Colin Beveridge @icecolbeveridge@mathstodon.xyz

Ugh, my long-standing hosting provider (several wordpress sites, but freedom to set up all sorts of PHP/Python/etc frameworks) is shutting down. Any recs for a reliable, not too expensive, alternative? (I pay about $10/mo currently).

Good morning, everyone! My name is Colin and I am a mathematician. It is 10 years since I first saw a copy of Basic Maths For Dummies (still available wherever good books are sold).

So rather than a generic “what can I help with?”, today I want to hear your burning questions!

Hi! My name is Colin and I am a mathematician.

If you’ve got a problem, and no-one else can help, and the A-Team is out buying a “No fools are pitied in this vehicle overnight” sticker, maybe you can hire* me.

* You don’t always have to hire me. Quick stuff? No charge.

Hello! I checked the calendar, and it is Monday. I checked my passport and my name is Colin. I checked my job description and I’m a mathematician. And, as always, I’m here to offer whatever assistance I can.

So, what can I help you with this week?

Right now, I’m putting the finishing touches on a biomechanics project to find the angles between the various parts of a leg as it exercises. I had hoped to use quaternions, but sadly Euler angles were the order of the day. It was still fun!

My name is Colin, it is Monday, and I am a mathematician.

This week, I've mainly been learning javascript libraries and trying to reverse-engineer the geometry of Wembley Stadium from photographs in the hope of pinpointing a laser pointer.

Also, here’s a fictionalised version of something I helped with last year: https://colinbeveridge.co.uk/how-can-i-help/nick-bourbaki-pi-and-the-case-of-the-lost-election/

What can I help you with this week?

Hello! My name is Colin and I am a mathematician. It is Monday and I’m here to solve problems. What can I help you with this week?

Here’s a (fictionalised and anonymised) account of one problem I cracked last week: https://colinbeveridge.co.uk/how-can-i-help/nick-bourbaki-pi-and-the-case-of-the-mysterious-interference/

My name is Colin, and I am a mathematician. If you’re into calendar-related coincidences, today is both Tau Day (6.28, if you write the date wrong) and a perfect day (28 and 6 are perfect numbers). Is there anything more meaningful I can help you with this week?

OK, Mathstodon: you know the drill: I plotted something, and you’ve got to guess what it is. For the third time: what’s the plot? (Postcards for responses I deem to be the winners.)

Hello! My name is Colin, I am a mathematician and it is Monday: what can I help you with this week?

What's the most tedious problem you have at the moment?

According to 99% Invisible, today is Flag Day. How can I help you raise your standards or succeed with flying colours this week?

My name is Colin, I am a mathematician, and I’m here to help. Let me know how!

What, EXACTLY, is your problem, buster?

No, hang on, wait a minute. Wrong tone entirely.

My name is Colin and I’m a mathematician. I love solving problems. Do you have one I can help with?

The results of this episode of What's The Plot are up: https://flyingcoloursmaths.co.uk/whats-the-plot-2/

A postcard for @pretentious7 -- if you let me know privately the best way to get it to you, I'll pop it in the post :-)

Hello, Mastodon! My name is Colin, and I am a mathematician. I play by the rules and still get results*. What can I help you with this week?

* mainly. No guarantees.

I plotted something… it looked interesting… that’s right: it’s time for another round of What’s My Plot?

Tell me what you think the logic behind this diagram is, and YOU could win a coveted postcard!

This is the most recent thing I can find on the topic: https://arxiv.org/abs/1508.07562

I stumbled down a rabbit-hole and came across Almost Pythagorean Triples (APTs), integers such that \(a^2+b^2=c^2+1\).

I reckon that if \(T\) is any triangular number and \(2T = QR\), (with \(Q\) and \(R\) positive integers) then:

* \(a = Q-R\)
* \(b = \sqrt{4QR+1}\)
* \(c = Q+R\)

forms an APT. I *believe* all APTs are of this form; those with three odd values appear twice, and those with only one appear once.