h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Good one!

I well remember the joy of doing the calculation to work out the maximum value of a function using the "turning point" (when the derivative of the function was zero). The only problem I had then was thinking about the point when the top of the curve was reached, did the ball really "stop"?

In High school Mathematics, I remember being given the usual "A farmer has a field" sort of questions and getting the one about him having to rope off a rectangular area with a piece of rope, and wanting to make the maximum area. It seemed so obvious to me that the "best" rectangle had to be a square that I didn't even try and do the maths, I just wrote the answer. After some discussion about the reason for the question (which was not to get the answer, but to teach us how to work out how to get answers), my problem became not "What are the dimensions of the rectangle?", but "Why is the biggest rectangle made from a fixed length of rope always a square?" Smarty pants me worked out the answer to the question then, instead of just giving it to the teacher (Mr. Gardiner) I said "But of course if he wanted the maximum area he should have made a circle." - You can guess what my homework was for that night!


keep bookcrossing.

DEAR,FRIEND THE DIMENSIONS ARE NOT A BABY'S PLAY.IT IS CONFUSING EVEN TO ME BUT HERE'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY:
DIMENSIONS ARE A SORTS OF CONNECTIONS OR SOMETHING SHAWN ON A POINT.A POINT IS DENOTED TO SHOW 0-D BUT THE POINT WE WRITE IS 3-D.YOU MUST BE FAMILIAR WITH THE AXES IN CO-ORDINATES,WELL THEY ARE TO DENOTE 1-D BUT ACTUALLY THEY ARE 2-D.IN MY OPINION WE CANNOT STUDY ABOUT THE DIMENSIONS OTHERS THAN OURS.
TO BE CONTINUED