The game of roulette is the source of so many fascinating stories and educational examples that it worth studying it from a scientific perspective. The early inventor of roulette was mathematician, physicist, and philosopher Blaise Pascal in the 17th Read More …
Author: Catalin Barboianu
Catalin Barboianu is mathematician and philosopher of science. He is the founder of PhilScience.
Francis Bacon and the philosophy of the new scientific methodology
The period of transition from the Renaissance to the early modern era was marked by radical shifts in what concerns foundations of science and the theoretical approach of science, deviating many times from the traditional philosophical line standing since the Read More …
Fibonacci sequence: A small piece of nature
If one were to argue for the beauty of mathematics by providing three of the simplest relevant examples, the Fibonacci sequence would unquestionably be among them. But this educational aspect of popularizing mathematics or being a subject of recreational mathematics Read More …
LISA satellite: Technology of the future for the science of the past
In only 500 years, humankind has shaped science and reached the current scientific achievements. In just half a millenium, we have walked on the Moon, created machines to think and act on our behalf, and developed elegant theories whereby we Read More …
The effectiveness of ancient knowledge: Inspiring Archimedes
Placing well-known names in “top-ten” lists by profession or mentioning them in comparison to one another as to how “great” they were is not the right way to ascribe merit when it comes to mathematicians. While “tops” lists provide an Read More …
Luck, logic, and white lies: The mathematics of games, second edition, by Jörg Bewersdorff – book review
Luck, logic, and white lies: The mathematics of games, second edition, by Jörg Bewersdorff CRC Press, 2021, 568 pages, ISBN 9780367548414, Number of chapters 51 review by Catalin Barboianu, PhD (published in International Gambling Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14459795.2021.1965184) As the title indicates, Read More …
Mathematics of casino carnival games, by Mark Bollman – review
Mathematics of casino carnival games, by Mark Bollman CRC Press, 2021, 318 pages, ISBN 9780367348656, Number of chapters 5 review by Catalin Barboianu, PhD (published in International Gambling Studies, DOI: 10.1080/14459795.2021.1965183) Every time a new book on gambling mathematics is published, Read More …
Ten theorems formulated in basic-math terms proved after decades, centuries, or millennia
Mathematics lovers say that the shorter the text of a problem or theorem and the longer its solution or proof, the more beautiful is that problem or theorem. Philosophers and historians of mathematics say that the longer a theorem stays Read More …
Human mathematics and God’s mathematics
It is not at all hard to enter a mathematician’s mind without being a psychologist. This is because all that individual does in front of a piece of paper – observing, finding patterns and regularities, abstracting, describing, inducing and deducing, Read More …