Author Archives: mathscinotes

Old Farmer Science - Hay Fires

Posted on 4-September-2010 by mathscinotes

Introduction Yesterday, my wife and I went to dinner with a couple that are our neighbors. During our dinner conversation, my neighbor's wife mentioned that she had been listening to radio and had heard a story about a local barn … Continue reading →

Posted in Farming | 3 Comments

The Mathematics of Dieting - Part 2 (Cholesterol)

Posted on 28-August-2010 by mathscinotes

Cholesterol and Me I actually have never had a cholesterol level that would be considered high. The threshold for a high total cholesterol level is generally considered to be anything above 200 mg/dL. Prior to taking a statin to lower … Continue reading →

Posted in Dieting, Health | 1 Comment

Max Planck was Nice Guy

Posted on 26-August-2010 by mathscinotes

I am reading a great book called "Plutonium: A History of the World's Most Dangerous Element" by Jeremy Bernstein. The history of plutonium has been touched by many of the greatest minds in physics. One of the more intriguing people … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science and Technology | Comments Off on Max Planck was Nice Guy

Designing A Stairway For My Cabin

Posted on 24-August-2010 by mathscinotes

I live in Minnesota, where owning a cabin on a lake in the northern half of the state is part of the culture. Here is a picture of my little piece of northern Minnesota. My cabin sits on a small … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Tagged | 7 Comments

The Mathematics of Dieting – Part 1 (BMI)

Posted on 18-August-2010 by mathscinotes

The Problem This is a story with a very happy ending. I have been overweight for most of my 50+ years. I have tried to diet unsuccessfully many, many times. It can be hard especially if you don't face the … Continue reading →

Posted in Dieting, Health | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Book Review: Ratio by Michael Ruhlman

Posted on 10-August-2010 by mathscinotes

Introduction I have always thought that there was something magical about baking. I especially like recipes that make things that rise. I think it is almost magical the ways breads and cakes grow into their final form. Because of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Baking | Comments Off on Book Review: Ratio by Michael Ruhlman

The Case of the Mysterious Bit Errors

Posted on 26-July-2010 by mathscinotes

Introduction I am the hardware director for a team of optical networking professionals. More often than I care to admit, we need to embark on a detective case in order to resolve a customer problem. This blog describes a situation … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiber Optics | 1 Comment

Another Interview Question

Posted on 25-July-2010 by mathscinotes

Besides me, there is one other engineer in my group that used to work for Hewlett-Packard back in the old days. One day we decided to compare notes on the crazy interview questions that we were asked all those many … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviewing, Problems | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Fixing My Stairs Using Mathematics

Posted on 21-July-2010 by mathscinotes

The Problem I am a VERY amateur carpenter, but I do love to build things out of wood. One particular specialty area of carpentry that I admire is stair building. I consider stair building (along with roof cutting) to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | 13 Comments

Why No More Bathyscaphes?

Posted on 15-July-2010 by mathscinotes

Introduction Like many people, I have been watching BP try to cap the blown Deepwater Horizon oil well. While BP has had many issues, it has been very interesting watching the unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) do their job. When most … Continue reading →

Posted in Underwater | Tagged , , | 3 Comments