Comments on: Distraction: Tupper’s Self-Referential Formula

By: dan

dan — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 18:36:17 +0000

Oh I get it … “pizza”!!

By: Dave Marain

Dave Marain — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 11:50:11 +0000

that function when graphed spells itself out; the value of n in the expression is beyond my comprehension (200 decimal places? digits?)!
what i did with my class however was to show them the pizza problem:
Express the volume of a thin cylindrical pizza with radius z and height ‘a’: V = pi zz a!! The thought that was ‘way cool!’
dave

By: mrc

mrc — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 07:15:21 +0000

Magritte on math: Ceci n’est pas une equation.

By: Todd

Todd — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 00:49:12 +0000

Nnnnnnnow I get it! Well then it would be really cool if that actually was the equation on the chalkboard in all those movies.

By: dan

dan — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 07:43:03 +0000

Yeah, I realize the equation looks all hardcore, right, but it’s just a mathematical practical joke. Like, if you graph y = 2x on a graphing calculator, it’s a straight line. But what if you punched in y = 2x and it spelled out y = 2x right there on the screen?! ‘Cause that’s what that scamp Tupper came up with: a function that “spells” itself out when graphed.

You’re underwhelmed, I can tell.

By: Todd

Todd — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 06:32:49 +0000

That’s to help you with Algebra II standard 18.0, right? Really, that’s waaaaay too hardcore for me. That’s the first half of the equation on the chalkboard in all those movies where the main character first walks into a college classroom, so that the audience feels the heavy intimidation of Harvard or something. Yikes!