Tag Archives: mathematics

Galileo Says Size Matters. Elephants and Jell-o Agree.

In 1638 Galileo Galilei, who is called the Father of Science, published the Square-Cube Law. Frankly, it’s not particularly clever as scientific discoveries go. It’s an observation that big things are bigger than small things. However, the particular way in which objects scale does create a few interesting implications. I’m going to explain the concept [...]

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The Shape of the Universe (part 1): the Hypersphere

I will begin with the only hard fact I have on this topic: Nobody knows the structure or form of the universe. It’s debatable whether or not we will ever be able to know with any certainty. Still, the scientific process marches on. We observe the available evidence, and make intelligent guesses. One fundamental question [...]

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FACT: the size of earth was first discovered using shadows

The time is 250 BC, about 1500 years before what we call “modern science” took it’s first baby steps. The Egyptian city of Alexandria, on the northern coast of Egypt, was home to the greatest library that ever existed, filled with the wisest people of the day, and the birthplace of many fundamentals of mathematics, [...]

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FACT: the world will not end in 2012

There is a lot of noise these days about the imminent end of earth coming up in 2012. This latest doomsday prediction is based on an ancient Mayan calendar, showing the end of all creation on December 21, 2012. Before you think you’ve lucked out not having to buy christmas presents, let’s examine the facts. [...]

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