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Math History
Far more interesting than one might first expect, the history of mathematics is filled with bitter rivalries, political machinations, and incredible innovations by some of the most amazing minds in history. Post all questions concerning individual mathematicians, the development of mathematical theories, and the sociological impact that resulted into this category.
3,988 Questions
Who is the person who instituted the use of the symbol for pi in mathematical notation?
Mathematician Rudolph Swetchefriz
{Added} The symbol is not "for" pi but is pi - one of the letters of the Greek alphabet.
What does a division sign look like?
it is either a dash with a dot on top and bottom or a colon or a forward slash
What is a real life example of a normal curve called a bell curve?
Height is an example of a normal curve. Most people will be around average height, with some being short or tall, and very few being very short or very tall.
If you are 62 what year were you born?
If you were birthday is between 1 January and today's date (8 January) then you were born in 1948. If your birthday is between 9 January and 31 December then you were born in 1947.
Is 4 meters or 12 feet longer?
There are 0.3048 metres in one foot. Therefore, 12 feet is equal to 12 x 0.3048 = 3.6576 metres. Therefore, 4 metres is longer than 12 feet.
Is it possible to have a rectangle and a square to both have a permeter that is 100 ft?
Absolutely no bother. The square must be 25 x 25, but there are many possible rectangles eg 1 x 49, 2 x 48, 3 x 47, 4 x 46, 5 x 45 etc etc
Why would it be dangerous to replace a fuse with one a higher value?
The fuse would not "blow" when the critical power loading was reached. The power going into the appliance could exceed the safety level. At best this could damage the appliance - which will usually be more expensive than a fuse. At worst, it could lead to a short circuit and a fire which could destroy property and possibly kill!
Who proved tha 1 plus 1 equals 2?
It comes from the Peano axioms in particular one that deals with successors.
How do you read 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000?
It is customarily expressed as 1x1082; otherwise the whole number in zeroes is too confusing and cumbersome to express. The number in the exponent, 82, is the number of zeroes after the one and before the decimal point, if any.
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