mathematics

Golf Balls + Computational Fluid Dynamics

In mathematics, science, software on 24 November 2008 with View Comments

If I had 300 hours, 500 fast processors running in parallel, and a PhD in fluid dynamics I still probably wouldn’t analyze golf balls. But a team of researchers from Arizona State University and the University of Maryland did. Up to now, dimple design has been more of an art than a science. For many [...]

Supercomputer Upgrades for Work on Climate Change and Renewable Energy

In alternative energy, mathematics, science, technology on 16 November 2008 with View Comments

If I had a supercomputer with 1,645 teraflops of processing power and over 360 terabytes of memory, I'd make a few cycles available to scientists working on climate modeling and renewable energy. "According to NCCS, key projects that will benefit from the Jaguar upgrade include, the Climate Change Initiative, which “aims to accelerate discoveries about [...]

Advanced Mathematics Applied to “A Hard Day’s Night”

In mathematics, music, science on 16 November 2008 with View Comments

After years of trying to figure out the first chord of “A Hard Day’s Night,” Jason Brown of Dalhousie’s Department of Mathematics decided to throw a little math at the problem and ran a Fourier analysis. You remember from your mechanical vibrations, mechanical controls, and digital signal processing courses that a Fourier analysis can be [...]