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ABC of Mathematics: An interactive experience

Book · August 2018

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Juan Carlos Ponce Campuzano

The University of Queensland
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ABC
of
Mathematics
An interactive
experience

Juan Carlos Ponce Campuzano

Foreword
Foreword

In this book you will find a simple and dynamic

introduction to the beautiful and fascinating
world of mathematics.

Touch, play and have fun!

ii
To open an interactive widget, just touch the picture.

iii
1

A
Archimedes
The numbers we use for counting quickly become familiar, but
some numbers are stranger. The first unusual number that
children come across when learning mathematics is pi, which is
the name of a letter in the Greek alphabet that looks like this: π.

C
We usually encounter π when calculating the circumference and
=π
area of a circle: if the radius of a circle is r, then the

circumference is 2rπ and the area is πr 2.

D
Why do mathematicians use an obscure symbol to stand for a
number? Why not just write the number down? The answer is
that this particular number can’t be written down exactly using
the usual number symbols (approximations, famously 22/7, are
sometimes used, but they are not exact). Since π is one of the D
most important numbers in the whole of mathematics we need t re
m e
an unambiguous way to refer it.
d i a

The number π is defined to be the circumference of any circle

divided by its diametre. Whatever the size of the circle, we
expect this number to have the same value, because the
circumference and diametre remain in the same proportion if
you enlarge or shrink the circle.
About 2,200 years ago, there was an Ancient Greek named Archimedes
who was one of the greatest mathematicians who ever lived, and an
excellent engineer. He came up with a completely logical proof that the
same number works for any circle. Archimedes was also able to obtain
an approximate value of π by thinking about hexagons inside the circle,
and doubling the number of sides from 6 to 12, then 24, then 48, and
10 1
finally 96 sides. He proved that π is bigger than 3 and less than 3 .
71 7
In decimal, these two values are 3.1408 and 3.1429.

Archimedes worked with geometric figures, not actual numbers, and he

thought of what we now call π in geometric terms, so this is a modern
reinterpretation of what he actually did.

6
Interactive 1 Archimedes’ method to calculate π using regular polygons

Drag slider to approximate the value of pi.

2

B
Brachistochrone
curve
The brachistochrone curve is the solution of a mathematical
problem posed by Swiss mathematician Johann Bernoulli in June
1696. If a body is released from rest at a point named A, what is
the path of quickest descent for the body to take from point A to a
lower point named B under only the influence of gravity?

It turns out, the path of shortest time is not a straight line, nor the
arc of a circle, nor a parabola, but a brachistochrone curve. The
word “brachistochrone” originates from the Greek for ‘shortest
time’.
Interactive 2 Brachistochrone curve

Press ‘Start’ button to animate. Activate boxes to show other curves.

3

C
Conic section as
envelopes
A conic section (or simply conic) is a curve obtained as the
intersection of the surface of a cone with a plane. The three
types of conic section are the hyperbola, the parabola, and
the ellipse. The circle is a special case of the ellipse, and is of
sufficient interest in its own right that it was sometimes called a
fourth type of conic section. The conic sections have been
studied by the ancient Greek mathematicians with this work
culminating around 200 BC, when Apollonius of
Perga undertook a systematic study of their properties.

An envelope of a family of curves in the plane is a curve that

is tangent to each member of the family at some point, and
these points of tangency together form the whole envelope.
Interactive 3 Conics as envelopes of straight lines

Drag slider to show the straight lines. Drag the points B and C around. Activate box to show the envelope. Use the button
to switch between a ‘Parabola’ or ‘Ellipse/Hyperbola’.
4

Bibliography
Bibliography • Loomis, E. S. (1968). The Pythagorean proposition (2nd
ed.). The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
• Clay Mathematics Institute. (2008). Interview with
• Lorenz, E. N. (1963). Deterministic Nonperiodic Flow.
Research Fellow Maryam Mirzakhani. Oxford University.
Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences. 20(2): 130-141.
• Gardner, M. (1956). Mathematics Magic and magic.
• Mandelbrot, B. (1982). The Fractal Geometry of Nature.
Dover. pp. 139–150.
New York: W. H. Freeman and Co., 1982.
• Heath, T. (1920). Men of Science: Archimedes. New
• Merzbach, U. C. & Boyer, C. B. (2011). A History of
York: Macmillan Co.
Mathematics. 3rd. ed. England: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
• Hirsch, M. W., Smale, S. & Devaney, R. L. (2004).
• Okabe, A., Boots, B., Sugihara, K., Chiu, S. N.
Differential Equations, Dynamic Systems & An
(2000). Spatial Tessellations: Concepts and Applications
Introduction to Chaos. 2nd ed. USA: Elsevier Academic
of Voronoi Diagrams. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley &
Press.
Sons.
• Kline, M. (1972). Mathematical Thought from Ancient to
• Ruelle, D., Takens, F. (1971). On the nature of
Modern Times. Vols. I-III. New York: Oxford University
turbulence. Communications in Mathematical
Press.
Physics. 20(3): 167–192.
• Joukowsky, N.E. (1910). Über die Konturen der
• Schewartzman, S. (1994). The Words of Mathematics.
Tragflächen der Drachenflieger. Zeitschrift für
An Etymological Dictionary of Mathematical Terms Used
Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt. 1: 281–284 and
in English. USA: The Mathematical Association of
(1912) 3: 81–86.
America.
• Lawrence, J. D. (1972). A catalogue of special
• Wenninger, M. J. (1971). Polyhedron Models.
plane curves. New York: Dover.
Cambridge: University Press.
15
5

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