| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"Sam Wormley" |
| Date: |
25 May 2007 11:14:46 PM |
| Object: |
Math Trek: Covering New Ground with Polygons |
Covering New Ground with Polygons
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070526/mathtrek.asp
Julie J. Rehmeyer
Grab a pen and draw a figure. Follow a few rules: keep your lines
straight, don't pick up your pen, don't cross the lines, and finish at
the spot where you starUted. You'll have a polygon.
Polygons are among the simplest mathematical objects in existence. Even
so, they hold mysteries. Here's one: What is the polygon with the
largest area that has n sides and fixed diameter?
Mathematicians still don't know. Michael Mossinghoff of Davidson (N.C.)
College has made some recent advances on the question, however. In
January, he presented them at the 2007 Joint Mathematics Meetings in
New Orleans. Mathematicians had already tackled the problem for some
types of polygons, but Mossinghoff broke new ground for polygons with
an even number of sides numbering 10 or more.
See: http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070526/mathtrek.asp
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| User: "Bruce Scott TOK" |
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| Title: Re: Math Trek: Covering New Ground with Polygons |
26 May 2007 07:41:34 PM |
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Sam W relayed:
Covering New Ground with Polygons
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070526/mathtrek.asp
Polygons are among the simplest mathematical objects in existence. Even
so, they hold mysteries. Here's one: What is the polygon with the
largest area that has n sides and fixed diameter?
How do they define diameter (circle containing the corners, or tangent
to the sides)?
--
ciao,
Bruce
drift wave turbulence: http://www.rzg.mpg.de/~bds/
.
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| User: "quasi" |
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| Title: Re: Math Trek: Covering New Ground with Polygons |
26 May 2007 09:11:04 PM |
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On Sun, 27 May 2007 02:41:34 +0200 (MEST), Bruce Scott TOK
<Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:
Sam W relayed:
Covering New Ground with Polygons
http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20070526/mathtrek.asp
Polygons are among the simplest mathematical objects in existence. Even
so, they hold mysteries. Here's one: What is the polygon with the
largest area that has n sides and fixed diameter?
How do they define diameter (circle containing the corners, or tangent
to the sides)?
Probably neither.
The standard definition of diameter for a compact set is the largest
distance between any 2 points of the set.
quasi
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