• 13 year old solves Newton’s 300-year-old riddle
    72 replies, posted
[quote]An Indian-born teenager has won a research award for solving a mathematical problem first posed by Sir Isaac Newton more than 300 years ago that has baffled mathematicians ever since. The solution devised by Shouryya Ray, [B][U]16[/U][/B], makes it possible to calculate exactly the path of a projectile under gravity and subject to air resistance. Shouryya, who lives in Dresden, eastern Germany, came up with the solutions to this and a second mathematical riddle while working on a school project. He is being hailed as a genius in the German press, but attributes his achievement to “curiosity and schoolboy naivety.” “When it was explained to us that the problems had no solutions, I thought to myself: well, there’s no harm in trying,” he said. The problems he resolved are from the field of dynamics. The first, dealing with the movement of projectiles through the air, was posed by Newton in the 17th century. The second, which relates to the collision of a body with a wall, was posed in the 19th century. Only partial solutions had been discovered up to now, requiring simplified assumptions or calculations by computer. Shouryya’s elegant solutions could contribute to greater precision in fields such as ballistics. Shouryya’s family moved to Germany when he was 12 after his father Subhashis Ray, an engineer, got a job at a technical college. Shouryya spoke no German when he arrived but has mastered the language and is due to take the German equivalent of A-levels this week, two years ahead of his peers. “Ray’s accomplishment is impressive and we are particularly proud of his background as it highlights the achievements of migrants across language and cultural barriers,” said the Youth Research Foundation, which gave him the award. A keen cricketer, Shouryya cites his father as his inspiration and says he instilled a “hunger for mathematics” after teaching him calculus at the age of six. Subhashis Ray said he was no longer able to keep up with his son’s mathematical prowess, however. “He never discussed his project with me before it was finished and the mathematics he used are far beyond my reach,” he said.[/quote] [url=http://www.canada.com/technology/Teen+solves+Newton+year+riddle/6685617/story.html]Source[/url] From a kind Redditor: [quote]The problem he solved is as follows: Let (x(t),y(t)) be the position of a particle at time t. Let g be the acceleration due to gravity and c the constant of friction. Solve the differential equation: (x''(t)2 + (y''(t)+g)2 )1/2 = c*(x'(t)2 + y'(t)2 ) subject to the constraint that (x''(t),y''(t)+g) is always opposite in direction to (x'(t),y'(t)). Finding the general solution to this differential equation will find the general solution for the path of a particle which has drag proportional to the square of the velocity (and opposite in direction). Here's an explanation how this differential equation encodes the motion of such a particle: The square of the velocity is: x'(t)2 + y'(t)2 The total acceleraton is: ( x''(t)2 + y''(t)2 )1/2 The acceleration due to gravity is g in the negative y direction. Thus the drag (acceleration due only to friction) is: ( x''(t)2 + (y''(t)+g)2 )1/2 Thus path of such a particle satisfies the differential equation: ( x''(t)2 + (y''(t)+g)2 )1/2 = c*(x'(t)2 + y'(t)2 ) Of course, we also require the direction of the drag (x''(t),y''(t)+g) to be opposite to the direction of the velocity (x'(t),y'(t)). Once we find the intial position and velocity of the particle, uniqueness theorems tell us its path is uniquely determined.[/quote] [url=http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/u7551/teen_solves_newtons_300yearold_riddle_an/c4sxd91]The post[/url] That's quite badass.
this would be really cool if I knew anything about math.
Me too, I wanna know the applications for it, even though i'm not a physicist.
The people who have been working on it for ages will be so embarrassed.
Wow that's really good on the kid! Shame I suck at Math...
Makes me even more ashamed of being logically impaired.
Who here has taken DiffyQ? *Raises hand* Why does everyone on facepunch suck at math? You should stop wasting all your time on an internet forum if you can't at least do simple calculus. According to Mordin Solus of Mass Effect 2 "Never experiment on species with members capable of calculus; Simple rule, never broke it."
And I always thought that the saying went, "If you don't make your great work by age ten, you never will."
[QUOTE=newbs;36101079]Who here has taken DiffyQ? *Raises hand*[/QUOTE] next semester :\
13? Nowhere on the article does it say 13, it says this. [quote]The solution devised by Shouryya Ray, [B]16,[/B] makes it possible to calculate exactly the path of a projectile under gravity and subject to air resistance.[/quote]
Wow this is amazing, good on him.
[QUOTE=POLOPOZOZO;36101095]next semester :\[/QUOTE] It's really easy compared to the Calculus sequence (my Calculus was three semesters).
