Articles tagged with Simkin Tales

1. Zygon—The First-Year Specialist

   “Zygon and I started high school together, many decades ago,” recounted Seven. “He was restless spirit, always seeking, never finding. It was as if he had never defined a goal to start with but calibrated the result of his quest against an inner feeling that functioned as his barometer of success. Sometimes, he was satisfied for a while, and he kept at what he was doing. The moment either boredom, or dissatisfaction, or satiety, or some other feeling crept in, he would start his restless seeking again.”

2. Differential Equations

   A differential equation (DE) connects a function with its derivative(s). In calculus, the function \(y(x)\) is known, and its derivative, \(y'(x)\), needs to be found. In differential equations, the derivative, \(y'(x)\), is known, and the function, \(y(x)\), needs to be identified. As with indefinite integration in calculus, the solution will throw up one or more arbitrary constants. The values of these constants must be determined by the initial conditions provided in the problem in order to obtain a unique solution.

3. Expressions, Equations, and Formulae

   My dear friend, Solus “Sol” Simkin, casually asked me one summer day if I would write a blog demystifying the meanings and uses of four mathematical terms: expression, equation, formula, and differential equation. I thought that this was spoken in jest, and let his request lie in a dusty corner of my mind, as a memento to his humour.

4. How Are Numbers Built?

   Decimals and continued fractions are two different ways to represent numbers succinctly, with complementary strengths.

5. Doron’s Mathematical Amnesia

   Poor Doron has suffered a strange cognitive deficit. His language and speech skills have survived intact, but he has developed ‘selective mathematical amnesia’. He has forgotten much of high school mathematics—which for a person with a Master’s degree in engineering—is a rather tragic state of affairs. In fact, his knowledge of mathematics now resembles Emmental cheese—full of holes.

6. The Most Scary Experience

   My redoubtable friend Solus “Sol” Simkin wandered into my office late one afternoon and asked me, “What is the most scary experience for a human being? I thought but for an instant as I replied, almost reflexively,”Death. What else? Or a close shave with death.”

7. Mastering Time

   As Sol wound up his enriching tale, I resolved not to fall into the trap of procrastination ever again. First, I should prime my mind to enjoy the task. Then, I should shed the need for approval from others. Next, I would allocate adequate time to prepare for it, well ahead of the deadline. Then I would do it once, and do it well. And finally when it was done and dusted, I would dismiss it from my mind. ‘Whew! What a teaching!’ I said solemnly to Sol. He smiled the beaming smile of the cognoscenti.

8. The Making of a Logo

   My friend Solus “Sol” Simkin has a well-earned reputation as a Renaissance man. Among other things, he is a virtuoso of design. He endows his creations with an ethereal air of perfection—where mathematics meets aesthetics—to transmogrify the mundane or banal into unforgettable works of art.