1796, Maskelyne, Astronomer Royal of Britain, dismissed his assistant for what he believed to be persistent inaccuracies in the timing of observations, specifically delays of approximately half a second. This decision unknowingly set the stage for the development of an important concept in measurement science: the personal equation. Maskelyne’s published their mixed observational results. After …
Author Archives: saemiller
Backus on IBM / Fortran
Much of my work has come from being lazy. I didn’t like writing programs, and so, when I was working on the IBM 701, writing programs for computing missile trajectories, I started work on a programming system to make it easier to write programs. John Backus, 1979, Interview IBM Think Magazine
Origins of Graph Theory
Graph theory emerged in the 18th century, connecting geometry with fields like topology and set theory. Leonhard Euler formulated graph theory during his time in Königsberg, now Kalingrad. His seminal work began with the 1736 paper, “The Seven Bridges of Königsberg.” Residents of Königsberg enjoyed crossing the city’s seven bridges in one outing – considered …
MSDOS 4 Source Code
Find myself going down the rabbit hole as MS posted their MSDOS assembly code on GITHUB. Initials JK appear through source code, which I’m not sure who it belongs to. My assembly programming is at best poor. It’s fun to read the commands like del.asm etc. DOS seemed to be behind the times in 1986, …
Self-Portrait, 2024
Generated via advancing front / Delayne algorithm, surface grid, marched in normal direction to lines of maximum gradient. CPU time \(1.5 \times 10^{-1}\) s on Mac M1.
Revisiting \(e\) History
\(e\), defined by the limit \(\lim_{n \to \infty} \left(1 + \frac{1}{n}\right)^n\) and approximating 2.71828, is characterized by its irrational and transcendental nature, indicating it cannot be depicted as a quotient of two integers nor as a solution to any non-trivial polynomial equation with rational coefficients. John Napier, a Scottish mathematician and theologian, significantly contributed to …
Removal of Tenure at the University of Florida
A university cannot exist without academic freedom. Academic freedom is the core value under which American universities have operated for nearly the last century. It is outlined in multiple works, including the Chicago Principles and by the American Association of University Professors. Academic freedom is protected by the tenure system. Tenure, which was popularized in …
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Binary’s Origin
Binary numbers were originally used for encryption and communication, a fact recognized as early as the 17th century by Francis Bacon. Bacon used the binary system for encoding the alphabet using strings of binary characters. This laid the framework for subsequent developments in coded communication, such as technologies like the telegraph (Samuel Morse), which relied …
In Florida by Professor Hofmann
Recently, one of the distinguished professors of English at University of Florida published a perspective of being in Florida in the time of academic turmoil. I wish I had the command of the English language like Professor Hofmann to express myself. Please see:https://www.lrb.co.uk/blog/2024/april/in-florida
Earth Density and Cavendish, 1798
Newton knew that the force of gravity causes falling objects near the Earth’s surface (such as the famous apple) to accelerate toward the Earth at a rate of 9.8 m/s2. He also knew that the Moon accelerated toward the Earth at a rate of 0.00272 m/s2. If it was the same force that was acting …