ELISABETH BUSSER
226 articles published in Tangente
Math for everyoneN°171Jul 07, 2016The Baccalauréat and Maths
Following on from Tangente 170 and its feature "Should We Abolish the Baccalauréat?" Robert Cabane, dean of the Inspection générale de mathématiques, sent us some interesting comments.
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Math for everyoneN°171Jul 07, 20162017, a year neither blank nor double
To file or check your taxes, it helps to know how to calculate (a little)
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History and CultureN°170May 17, 2016Babies love numbers too
"At three days old, babies are sensitive to a ratio of 3 to 1. They can tell 3 and 9 apart, 4 and 12. At six months, it's 2 to 1. At nine months, 3 to 12."
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Math for everyoneN°170May 13, 2016Rolle: a cascade of theorems!
Rolle's theorem, like the celebrated mean value theorem, has been dropped from the secondary-school curriculum. Yet these two major results in analysis are of far more than historical importance. They can be used to solve a great many mathematical problems!
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History and CultureN°170May 13, 2016Euclid, master of division
With the Greek mathematicians—Euclid in particular—numbers moved from the concrete to the abstract. One key concept endured: Euclidean division and the host of developments it spawned. These methods have not aged a bit: Euclid's algorithm is still used today... by computer scientists!
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History and CultureN°170May 13, 2016Number theory: a wealth of news!
An unexpected bias in the distribution of prime numbers has just come to light. At the same time, Andrew Wiles receives the Abel Prize.
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Math for everyoneN°170May 10, 2016Above all, let's keep it!
It is easy to yield to the siren song of those who discredit the baccalauréat to make it easier to abolish. Yet a majority of people in France want to preserve this symbol of "republican elitism".
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History and CultureN°170May 06, 2016Mathematician and pianist: a winning composition
The final of the 27th international competition for great amateur pianists, bringing together 92 candidates from 27 different countries, took place on April 10 at the grand amphitheater of Assas in Paris.
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Math for everyoneN°59Apr 25, 2016Tangents and asymptotes
From yesterday's "touching line" to today's tangent, from "vanishing quantities" to asymptotes, the story has been a long mathematical epic. Here are a few glorious episodes from this geometric quest to "approximate curves with straight lines."
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Math for everyoneN°59Apr 25, 2016Harmonic pencils of lines
How can we express simply that several lines are concurrent? Despite appearances, pure geometry is not the best tool for the job! Introducing a coordinate system and a few equations may prove more useful.
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History and CultureN°59Apr 25, 2016Lines that have a name (2)
Some lines have a name, and some mathematicians have their own line.
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Math for everyoneN°59Apr 25, 2016These lines that bear a name (1)
Some lines carry a mathematician's name. They are generally lines associated with the triangle, linked to certain notable points.
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