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Showing posts with the label Geometry

Stretch Your Mind: Because Bigger IS Better...

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The objective of this article is to cause you to use several different parts of your brain's faculties from both hemispheres. The exercise is truly (and legally!) mind-expanding. I was always Leery of Timothy -- But was Timothy Leary of me? A Solutions To Our Last Post, Where I'll Give You Answers Without Explanations - PERCEPTION EXERCISES : 1 ) Which of the two figures is more stable, standing on its widest surface (on either end -- you choose)?  The Cone . It might have something to do with the width of the base versus the "width" (merely a point) at the top. 2 ) How many cones could you fit (with the dimensions in Figure B) or could you insert into a cylinder (using the same dimensions as in Figure B)? Only one. Despite the fact that a cone contains only one-third of the volume of a cylinder , the size of the base is the limiting factor . Bet you thought the answer was two... well then, don't ever bag my groceries at the supermarket. 3 ) If you roll a cyl...

Pi: A magical number (and easier to say than "Phi")

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The number Pi is a mathematical constant . It represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter . If you divide the circumference of any circle (or perfectly-formed, hand-tossed pizza) by its diameter (the measure of a straight line cutting the pizza in half), you will get Pi, which is equal to 22/7, or approximately 3.14. Now let's review Fabian's quandary, from a couple of days ago... Background : Fabian Focaccia (not his real name, which is Sal Monella)  is a struggling 'artist' who is working at a neighborhood pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York (not his real location, as he is in the Federal Witness Protection Program , but which is still the best geographical location to make a pizza purchase if you/ youse should ever get around to it) to pay his bills until he can sell one of his paintings. He is faced with a decision and needs your help. He has cardboard boxes for 'take out' pizza (this pizza parlor does a big take-out busines...

Pizza, Pi and Packaging.

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Your mind is a muscle. You must use it to strengthen it. If you don't, it will atrophy and hasten your descent toward dementia (which is not the name of a town in the Midwestern USA ). Following are a pair of practical problems involving Pizza, Pi and Packaging . Try 'em. Background : Fabian Focaccia (not his real name, which is Sal Monella)  is a struggling 'artist' who is working at a neighborhood pizzeria in Brooklyn, New York (not his real location, as he is in the Federal Witness Protection Program , but which is still the best geographical location to make a pizza purchase if you/ youse should ever get around to it) to pay his bills until he can sell one of his paintings. He is faced with a decision and needs your help. He has cardboard boxes for 'take out' pizza (this pizza parlor does a big take-out business -- even for Arizona...oops!) which are each three inches deep (irrelevant for solving this problem) and measure exactly 20 inches by 20 inche...