Soothing Math

I’ve had a habit in recent years of using Calculus or any other kind of math as a way to relax. It used to be that I would grab a copy of my old Calculus book and read couple chapters or do a few problems. Sleep would be upon me before I could say…

Sorry, I dozed off thinking about it.

In any case, one of my hobbies is probability. I will lose sleep trying to determine certain odds. For example, if I roll three dice, what will be the most likely roll (10 or 11) and what are the odds in rolling it (one in eight for both). For a variation of that, I did some number crunching using modulus, a function that serves as a basis for a lot of number theory. Modulus, is simply the reaminder (for my purposes). So, the modulus of 10 divided by 3 is 1. Stated another way, MOD3 of 10 is 1.

For what it’s worth, I put some stuff on Sycarion dealing with modulus and the result of rolling three dice. I know, you’re thinking I need to get out more. Truth is, it is one of the things that helps me deal with tension. It’s why I can post angry posts one day and pretty level posts the next. Give the brain something to do and the heart can catch up in processing things.

I’m sure many would not consider MATHWORLD a vacation, but it feels like one to me. Thank goodness for wolfram.com.

Now, what are the odds of rolling an 7 on a six-sided die and a four-sided die added together…

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