Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsExploring the golden ratioThe golden ratio was mentioned in Euclid’s Elements around 300 BCE, although it was probably known even earlier than that. It has been…Aug 122Aug 122
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsWhat is nothing? Kuhn’s nine levels of nothingI would probably have been about 8 years old when a question popped into my head that would cause me sleepless nights for a long time. A…Aug 212Aug 212
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsImproper integralsA definite integral is an integral between two finite points a and b:Jul 25Jul 25
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsFactors of a prime squared minus one — a surprising result?This is a past question from the Cambridge University Maths entrance interview. It is an interesting open-ended question with quite a…Jul 197Jul 197
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsContinuous uniform distributionHere is a spinning wheel, that has a circumference exactly 1 metre. We will perform an experiment where we set the wheel spinning, and then…Jul 123Jul 123
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsThe pi function — calculating factorials using integrationThe factorial function n!, is a well-known function that has many applications in mathematics. It is defined for non-negative integers as:Jul 53Jul 53
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsArea under a polar function — integration in polar coordinatesThe familiar xy-plane uses Cartesian coordinates to represent points in a 2D space. Every point in space can be represented by a pair of…Jul 22Jul 22
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsZermelo-Fraenkel set theoryIn this article, we will look at Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory, why it is necessary, and what it is. And as an example, we will see how it…Jun 173Jun 173
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsSurprise exam paradoxThe surprise exam paradox is a paradox that relates to our knowledge of future events. It is also known as the unexpected hanging paradox…Jun 1713Jun 1713
Martin McBrideinGraphic mathsFourier’s ingenious proof that e is irrationalEuler’s number, e, is an important number in mathematics that appears in many contexts.Jun 106Jun 106