Problems and their Solving Approaches in Math
Our reader Eswar Chellappa has sent his work on the solution of ‘3X+1’ problem, also called Collatz Conjecture. He had been working on the proof of Collatz Conjecture off and on for almost ten years. The Collatz Conjecture can be quoted as follow: Let $\phi : \mathbb{N} \to \mathbb{N}^+$ be a function defined such that: $$\phi(x):=…
Ramanujan (1887-1920) discovered some formulas on algebraic nested radicals. This article is based on one of those formulas. The main aim of this article is to discuss and derive them intuitively. Nested radicals have many applications in Number Theory as well as in Numerical Methods . The simple binomial theorem of degree 2 can be…
Two close friends, Robert and Thomas, met again after a gap of several years. Robert Said: I am now married and have three children. Thomas Said: That’s great! How old they are? Robert: Thomas! Guess it yourself with some clues provided by me. The product of the ages of my children is 36. Thomas: Hmm……
Before my college days I used to multiply this way. But as time passed, I learned new things. In a Hindi magazine named “Bhaskar Lakshya”, I read an article in which a columnist ( I can’t remember his name) suggested how to multiply in single line (row). That was a magic to me. I found doing multiplications…
Multiplication is probably the most important elementary operation in mathematics; even more important than usual addition. Every math-guy has its own style of multiplying numbers. But have you ever tried multiplicating by this way? Exercise: $ 88 \times 45$ =? Ans: as usual :- 3960 but I got this using a particular way: 88 …
Let have a Test: You need to make a calculation. Please do neither use a calculator nor a paper. Calculate everything “in your brain”. Take 1000 and add 40. Now, add another 1000. Now add 30. Now, add 1000 again. Add 20. And add 1000 again. And an additional 10. So, You Got The RESULT!…
Problem1: Smallest Autobiographical Number: A number with ten digits or less is called autobiographical if its first digit (from the left) indicates the number of zeros it contains,the second digit the number of ones, third digit number of twos and so on. For example: 42101000 is autobiographical. Find, with explanation, the smallest autobiographical number. Solution…
Part I: A fox chases a rabbit. Both run at the same speed $ v$ . At all times, the fox runs directly toward the instantaneous position of the rabbit , and the rabbit runs at an angle $ \alpha $ relative to the direction directly away from the fox. The initial separation between the…
In this article, we will formulate the D’ Alembert’s Ratio Test on convergence of a series. Let’s start. Statement of D’Alembert Ratio Test A series $ \sum {u_n}$ of positive terms is convergent if from and after some fixed term $ \dfrac {u_{n+1}} {u_n} < r < {1} $ , where r is a fixed…
Problem solving is more than just finding answers. Learning how to solve problems in mathematics is simply to know what to look for. Mathematics problems often require established procedures. To become a problem solver, one must know What, When and How to apply them. To identify procedures, you have to be familiar with the different…
In a busy marketplace, two women sell marbles differently: one sells three marbles for a Rupee, and the other sells two marbles for a Rupee. When they combine their unsold marbles and try to sell them together, they expect to make the same amount of money. But to their surprise, they end up one Rupee…
Derivative of x squared As we know, the derivative of x squared, i.e., differentiation of $ x^2$ , with respect to $ x$, is $ 2x$. i.e., $ \dfrac{d}{dx} x^2 = 2x$ A Curious Case Suppose we write $ x^2$ as the sum of $ x$ ‘s written up $ x$ times. i.e., $ x^2…
