Sean Grate Assignment 1
Mathematics is one of the most beautiful areas of study. The different topics such as topology, cryptography, complex analysis, or even magic all have some way of interweaving throughout each other. Results such as the fundamental theorem of algebra are able to be proven with different methods through different approaches in the topic. For instance, it can be proven through complex analysis, but also has a nice topological proof. The way in which the different areas of math is fascinating and always a pleasant surprise when stumbled upon.
Magic may seem magical, but with some skepticism, one realizes that true "magic" does not seem to exist. The magic that is commonly performed is comprised of a magician knowing patterns and properties of the object they are manipulating and then manipulating those properties to deceive their audience. Through additional use of skills such as sleight of hand, the tricks performed are more impressive because of the flourish and seeming magic behind them. For this reason, magic is more impressive to the audience. Once the mathematics behind the magic is known, it becomes even more impressive that the magician was able to use those facts to their advantage. At times, allowing mathematics and magic to be viewed as separate can be nice so that a trick can seem more magical, but seeing and understanding the underlying properties behind the trick allows it to be viewed more appreciatively.
The connections between magic and mathematics are numerous and sometimes seem to appear out of nowhere. For example, a trick can be performed where a group of people hold different cards labeled with 0 and 1's (arranged in column, e.g. [ 1 0 1 ]), and someone else has the "key." By using the key, the onlooker is able to determine whether or not the held up cards have an error or not. This intuition stems from the onlooker's knowledge of error-correcting codes and using results from that topic to their advantage. Dr. Ehrenbourg performed this trick last semester in Applicable Algebra and needless to say, it was impressive. He then revealed the mathematics behind it and this gave the trick a nicer appreciation from the class. Knowing the mathematics behind a trick to become all the more impressive.
Magic may seem magical, but with some skepticism, one realizes that true "magic" does not seem to exist. The magic that is commonly performed is comprised of a magician knowing patterns and properties of the object they are manipulating and then manipulating those properties to deceive their audience. Through additional use of skills such as sleight of hand, the tricks performed are more impressive because of the flourish and seeming magic behind them. For this reason, magic is more impressive to the audience. Once the mathematics behind the magic is known, it becomes even more impressive that the magician was able to use those facts to their advantage. At times, allowing mathematics and magic to be viewed as separate can be nice so that a trick can seem more magical, but seeing and understanding the underlying properties behind the trick allows it to be viewed more appreciatively.
The connections between magic and mathematics are numerous and sometimes seem to appear out of nowhere. For example, a trick can be performed where a group of people hold different cards labeled with 0 and 1's (arranged in column, e.g. [ 1 0 1 ]), and someone else has the "key." By using the key, the onlooker is able to determine whether or not the held up cards have an error or not. This intuition stems from the onlooker's knowledge of error-correcting codes and using results from that topic to their advantage. Dr. Ehrenbourg performed this trick last semester in Applicable Algebra and needless to say, it was impressive. He then revealed the mathematics behind it and this gave the trick a nicer appreciation from the class. Knowing the mathematics behind a trick to become all the more impressive.
Comments
Post a Comment