Christmas Cards :)

It’s nearly that time of year again, and Christmas cards can be anything from tacky, expensive to impersonal. Why not try a mathematical theme – see this article! It’s even got a bridge in it 🙂

Better even than that, remember who Christmas is about – and remember that Christmas is only the start of His earthly story. If you don’t understand the significance of Easter then you can’t understand the importance of Christmas either. And if the message of Easter is true, then it cannot be ignored. Please don’t!

Roberto Carlos’ wonder goal

This article gives a brief outline of the mathematical description of the trajectory of a football, focussing upon a magnificent goal by Roberto Carlos in 1997. It explains that “the path of a sphere when it spins is a spiral.”

Although it cannot be claimed that Carlos used any equation to decide how to strike the ball, his brain must have been computing speeds, angles and distances whilst using past experience to judge how the ball would move in the air. More than that, his brain controlled his feet so perfectly that he was able to carry out the task.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.                     Psalm 139:14

You can see the actual goal here 🙂

The Maths of Lighthouses

A colleague recently visited Ardnamurchan Lighthouse and took the following photo which shows the centre of gravity for different shaped lighthouses. It’s a lovely example of Mathematics being used in construction!

Thanks John!

The Mandelbrot Set – how did it get there?

It’s a long video, and quirky in places, but it raises questions that must be contemplated seriously by serious mathematicians and philosophers. It’s also very beautiful!

Click here for this YouTube video.