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Linear algebra is the study of linear sets of equations and their transformation properties. Linear algebra allows the analysis of rotations in space, least squares fitting, ...

The logarithm log_bx for a base b and a number x is defined to be the inverse function of taking b to the power x, i.e., b^x. Therefore, for any x and b, x=log_b(b^x), (1) or ...

The logarithmic spiral is a spiral whose polar equation is given by r=ae^(btheta), (1) where r is the distance from the origin, theta is the angle from the x-axis, and a and ...

The integer sequence beginning with a single digit in which the next term is obtained by describing the previous term. Starting with 1, the sequence would be defined by "1, ...

In common usage, an ordinal number is an adjective which describes the numerical position of an object, e.g., first, second, third, etc. In formal set theory, an ordinal ...

An out-shuffle, also known as a perfect shuffle (Golomb 1961), is a riffle shuffle in which the top half of the deck is placed in the right hand, and cards are then ...

The pedal of a curve C with respect to a point O is the locus of the foot of the perpendicular from O to the tangent to the curve. More precisely, given a curve C, the pedal ...

The Penrose tiles are a pair of shapes that tile the plane only aperiodically (when the markings are constrained to match at borders). These two tiles, illustrated above, are ...

The beautiful arrangement of leaves in some plants, called phyllotaxis, obeys a number of subtle mathematical relationships. For instance, the florets in the head of a ...

A short mnemonic for remembering the first seven decimal digits of pi is "How I wish I could calculate pi" (C. Heckman, pers. comm., Feb. 3, 2005). Eight digits are given by ...