Comments on: Vent #2 http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154 Where Mr. K shares about learning about learning. Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:29:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Zac http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-147 Zac Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:55:23 +0000 http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-147 Oops - I meant New Year was "in March" not 1st March. :-) Oops - I meant New Year was "in March" not 1st March. :-)

]]> By: Zac http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-146 Zac Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:44:17 +0000 http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-146 Thanks for the alternative suggestion, Mr K. I'll keep it in mind for next year :-) <b>Scott:</b> The recognition of January 1st as the year's start date is only a fairly recent phenomenon. It used to be March 1st, which as the start of spring in the Northern hemisphere, has more of a feel of "new year" than 1st January. It also makes a lot more sense when you think about September (meaning 7th month) and October (meaning 8th). I wrote on this in <a href="http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/the-intmath-newsletter-dec-2006/729" rel="nofollow">Christmas, Hari Raya and New year Math</a> (first topic) and <a href="http://www.squarecirclez.com/blog/the-intmath-newsletter-dec-2007/896" rel="nofollow">New Year's Math</a> (topic 5 near the end) in my newsletter. Thanks for the alternative suggestion, Mr K. I'll keep it in mind for next year :-)

Scott: The recognition of January 1st as the year's start date is only a fairly recent phenomenon. It used to be March 1st, which as the start of spring in the Northern hemisphere, has more of a feel of "new year" than 1st January. It also makes a lot more sense when you think about September (meaning 7th month) and October (meaning 8th).

I wrote on this in Christmas, Hari Raya and New year Math (first topic) and New Year's Math (topic 5 near the end) in my newsletter.

]]> By: Mr K. http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-144 Mr K. Sat, 15 Mar 2008 06:01:28 +0000 http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-144 January 1st is indeed only socially significant. Solstice or equinox could work (and since we're really talking about an ellipse, however slight, perihelion would be even more appropriate). It seems to me that for the purposes of pi, it doesn't so much matter __where__ you start measuring on the circle, as it does how far you've gone from the starting point. Since just about everyone knows when January 1st is, that seems as good a time as any. I'm willing to suffer that a lot more than the insistence that pi equals (rather than is approximated by) 3.14. January 1st is indeed only socially significant. Solstice or equinox could work (and since we're really talking about an ellipse, however slight, perihelion would be even more appropriate).

It seems to me that for the purposes of pi, it doesn't so much matter where you start measuring on the circle, as it does how far you've gone from the starting point. Since just about everyone knows when January 1st is, that seems as good a time as any. I'm willing to suffer that a lot more than the insistence that pi equals (rather than is approximated by) 3.14.

]]> By: Scott Franklin http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-143 Scott Franklin Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:57:11 +0000 http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-143 Yes, but what is so significant about January 1. Shouldn't it be measured from some point in the year such as a solstice or equinox? Yes, but what is so significant about January 1. Shouldn't it be measured from some point in the year such as a solstice or equinox?

]]> By: Alane http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-129 Alane Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:53:20 +0000 http://blog.mathsage.com/?p=154#comment-129 Excellent point - I thought I was the only one who couldn't see the point in pi day. (I think pi is fascinating -- just never could connect 3/14 with it.) Excellent point - I thought I was the only one who couldn't see the point in pi day. (I think pi is fascinating -- just never could connect 3/14 with it.)

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