# The Flying Colours Maths Blog: Latest posts

## A logs puzzle

Via @markritchings, an excellent logs problem: If $a = \log_{14}(7)$ and $b = \log_{14}(5)$, find $\log_{35}(28)$ in terms of $a$ and $b$. One of the reasons I like this puzzle is that I did it a somewhat brutal way, and once I had the answer, a much neater way jumped

## Wrong, But Useful: Episode 69

In this episode, we're joined by @christianp, who is Christian Lawson-Perfect in real life, our first returning special guest co-host1. We discuss: The Big Internet Math Off and associated stickerbook 99 variations on a proof by Philip Ording The Art of Statistics - Learning from Data by David Spiegelhalter Maths

## Ask Uncle Colin: A Binary Fraction

Dear Uncle Colin, How would you write $\frac{1}{10}$ in binary? Binary Is Totally Stupid Hi, BITS, and thanks for your message! I have two ways to deal with this: the standard, long-division sort of method, and a much nicer geometric series approach. Long division-esque While I can do the long

## A folding puzzle

Here’s a tweet from @colinthemathmo: Here's another one. Take a square, crease in the halfway mark, fold up a corner - where does the corner go to? What are its coordinates? pic.twitter.com/Bfr0X8ACur — Colin Wright (@ColinTheMathmo) February 12, 2018 I’m not big on origami, but if Colin thinks it’s an

## Ask Uncle Colin: Round-Robin Progress

Dear Uncle Colin, I lost the first game of my Big Internet Math-Off tournament - can I still win the group and qualify for the semi-finals? - Surely Combinations Of Talent, Luck And Nous Deliver? Hi, SCOTLAND, and thanks for your message! Because the tie-break rules aren’t currently clear, I

## Middle children

At an academic conference; 22 people in the room. Speaker asks who is a middle child. There is only one in the entire group - him. Striking (if anecdotal) confirmation of stereotypes about birth order. — Leigh Caldwell (@leighblue) December 14, 2018 As a loyal listener to More or Less,

## Big Internet Math-Off: My first pitch is live!

A quick extra post today: I’m in the Big Internet Math-Off, which decides who will become the World’s Most Interesting Mathematician of 2019. My first group match is today, against @kyledevans, and I’ve done a video for it! Go over to the Ap’, have a look at the pitches, and

## Ask Uncle Colin: Some Symmetric Algebra

Dear Uncle Colin, If I know that $a+b+c = 0$, how can I show that $(2a-b)^3 + (2b-c)^3 + (2c-a)^3 = 3(2a-b)(2b-c)(2c-a)$? - Something You Might Merrily Explain? Thanks! Regards! Yippee! Hi, SYMMETRY, and thanks for your message! As usual, there are myriad ways to attack this, of which I

## The Dictionary of Mathematical Eponymy: Sophie Germain primes

What are they? A Sophie Germain prime is a prime such that $2p+1$ is also prime - for example, 23 is a Sophie Germain prime since 47 is also prime. The largest known Sophie Germain prime has close to 400,000 digits; it is conjectured that there are infinitely many such

## Ask Uncle Colin: A Cosine Proof

Dear Uncle Colin How would you prove that $\cos(2x) > 1 - 2x^2$ for $x > 0$? - Can’t Obviously See It, Need Explanation Hi, COSINE, and thanks for your message! I’d start by noting that as soon as $x > 1$, the right hand side is smaller than -1,