- Thursday, December 1, 2022
- 3:00 PM–4:00 PM
- NH 276
The December 1 Mathematics Colloquium will feature Calvin Professor Nathan Sunukjian in a talk entitled "Use of Symmetry in Ancient Mathematics."
The December 1 Mathematics Colloquium will feature Calvin Professor Nathan Sunukjian in a talk entitled "Use of Symmetry in Ancient Mathematics." Join us in NH 276 at 3:00 pm for light refreshments, followed by the lecture at 3:10 pm.
Abstract: Much of ancient mathematics was done without possessing convenient ways of writing numbers, and consequently geometry plays a large role in many mathematical arguments. In this talk I’ll survey some of the ways Archimedes used symmetry to investigate what are on the surface very non-symmetrical situations. In particular, we’ll look at his arguments for the law of the lever and his computations of the volume of a sphere and the area inside a parabola.
Location details
North Hall 276
