Practice Quiz:

  1. Prove that the median of a triangle which lies between two of its unequal sides forms a greater angle with the smaller of those sides.
  2. Point A is given inside a triangle. Draw a line segment with end-points on the perimeter of the triangle so that the point divides the segment in half.
  3. If the sides of a triangle are longer than 1000 inches, can its area be less than one inch?

You are most welcome to share your answers,

Nalin Pithwa

By Nalin Pithwa | Also posted in Basic Set Theory and Logic, Pre-RMO | Tagged | Comments (0)

Geometric maxima minima — a little question for IITJEE Mains

May 13, 2016 – 12:44 am

Problem:

Of all triangles with a given perimeter, find the one with maximum area.

Solution:

Consider an arbitrary triangle with side lengths a, b, c and perimeter 2s=a+b+c. By Heron’s formula, its area F is given by

F = \sqrt{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)}

Now, the arithmetic mean geometric mean inequality gives

\sqrt[3]{s(s-a)(s-b)(s-c)} \leq \frac{(s-a)+(s-b)+(s-c)}{3}=\frac{s}{3}

Therefore, F \leq \sqrt{s(\frac{s}{3})^{3}}=s^{2}\frac{\sqrt{3}}{9}

where inequality holds if and only if s-a=s-b=s-c, that is, when a=b=c.

Thus, the area of any triangle with perimeter 2s does not exceed \frac{s^{2}\sqrt{3}}{9} and is equal to \frac{s^{2}\sqrt{3}}{9} only for an equilateral triangle. QED.

More later,

Nalin Pithwa

PS: Ref: Geometric Problems on Maxima and Minima by Titu Andreescu et al.

 

By Nalin Pithwa | Also posted in IITJEE Mains, ISI Kolkatta Entrance Exam, KVPY, RMO | Comments (0)

A ode to Geometry

September 21, 2015 – 8:26 pm

Euclid alone

Has looked on Beauty bare. Fortunate they

Who, though once only and then but far away,

Have heard her massive sandal set on stone.

— Edna St. Vincent Millay (1923)

By Nalin Pithwa | Comments (0)