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Question: Why are such small numbers relevant to science? How does one calculate tricks with numbers, and how does one approach learning and testing small numbers?

Comment: From this reading, I was really astounded by how many matheticians went into studying small numbers, and relating them to things like atoms and scientific material. I was also astounded by the fact that Buddha, at a young age, had discovered what Phythagoras was studying.

Quote: "The reason this calculation seems simpler is because we use the position of numerals to give extra meaning. The number furthest to the right always means a value less than 10. Anumber to the left always means a number of 10's less than 100. A number to the left of that always means a number of hundreds less than a thousand."

Question: From this reading, I really wondered whether or not the Roman numerals ends, and if there is a certain point.

Comment: I found it interesting how numbers were so completely different in that time period, and was confused by the method of writing numbers in Roman numerals such as C=100, and D=500. The Arabic format of writing large numbers seems much simpler, especially compared to our modern way of writing numbers.

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Quote: "Leibniz kept himself informed of all the latest discoveries...."


Question: After reading this article, I learned that Leibniz was very intrigued and kept himself motivated. I question how he could be so interested and self motivated, especially when studying such complex subjects. 


Comment: Going along with my comment, I often find myself in that situation, so I think that keeping myself informed of new things I learn, especially with notes will help me be self motivated like Leibniz was!

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Question: My question is what he meant by "I prefer a Leeuwenhoek." However, I looked up the name and saw it was a scientist versus the "Cartesian" represented as a philosopher.

Comments: I found this piece really interesting because I was surprised that he looked further into subjects such as chemistry, physics, geology, botany, zoology, anatomy, history and geography, and combined those ideas to further indulge his knowledge for writing.

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Quote: Newton was always an inward and secretive man,....


Question: When I first began reading this passage, I was unaware of why Newton would be so secretive, considering the fact that I'm used to working with other people, especially with Math concepts. Already, Calculus seemed so hard, and for him to be inward and secretive, just confused me. 


Comment: I think that I learned a lot about Newton's ways, specifically the differences between his developments of Calculus versus Leibniz's publications.

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Quote:

Question: For this reading, I had many questions. But when I first read this, I wondered why Newton kept Calculus such a secret. I also wondered why he would do such strange things, and if he would do them to see the outcome or just the attention. I also asked myself why Newton was frustrated by the conventional Mathematics.

Comment: After I read this excerpt, my first assumption of Newton was that he was crazy. I have a huge fear of needles so the fact that he would stick one in his eye socket just to see the outcome really scared me. I also did not know Newton created Calculus before I read this.

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Quote:  So if Pluto really is a planet it is certainly an odd one. It is very tiny:
just one-quarter of 1 percent as massive as Earth. If you set it down on top
of the United States, it would cover not quite half the lower forty-eight
states. This alone makes it extremely anomalous; it means that our planetary
system consists of four roclty inner planets, four gassy outer giants,
and a tiny, solitary iceball. Moreover, there is every reason to suppose that
we may soon begin to find other even larger icy spheres in the same portion
of space. Then we will have problems. After Christy spotted Pluto's
moon, astronomers began to regard that section of the cosmos more attentively
and as of early December 2002 had found over six hundred additional
Trans-Neptunian Objects, or Plutinos as they are alternatively
called. One, dubbed Varuna, is nearly as big as Pluto's moon. Astronomers
now think there may be billions of these objects. The difficulty is that
many of them are awfully dark. 1)Typica1ly they have an albedo, or reflectiveness,
of just 4 percent, about the same as a lump of charcoal-and of
course these lumps of charcoal are about four billion miles away.

Question: After I read this excerpt, I wondered what significant problems we would face is there were even larger icy spheres in the same portion of space.

Comment: I was surprised that Pluto was so small in terms of space. The fact that it would fit in the United States just makes me wonder if there are any other layers besides ice on it. And how they determined it was a moon and not just a ball of ice.