[QUOTE=Gears of duty;36101060]Makes me even more ashamed of being logically impaired.[/QUOTE] Well don't be, I'm sure that kid wouldn't be as good as he is if this had not happened: [quote]his father instilled a “hunger for mathematics” after teaching him calculus at the age of [B]six.[/B][/quote]
[QUOTE=KabsIsBack;36101130]13? Nowhere on the article does it say 13, it says this.[/QUOTE] Woops, mistake. Thanks for pointing that out.
[QUOTE=ironman17;36101044]Me too, I wanna know the applications for it, even though i'm not a physicist.[/QUOTE] Most trajectories are calculated numerically with help of computers. I think he solved this specific differential equation analytically which hasn't been done before. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Seriously, why wasn't I taught calculus when I was six? Schools vastly hold back people trying to compensate for less intelliegent people while also involving themselves too much with less necssisary subjects. This would have been solved ages ago if the curriculum wasn't designed for people who can't comprehend things like this as much. This is only my opinion, though.
[QUOTE=PrusseluskenV2;36101374]that's actually quite practical now to wait for someone to implement this in a ballistics calculator[/QUOTE] They already exist.
That's fucking awesome. I think.
And this is why you never postulate impossibility. There's a solution for everything out there. Except for stupidity, that is.
It seems like it's always kids that solve this sort of thing and never an established scientist.
[QUOTE=newbs;36101079]Who here has taken DiffyQ? *Raises hand* Why does everyone on facepunch suck at math? You should stop wasting all your time on an internet forum if you can't at least do simple calculus. According to Mordin Solus of Mass Effect 2 "Never experiment on species with members capable of calculus; Simple rule, never broke it."[/QUOTE] You should stop wasting your time making posts like this and get busy killing yourself [highlight](User was banned for this post ("Trolling, again" - Craptasket))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=newbs;36101079]Who here has taken DiffyQ? *Raises hand* Why does everyone on facepunch suck at math? You should stop wasting all your time on an internet forum if you can't at least do simple calculus. According to Mordin Solus of Mass Effect 2 "Never experiment on species with members capable of calculus; Simple rule, never broke it."[/QUOTE] calculus isn't really a required life skill, now is it?
Indian? Not as impressive IMO. Still, wow.
[QUOTE=newbs;36101079]Who here has taken DiffyQ? *Raises hand* Why does everyone on facepunch suck at math? You should stop wasting all your time on an internet forum if you can't at least do simple calculus. According to Mordin Solus of Mass Effect 2 "Never experiment on species with members capable of calculus; Simple rule, never broke it."[/QUOTE] Perhaps because math was never presented to me in the US educational system as an interesting topic of study. When I undertook courses, all I did was tedious memorization and tested me on how much I remember, not how much I understood what was being taught. One day when I have the urge and drive will I attempt to understand the literal representation of art
[QUOTE=newbs;36101079]Who here has taken DiffyQ? *Raises hand* Why does everyone on facepunch suck at math? You should stop wasting all your time on an internet forum if you can't at least do simple calculus. According to Mordin Solus of Mass Effect 2 "Never experiment on species with members capable of calculus; Simple rule, never broke it."[/QUOTE] yea and here you are quoting video game characters
Wow that is a bitch of a differential equation.
Now if he could solve how women think....
[QUOTE=PrusseluskenV2;36101619]yes, but they're calculated with: Projectile weight Sight in distance/range Ballistic co-efficiency Sight height Intervals Maximum range Muzzle elevation Muzzle velocity Temperature Altitude above sea level Wind speed Wind direction ~ the ballistic data is not interpreted in the same way.[/QUOTE] I'm not sure what you are saying, but while his solution is unique, it isn't ground breaking. Calculations of projectile paths with air resistance already exists.
[QUOTE=Hellborg 65;36101045]The people who have been working on it for ages will be so embarrassed.[/QUOTE] Hopefully they have humility to admit that were outdone, and move on. That's a trait that is seen very little these days.
[quote=newbs]Who here has taken DiffyQ? *Raises hand* Why does everyone on facepunch suck at math? You should stop wasting all your time on an internet forum if you can't at least do simple calculus. According to Mordin Solus of Mass Effect 2 "Never experiment on species with members capable of calculus; Simple rule, never broke it."[/quote] Maybe not everyone wants to take the time to study it, if it has no impact on their field of interest. I could be an arrogant twat and ask why you all haven't taken an income tax accounting course. But I don't, because nobody is impressed and nobody cares. Although the irony of you criticizing people on an internet forum by posting on an internet forum is pretty entertaining.
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