Category Archives: — By the Mathematician

Q: Why is it that when you multiply a positive number with a negative number you get a negative number?

Mathematician: Consider what would happen if when we multiplied a positive number by a negative number we got a positive number. For example, suppose that 3*-5 = 15 rather than the usual 3*5 = 15. Now, if all the other … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, Math, Philosophical | 6 Comments

Q: Since pi is infinite, do its digits contain all finite sequences of numbers?

Mathematician: As it turns out, mathematicians do not yet know whether the digits of pi contains every single finite sequence of numbers. That being said, many mathematicians suspect that this is the case, which would imply not only that the … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, Math | 115 Comments

Q: What is the meaning of life?

Mathematician: I’m glad you asked. The theory of evolution with natural selection sheds some light on the question of why humans exist, which in turn relates to the meaning of life. First of all, let me get this out of … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, -- By the Physicist, Evolution, Philosophical | 17 Comments

Q: How plausible is it that the laws of physics may actually function differently in other parts of the universe?

Mathematician: My two cents are that astronomical evidence (what we can tell about galaxies from here on earth) indicates that the laws of newtonian mechanics and gravitation in space are just the same they are here. I imagine that some … Continue reading

Posted in -- By the Mathematician, -- By the Physicist, Astronomy, Philosophical, Physics | 16 Comments