Math Is Fun Forum
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#1 2014-07-16 05:11:07
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Bitter distances:
8 cities are located on a plane as in the drawing below. They are marked A - H. A central office is to put somewhere that will be most convenient to all 8 cities in terms of traveling distance. That is where the central office will be built. What will be the ratio
?
A says) 1.3:1
B says that is not right.
C says) Just the answer I wanted. This question was posed to me by the board of directors and giving them A's answer is going to get me a big raise.
D says) What is a board of directors? Is that like a chess board?
E says) Go back to sleep D, your hibernation period is not over yet. I would not hand A's answer in C. The only thing that will get you is terminated.
A says) Do not listen to E, I am right again.
Is A right, what is a good answer here? What would you do?
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
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#2 2014-07-16 05:24:33
Re: Bitter distances:
Please post the coordinate of the cities.
'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
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#3 2014-07-16 05:30:38
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
Sorry, that is not necessary for a Jedi trained in the ways of EM.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
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#4 2014-07-16 06:19:12
Re: Bitter distances:
Don't you think image processing is a little too unfair for a math problem?
'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
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#5 2014-07-16 07:57:36
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
Yes, I do but it is not needed here. Problems in real life are rarely in the spoon fed form that school puts them in. That is a real life problem.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
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#6 2014-07-16 09:03:00
- phrontister
- Real Member
- From: The Land of Tomorrow
- Registered: 2009-07-12
- Posts: 4,891
Re: Bitter distances:
Hi Bobby,
Is this anywhere near the mark?
Last edited by phrontister (2014-07-16 09:04:35)
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
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#7 2014-07-16 09:28:18
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
Hi;
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#8 2014-07-16 09:46:08
- phrontister
- Real Member
- From: The Land of Tomorrow
- Registered: 2009-07-12
- Posts: 4,891
Re: Bitter distances:
Hi Bobby,
Last edited by phrontister (2014-07-16 09:46:26)
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
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#9 2014-07-16 09:50:57
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
Hi;
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#10 2014-07-16 10:09:27
- phrontister
- Real Member
- From: The Land of Tomorrow
- Registered: 2009-07-12
- Posts: 4,891
Re: Bitter distances:
Hi Bobby,
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
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#11 2014-07-16 10:11:37
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
Hi;
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#12 2014-07-16 10:16:52
- phrontister
- Real Member
- From: The Land of Tomorrow
- Registered: 2009-07-12
- Posts: 4,891
Re: Bitter distances:
Yes, I was going to call it quits after that last one, as I couldn't see how I was going to get any closer. Nice problem! 
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
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#13 2014-07-16 10:47:26
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
Hi;
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#14 2014-07-16 12:13:56
Re: Bitter distances:
Yes, I do but it is not needed here. Problems in real life are rarely in the spoon fed form that school puts them in. That is a real life problem.
It is not. In real life, I have many more freedoms and also much more problems.
'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
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#15 2014-07-16 16:24:28
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
Hmmm, that is not what I meant.
What did you get for an answer?
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#16 2014-07-16 20:50:23
Re: Bitter distances:
I am still looking at the PIL to find an way to get the coordinates.
'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
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#17 2014-07-16 23:55:06
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
A carpenter is only as good as his tools.
I am the best because I work with the best.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#18 2014-07-18 01:09:11
Re: Bitter distances:
That is insulting. I was kidding. Ofcourse, I did not attempt to get the coordinates yet.
'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
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#19 2014-07-18 01:12:45
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
No insult was intended. What I did say is that you do not yet understand the tools you have. As you can see the problem has already been solved and quickly too.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#20 2014-07-18 01:35:41
Re: Bitter distances:
'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Offline
#21 2014-07-18 01:57:26
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
Hi;
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#22 2014-07-18 02:00:54
Re: Bitter distances:
2 reasons:
1. You never gave me the real data of the coordinates.
2. I could not evaluate the following code:
Solve[{D[((d[{x, y}, #] & /@ cities) // Total), x] == 0,
D[((d[{x, y}, #] & /@ cities) // Total), y] == 0}, {x, y}]'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
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#23 2014-07-18 02:11:07
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline
#24 2014-07-18 02:18:12
Re: Bitter distances:
Is it the fact that I've minimised the sum of the square of the distances and not the actual distances?
'And fun? If maths is fun, then getting a tooth extraction is fun. A viral infection is fun. Rabies shots are fun.'
'God exists because Mathematics is consistent, and the devil exists because we cannot prove it'
I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested.
Offline
#25 2014-07-18 02:23:54
- bobbym
- bumpkin
- From: Bumpkinland
- Registered: 2009-04-12
- Posts: 109,606
Re: Bitter distances:
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.
Offline