Math
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100 Days of Programming Projects: Reflections and Tips after Day 14 and the Beginner Level Section of the Course
Day 14 marks the end of the beginner level. I just finished that and all in all as expected nothing fundamentally new learned so far. Still, I had some refreshers here and there and learned a couple of nice tricks. Most days ended with a guided programming project that used newly learned concepts of that…
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Understanding the Module Operator: Remainder in Python Explained
In another post I mentioned the module operator and explained it gives the remainder of a division. This description works for positive numbers and 5 % 3 gives 2 which is identical to the remainder but -5 % 3 gives 1 which doesn’t make much sense if it is supposed to be the remainder. If…
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Mastering Python Basics: Essential Programming Concepts From the First 7 Days of 100 Days of Coding Bootcamp Course on Udemy
The first 14 days are labelled as beginner level. And so far I have certainly not learned any new concepts, it is all about the basics of programming really: variables, conditional statements, loops, functions and the like. Still, most of what I learned so far came from the daily programming projects. During those projects I…
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Gauss’s Formula for Summing Numbers Continued
In an earlier post I mentioned coming across the reasoning followed by Gauss to prove that the sum of the first n numbers is equal to n(n+1)/2. I started wondering if there is no generalization available for this formula: what is the sum of the whole number m to n, m and n included. Following…
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Understanding Gauss’s Formula for Summing Numbers
As mentioned in another post I am checking out a 100 days of code python bootcamp on Udemy and following the beginners section to see if it would be useful for my son. On day 5 loops and the range function are discussed. In one lesson Gauss pops up and the story is told how…
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HP-28S Advanced Scientific Calculator
Very long ago, when I was in high school I got my first hp calculator from my dad: a HP-15C. He gave it to me because I had issues with brackets on a standard calculator and with RPN you don’t need brackets. I believe this was in third grade. When things got a bit more…
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Why Units are Important
A customer in a shop: “One kilogram milk please.” To which the shop owner replies: “Sir, we don’t weigh the milk;” “OK”, answers the customer, “give me one meter of milk then.” (uit Argument 3 leerboek Meetkunde, ISBN 9789045533643)
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Online Calculators
I have owned many physical calculators over the years and still have around 7 of them at home. I mostly use the HP15C Limited Edition or the HP50G. Whenever I need a calculator and I don’t have one I grab my phone but when I am at home at my desk I will always choose…
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The shortest distance
A ship is sinking. “How far is it to land ?” a panicking passenger asks the captain. “500 meters” anwers the captain. “What a relief answers the passenger. I am a trained swimmer. In which direction do I have to swim ?” “Straight down” answers the captain. (uit Argument 3 leerboek Meetkunde, ISBN 9789045533643)
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De kortste afstand
Een schip is aan het zinken. “Hoe ver is het dichtsbijzijnde land ?” vraagt een passagier in paniek aan de kapitein. “Vijfhonderd meter”, antwoordt de kapitein. “Valt dat mee”, zegt de passagier opgelucht. “Ik ben een geoefend zwemmer. In welke richting moet ik zwemmen ?” “Naar beneden” antwoordt de kapitein. (uit Argument 3 leerboek Meetkunde,…
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