BENOIT RITTAUD
40 articles published in Tangente
History and CultureN°67Jun 29, 2018An overview of drinking water
Everyone knows, or should know, that the amount of water on our planet never changes: whether it takes the form of rain, clouds or even glaciers, it is still the same irreplaceable H2O molecule, one of the pillars of life on Earth.
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Math for everyoneN°178Sep 28, 2017Kepler's law of equal areas
It is number two on the list of Kepler's laws, yet it is the easiest to prove. The law of equal areas is one of three results by the German astronomer who revolutionized our view of the heavens at the dawn of the 17th century.
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Math for everyoneN°178Sep 27, 2017Approximately π
We can play with areas to calculate π, but we can also start with π and choose areas accordingly. For a change from Archimedes' famous method of exhaustion, we can revive a historical approach probably devised by the Egyptians... Can you do better?
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Math for everyoneN°177Jul 17, 2017A logarithm under the hyperbola
Although Napier introduced them purely as an aid to calculation, logarithms gradually permeated every branch of mathematics. Their fundamental nature emerged particularly clearly through their connections with geometry, trigonometry and the hyperbola.
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