Why is a rollercoaster so exciting and terrifying, yet safe? Modern rollercoasters such as ‘Nemesis’ are engineered very precisely to create an exciting experience for thrill-seekers. This short album visits Alton Towers theme park in England, and explores the part that mathematicians play in rollercoaster design, using mathematical models to calculate the ride's accelerations and forces to obtain the desired experience. This material forms part of The Open University course MST121 Using mat ...
…
continue reading
Since the dawn of civilisation, humans have used everyday materials to create mathematical models of the world around them. This album explores the ancient Greeks' astrolabe as a model of the skies; the sundial, to tell the time; Babylonian clay tablets to record wages and trading of sheep; wooden tallies for bulk-buying beer, the Incas' use of knots and string, and the sophisticated number-engine invented by Charles Babbage. This material forms part of The Open University course MST121 Usin ...
…
continue reading
1
Mathematical models: from sundials to number engines
0:50
0:50
Play later
Play later
Lists
Like
Liked
0:50
A short introduction to this album.By The Open University
…
continue reading
An ancient mathematical tool to measure the daily and annual cycles of the earth around the sun.By The Open University
…
continue reading
How the Greeks invented a two dimensional astrolabe as a conceptual model of the cosmos, and how it was used.By The Open University
…
continue reading
Clay tokens, an ancient system used to record goods changing hands.By The Open University
…
continue reading
How South American Incas kept records by the use of knots.By The Open University
…
continue reading
How wholesale beer sales were recorded using notches on wooden tallies.By The Open University
…
continue reading
John Napier's method of multiplication and logarithms, and how Charles Babbage corrected his calculations.By The Open University
…
continue reading
Charles Babbage's ingenious mechanical device to compute mathematical equations.By The Open University
…
continue reading
A short introduction to this album.By The Open University
…
continue reading
How a modern rollercoaster is designed for maximum thrills.By The Open University
…
continue reading
How the complex forces in a rollercoaster design are calculated with precision by its designers, using a mathematical model.By The Open University
…
continue reading