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Calculus Problems

Fri, 16 Apr 2010, 07:32 AM (-06:00) Creative Commons License

“Hi Dad.”

“Ben!”

“Are you busy?”

“No. I’m at a conference, but we just took a break.”

“Should I call back later?”

“No, no. Now is fine. What’s up?”

“Well,” he said, “I have some calculus questions.”

I thought to myself, well it this really is a call I needed to take! He explained how they’re doing optimization problems, and he proceeded to explain some problems he was working on.

The first problem: find the size of a cylinder inscribed in a sphere that has maximum volume. We talked the problem definition thru and I had him draw a diagram illustrating the relevant quantities, and within a few minutes, he was telling me how to solve it.

Then he described his second problem: finding a maximal volume cone. We talked again about the problem definition and discussed another diagram, and again he was telling me how to solve it in a few minutes.

Finally he described his last problem. This one, I confess, I didn’t master. I needed a pencil and paper and a few minutes to look at the problem and think. In the meantime, we discussed the problem definition, and I had him draw a picture. And as I talked my way in circles, he began to solve it.

And that was it.

“Thanks Dad. Are you having a good time at your conference?”

“Yeah,” I said in a fairly noncommittal tone, omitting that I really wanted to see that paper that was going on then.

“That’s good.”

“What have you been doing?” I asked.

“Studying in the library.”

Music to my ears.

And so that was the end of our conversation. We said goodbyes and I-love-yous, and I went back into Salon-1. As I closed the door behind me, the speaker said said, “And in conclusion…” I chuckled to myself.

That’s ok. I would catch his paper when he gave it again the next day.

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