Mathsnacks

The printed versions of Mathsnacks live on the backpages of Vinculum, the quarterly magazine for teachers published by the Mathematical Association of Victoria. A mathsnack is a haiku-size package of beautiful mathematics with accompanying illustration. Below is an example, featuring an all time-classic: the Bridges of Konigsberg.

The Bridges of Konigsberg

Each backpage consists of four to six mathsnacks with a common theme. Here are links to some of these backpages.

2007

Quit and Eat Dinner, Vinculum 44(4) SEPTEMBER 2007
Going, Going, Gone, Vinculum 44(3) SEPTEMBER 2007
Terry Tao - Terrific!, Vinculum 44(2) JUNE 2007
Poincare and Perelman: Perfection!, Vinculum 44(1) MARCH 2007

2006

Dan Brown, Phi and Da Vinci: Doh!, Vinculum 43(4) NOVEMBER 2006
Mnemonically Mnumerical, Vinculum 43(3) SEPTEMBER 2006
Rolling, Rolling, Rolling, Vinculum 43(2) JUNE 2006
Perfect Puzzles, Vinculum 43(1) MARCH 2006 plus the solutions to one of the puzzles that appeared in the following issue of Vinculum.

2005

Odder Even and another follow-up article to the table turning mathsnack in the June issue: Table Turning: feasting from a mathsnack, Vinculum 42(4) NOVEMBER 2005
To Be or Not Be, Too and a follow-up article to the table turning mathsnack in the June issue: Mathematical Inquiry: from a snack to a meal, Vinculum 42(3) SEPTEMBER 2005
To Be or Not Be, Vinculum 42(2) JUNE 2005
Inconceivable Infinity, Vinculum 42(1) MARCH 2005

2004

Prime power, Vinculum 41(4) Dec 2004
How I Wish I Could Calculate Pi , Vinculum 41(3) Sept 2004
Pythagoras & Co., Vinculum 41(2) JUNE 2004
The Golden Ratio, Vinculum 41(1) MARCH 2004

QED is our Mathsnacks guide. He makes his appearance at the end of every proof.


Purkard Polster

Burkard Polster is a maths lecturer, and Monash University's resident Mathemagician, mathematical juggler, origami expert, bubble-master, shoelace charmer, and Count von Count impersonator. When he is not doing fun mathematics he has fun investigating perfect mathematical universes.

Marty Ross is a mathematical bum. At the age of 2, he ran away from America to join the circus. After some controversy involving an elephant, he returned to America to do his PhD on minimal surfaces at Stanford University. After a stint at Rice University, he came back to Australia. Since then, he has wandered from Maths Department to Maths Department, aimless but happy.

Marty Ross

Copyright 2008 QED the cat. All rights reserved.