From: ct (tilley@att.net)
Date: Sun Dec 17 2000 - 08:08:41 MST
WWW = What Women Want
For Barbara: Thirty minutes daily of (mathematical) play
"...I'd suggest sampling as many things
as possible. You may find something that ignites your interest. When I was
in school I found that my mind seemed sharper if I took at least one math
course each semester. Even now I find that I can think more clearly if I
spend at least half an hour each day engaged in mathematical play."
Today's play involves Parronde's Paradox.
Random or non-random alteration of two losing strategies can result in a
winning strategy via Brownian ratcheting.
Applicable to the domains of knowledge, ecology, economy...Yep!, even
self-replication.
http://seneca.fis.ucm.es/parr/
(Then pick "Paradoxical Games" followed by "The original games in brief")
A description of the original game with a graphic that demonstrates results
after 50,000 runs for a couple of combinations.
http://hampshire.edu/lspector/parrondo/parrondo.html
This will get you going with the Parrondo's Paradox Simulator
You might also like works by Theoni Pappas. Amazon has her latest offering:
"The Mathematics Calendar 2001"
[...in this latest calendar she shows how math describes nature, impacts the
sciences, is inseparable from music and the arts, and exercises and
tantalizes the mind.]
ct
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