This is a simple and powerful tool for exploring some basic ideas of spherical geometry.
http://www.math.psu.edu/dlittle/java/geometry/spherical/toolbox.html
In addition to investigating points, lines, and line segments on the surface of sphere, you can construct triangles, antipodes, and even circles in spherical geometry!
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a good interactive spherical geometry applet is worth a thousand well-drawn diagrams!
Just in time for the holiday, a special mathematical valentine from Google!
Using Google’s new graphing feature, all you have to do is plug this equation into Google’s search bar.
For
Or you can just click this link.
Start working on your Easter Eggs!
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World of Technology has several great GIF animations demonstrating some fundamental mechanics:
http://mytechnologyworld9.blogspot.com/2010/08/complicated-mechanisms-explained-in.html
Seen at right is the radial engine. The constant velocity joint is my favorite, but it’s also great to learn how a sewing machine really works!
Some great visualizations of interesting and intricate 3D geometry and engineering.
This is an amazing application of origami: a steel grocery bag that can fold flat!
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/03/paper-plastic-or-steel.html
Although you probably wouldn’t want to carry these to the store with you, this result could have real applications in industrial packaging. In addition, it’s another step towards the mathematical-origamist’s dream: designing building that can rearrange and rebuild itself as needed!
A great talk by Erik Demaine on mathematical origami opened my eyes have this amazing application of mathematics, and my students and I have been having a lot of fun with folding ever since!
This is an awesome old-school style video demonstrating how simple cam-based mechanical systems can be implemented to process numbers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F7m02XDfvE
Calculating reciprocals, squares, and tangents using rotating disks: it’s amazing stuff! I wish I had seen (and appreciated) something like this as a young student. It might have made me appreciate engineering a little more.
Be sure to check out the barrel cam at the end that is used to compute gun elevation. I imagine something like this is at the heart of the mechanical calculators out there.
