The United States space agency NASA is planning to send a robot vehicle to Mars. The basic mission will be similar to the moon landings of the 1960s and 1970s: The main spacecraft will orbit the planet, a Mars lander will be sent to the surface to...
Error correction is used in technology such as CD players, cell phone communication, satellite links, computers, and networks to correct errors that occur when data are transmitted from one device to another. In this article, some of the ideas of error...
When binary data are transmitted electronically, in telecommunications, computers, and CD players, errors may occur in the binary digits (bits). To correct them, extra check digits are sent along with the information digits, so message sequences are...
The "Pythagorean Theorem of Baseball" uses a simple function of a team's runs scored and runs allowed to predict the team's winning percentage. Runs scored reflects a team's offensive ability, while runs allowed reflects defensive and pitching ability....
The Baltimore City Fire Department provides fire suppression and emergency medical services for the citizens of Baltimore City. Baltimore City comprises 81 square miles of the older "inner city" section of the metropolitan area. (Baltimore City is...
In 1975, Jacob Eli Goodman posed the following problem in the American Mathematical Monthly under the pseudonym of Harry Deweighter ("harried waiter"): The chef in our place is sloppy, and when he prepares a stack of pancakes they come out all...
Daily Geometry: So close and yet so fabulous. Starting at your own home, you will discover intriguing and useful facts about geometry. In a whirlwind tour, you will see many crucial geometrical aspects affecting your life. Late in the evening, we will...
As part of a project to revise and update the engineering program at Union College, the author, along with mathematician colleague Karl Zimmermann and physicist colleague Gary Reich, developed an Integrated math/physics course. The course covers most...
How might we measure the importance of a web site? Well, it's important if other important web sites link to it (if that sounds circular, just hold on for a moment). Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION REFERENCES ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A systematic notation for the one-person game of Minesweeper that has been made popular by its availability on various recent computers is constructed. The notation in proving several theorems that can aid players during the game is used, and patterns...
The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies (CES) opened for classes at Oberlin College February 7, 2000. Hailed as a "conservationist's dream," it serves as a "model for sustainable architecture and a holistic laboratory for students and...
On the TV show "The Price is Right," a player tries to win a new car by guessing its price. The price consists of a known number of digits (usually 5). Possibilities (hints) for each digit are revealed to the player. If the player fails to guess at...
One fact of particular interest regarding RSA is that it is a public-key system, meaning that two parties using RSA to exchange secret messages can make their encryption key e public without compromising the security of the system. The security of the...
In the game of Cootie, players race to construct a "cootie bug" by rolling a die to collect component parts. Each cootie bug is composed of a body, a head, two eyes, one nose, two antennae, and six legs. Players must first acquire the body of the bug...
A goose due east of its nest begins to fly home. It always flies directly toward the nest at constant airspeed b, but a wind from the south at constant speed w blows it off course. How fast must the goose fly to get home? If the wind were blowing in...
Every year, colleges and universities face the problem of assigning classrooms to satisfy the needs of courses, faculty, and students. Classrooms and space are limited, and certain conflicts must be avoided; more often than not, a solution cannot be...
One day I received electronic mail from our director of campus security [Gilbraith 1993]: I have a puzzle for you that has practical applications for me. I need to know how many different combinations there are for our combination locks. A lock has 5...
In Canada, the passing of a constitutional amendment requires a resolution of the Canadian Parliament accompanied by concurrence of two-thirds of the provinces representing at least 50% of the population. This amendment formula is part of the...
We describe how digital signals can be transmitted by analog carrier signals. This is the method of pulse code modulation. Transmission by pulse code modulation is widely used thanks to its abilities to withstand corruption by noise and to transmit...
In 1878, Thomas Alva Edison obtained the patent for the phonograph, a device to record sound (audio information). The recording of the audio information was achieved in a purely mechanical way, and a wax cylinder was used as storing device. The reports...