Mathematics, applications of mathematics to life in general, and my life as a mathematician.
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Find the Side

Another cute geometry puzzle was posted on Facebook. Puzzle. An equilateral triangle in a plane has three vertices with known x-coordinates: a, b, and c. What is the side of the triangle? I want to describe three different solutions that the readers of the Facebook channel posted. But before doing so, let’s look at the problem’s symmetries....

Wed Mar 20, 2024 19:15
My Students’ Jokes

The homework I give to my students (who are in 6th through 9th grades) often starts with a math joke related to the topic. Once, I decided to let them be the comedians. One of the homework questions was to invent a math joke. Here are some of their creations. Two of my students decided to restrict themselves to the topic we studied that week: sorting...

Sat Mar 16, 2024 20:32
Fudge Likes Meatballs

Here is an interesting puzzle by Ivan Mitrofanov. Puzzle. In front of my dog, Fudge, lies an infinite number of meatballs with a fly sitting on each of them. At each move, Fudge makes two consecutive operations described below. Eats a meatball and all the flies sitting on it at that time. Transfers one fly from one meatball...

Fri Mar 15, 2024 21:40
My Family’s Jokes

I collect math jokes and, of course, show them to my family. From time to time, my family contributes. The first joke is by my son, Alexey. * * * When you board a train traveling East from Chicago to Boston at 60 miles an hour, you realize you are a part of the problem. And this one is one of mine. * * * A dyslexic’s...

Thu Mar 14, 2024 20:27
Two Lovely Puzzles

These two puzzles were given to me by Andrey Khesin. Puzzle. My friend and I are going to play the following game at a casino. Each round, each of us (my friend, the dealer, and I) secretly chooses a black or white stone and drops it in the same bag. Then, the contents of the bag are revealed. If all three stones are the same color, my friend...

Wed Mar 13, 2024 23:28
Some Recent Puns Added to My Collection

* * * —Why was the fraction worried about marrying the decimal? —Because he would have to convert. * * * —How does a professional mathematician plow a field? —With a protractor. * * * —How many bakers does it take to bake a pi? —3.14. * * * —What did the witch doctor say after lifting the curse? —Hexagon....

Tue Mar 5, 2024 18:18

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