A mathematical model that describes how cells change their shape during movement suggests that the movement is mainly driven by the contraction of the skeletal proteins, called “myosin.” The new model developed at Penn State can help researchers to better understand the various biological processes where cellular movement plays a key role and also could […]
Team New Zealand is the crew sailing against America for “The Old Mug”, a rather ugly trophy that represents the Formula 1 of yachting and is the oldest international sporting competition. It was initially sailed in large sloops, but is now hi-tech in catamarans than lift off the ocean on complex “foils” – thereby providing […]
A recent news article (in the NZ Herald) indicated some hope in the chase to find effective cancer cures. It noted, “A cancer forms when a cell in the body goes awry, multiplying out of control to form a tumour. A typically-sized cancer tumour is made up of more cells than there are people on […]
The Notices is the world’s most widely read magazine aimed at professional mathematicians. Notices provides opportunities for mathematicians and students of mathematics to find out what is going on in the field. Each issue contains one or two such expository articles that describe current developments in mathematical research, written by professional mathematicians. The Notices also […]
One of history’s great geniuses, Isaac Newton (yes, the mathematician with the curly hair sitting under the apple tree), developed differential equations in the 1600s. But we aren’t all geniuses, so here’s the definition given in Differential Equations for Dummies (caution – this link downloads over 300 pages!) such equations “involve derivatives, which specify how […]
Missy is 6 years old and loves building things. MineCraft is based on blocks that link to make new spaces and gives her that stimulating, creative outlet. She is also enjoying and doing well in her Math. Mathematics is widely used for modelling real life situations via simulation or strategy games. These types of games […]
In a recent issue of Nature was a paper by Juan Camilo Bohorquez, Sean Gourley, Alexander R. Dixon, Michael Spagat and Neil F. Johnson, which argued that all insurgencies–wars in which guerrilla-type units are fighting a standing military–share a single, predictable pattern in their violent attacks. In other words, according to their model, the decisions […]
Hey – do you enjoy making model cars, boats, planes, dolls houses, or even F1 racing cars? Modelling is great fun and most model kits come with a scale on the front of the box, such as 1:50 or 1:100. I recently saw a modelling kit of the Starship Enterprise, which had a scale or […]
At the time of this post the search for debris (or anything) from Malaysian Flight MH370 is warming up, with new reports of objects floating in the southern Indian Ocean, far off the west coast of Australia. One difficulty with such searches is that, so long after the disappearance of the airliner, that objects in […]
Why do we learn Mathematics? Why is Calculus important? How does Mathematics help in designing spacecraft? What are some practical applications of the kind of mathematics I might do when I get to college? Click on this short video for some ideas!
