Thursday, January 29, 2009

mathemagic

Can there be poetry in a math equation?  Bill Waterson (Calvin&Hobbes) wrote that each math problem is an exciting conflict, a mystery, a novel in numaric form.  Can it be a poem too?

24. foci (6, 0) (-6, 0)  SemimaJor axis = 9
direction of eccent.  vert./horz.
a=9
b=√45
center = (0, 0)  x²/81 + y²/45 = 1

a² - b² = c²
9² - b² = 6²
81 - b² = 36
-81
-b² = -45
b² = 45
√b² = √45
b = √45

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