ELISABETH BUSSER
226 articles published in Tangente
Math for everyoneN°177Jul 17, 2017Holiday geometry
The holidays are also a chance to uncover the mathematics all around us
Read →
History and CultureN°177Jul 17, 2017Literature and mathematics
Perec in the Pléiade, Nabokov in Big Data, and mathematics in a "digest"
Read →
Math for everyoneN°177Jul 16, 2017Logarithms come to the table
I'm speaking of a time that those under twenty cannot know...
Read →
Math for everyoneN°177Jul 16, 2017Logarithms: A whole vocabulary
Logarithmic derivative, logarithmic spiral, logarithmic scales... and a raccoon.
Read →
Math for everyoneN°177Jul 15, 2017John Napier's astonishing inventions
John Napier of Merchiston, the Scottish gentleman whose death four centuries ago is being commemorated this year, was no revolutionary. Yet his wondrous invention of logarithms made him one, opening up a new world for mathematics far beyond computation.
Read →
Math for everyoneN°63May 25, 2017A lovely transformation
An operation on complex numbers turns lines into circles and vice versa. A transformation worth keeping in mind when tackling problems involving lines and circles…
Read →
Math for everyoneN°63May 25, 2017A detour through complex numbers
Taking a detour, part way through a proof, by way of complex numbers can lead to one of those redeeming "mathematical surprises".
Read →
History and CultureN°63May 25, 2017What names for the complex numbers?
Imaginary numbers were already introduced by the Italian mathematician Girolamo Cardano in 1545, though they did not yet have a name at the time; their first formalization is due to his compatriot Rafaele Bombelli in 1572.
Read →
Math for everyoneN°63May 25, 2017Teaching complex numbers in France
Complex numbers, though they may seem self-evident in the wording of today's school curricula, have not always been part of the high-school teaching corpus.
Read →
Math for everyoneN°63May 25, 2017Complex numbers according to Adrien Douady
The film Dimensions offers a look at a number of spectacular representations of complex numbers. Don't wait to rediscover it!
Read →
Math for everyoneN°63May 25, 2017The geometry of complex numbers
René Descartes dreamed of turning a problem in pure geometry into an algebraic one. It took more than a century to realize that dream! Complex numbers opened up a new way to explore geometric figures and constructions.
Read →
Math for everyoneN°176May 24, 2017A flaw in the HTTPS protocol
A Franco-American team of researchers has just cheated… but for a good cause! Their goal? To verify the cryptographic mechanisms used to secure communications on the Internet.
Read →