Today’s exercise in quantitative reasoning: how much money do you think is contained in this piggy bank?
Here’s a view from the side. I think this is the pig’s best angle.
This videos demonstrates the absolutely amazing Curta Mechanical Calculator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYsOi6L_Pw4
Invented in the 1940s, this is an entirely mechanical multiplication device. To operate it, you set the sliders on the side to the first number, and then turn the crank on top an appropriate number of times to multiply by the second number. Because of it’s obvious resemblance, this is affectionately known as the pepper-grinder calculator.
In the video, the narrator takes his Curta apart and explains a bit of the inner-workings of the device.
If they don’t have one already, the Calculator Museum should definitely make acquiring a Curta a top priority!
Thanks to Ivan for showing me this!
Another installment from the amazing file: an iPhone app that looks at and then solves Sudoku.
http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-beat-sudoku-puzzles-using-google-goggles/
Image recognition software aside, the interesting mathematical idea here is how one would create a computer program that can solve an arbitrary Sudoku puzzle. It doesn’t seem like a particularly challenging task, but finding an efficient method may be a challenging problem. After all, I imagine some strategies are better than others.
Experienced Sudoku solvers probably have a general algorithm they follow, but I imagine that intuition (guessing?) plays a role at some point. Can you program that in somehow?
I’m not sure exactly what causes a tree to take a 135 degree (45 degree?) turn, but it makes for a nice picture.
As has been previous noted, I am very exci
ted about the burgeoning era of 3-D Printing. Here is another amazing example of where this technology is heading: a computer printed concert-quality flute!
https://www.engadget.com/2010/12/29/3d-printed-concert-flute-rapidly-prototypes-sound-video/
After the 15-hour printing process with an Objet Connex500, a printer that applies several different raw materials, all that reamined was some minor assembly. And, of course, some test-flauting! Check out the video to the quality of the flute for yourself.