MoTW #9 Swoka Ikran

[Swoka Ikran]

Swoka Ikran is this weeks Mathematician of the Week! Seykxel sì nitram! Swoka Ikran has been paired with Thomas Edison

1. Who are you?

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- What is your name?
- Where are you from?
- How old are you?
These are just a few intro questions just so we know who you are.

My real name is Nick, and I'm from the United States. I live in the northeast about an hour west of Philadelphia, PA. I'm currently 19.58904 years old. I'm currently in university, majoring in Information Sciences & Technology.

2. What brought you to the Mathematics and Statistics board?

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Were you recommended/invited here by someone? Or did you simply stumble upon it by yourself?

I read about it when it was initially being proposed, and I've checked back occasionally ever since.

3. For how long have you liked Math?

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When did you realise that you either enjoyed it or were good at it?

Probably in 11th grade. I took Algebra 3 that year and did very well in it despite being worried about it.

4. What subjects/jobs do you do which involve Math? What do you do?

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To tell us how you use the knowledge you have!

Programming mainly. I rarely use any math beyond Algebra, although differential calculus came in handy once...

5. What Math-related subjects did you take in High School? Or if you are a student, what are you currently studying?

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State what the course is about and whether or not you enjoy it.

When I was in high school, I took Geometry, Algebra II, and Algebra III. I was also in technical school at the time for electronics and computers...the first year involved quite a bit of math.

In university, I took Calculus 1. I'll have to take a special computer-oriented mathematics course and Statistics by the time I graduate.

6. What is your favourite number? Why?

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Is it your lucky number? Date of birth? How did it come to be your favourite number?

Probably 4. I don't know why I like it so much, but if someone asks for a random number, it's always the first one I choose.

7. Who is your favourite Mathematician/Scientist. Why?

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Have they motivated you to continue your studies? How have they influenced you? What do they do?

Thomas Edison is my favorite. I've liked reading about him ever since I was young, and we still use his inventions today. Edison is probably the reason I ended up with an interest in electricity...which later became an interest in electronics, then computers.

8. What is your favorite function in math and why?

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Do you think it's very aesthetic or funny?

Y = 1 / X

...especially when X=0. For some odd reason, I've always found the concept of division by zero funny. Also, the graph of 1/X can prove quite useful at times.

9. Three statements about yourself - True or false? - The community has to answer

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Whatever you want - but at least one of them must be true. Keep the answers secret until the end of your reign.

1. I hold the class record for highest course score in my university's Differential Calculus class.
2. I won 6th place in a Pennsylvania state-wide computer repair competition, out of 100 contestants.
3. I've never taken Chemistry or Physics.

10. Pi or Tau?

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Which do you prefer? Why?

Pi. Never heard of Tau.

11. Do you prefer to work in degrees or Rads?

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Why?

Degrees. I've never found a use for Radians in the math I do.

12. Calculatorly or manually?

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Do you prefer to solve your problem (especially in Calculus) using a calculator or your patience and skill?

Calculator where possible. Been using a TI-83 Plus since I started high school. Makes drawing graphs easy, but I still do quite a bit of work by hand.

13. Joke time!

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Come up with your best Math joke. No sourcing!

I've got nothing...

14. Do you feel the temptation in tests to write your justifications in Na'vi?

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Have you? If so, when and why?

Nope, for 2 reasons:
* I haven't had to justify any work since I joined here (my calculus class didn't even require it. We just had to show all the work)
* I don't speak Na'vi well at all.

15. Do you like Physics too?

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If you don't, get out.

Not really. I have no use for it. In the computer field, the most it'd probably be useful for is determining the amount of force applied to my foot when I drop a computer on it. (Someone actually did this math out in tech school when I accidentally dropped a fully-loaded server chassis on my foot).

16. Real-Life Picture (Optional)

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Who beest thou?

Don't got one to post right now. If I find a decent one, I'll edit this.

17. Do you have any other hobbies?

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No matter how strange they may be...

Programming, collecting Avatar stuff, and watching a lot of crime-drama and reality TV.

On average, I spend over 6 hours a day on the computer, on the days I don't have class.

18. This is the story

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Type no more than one sentence. The proceeding Mathematician of the week will then type another sentence continuing the story. A stickied thread can be found showing the story's progress hitherto.

Panicked, I began searching for more creative ways to wake myself up.

[Yayo]

Congratulations!

F/T/T

[`Eylan Ayfalulukanä]

Txantsan, ma Swoka Ikran! It sounds like you are more of a computer hardware person than a software person.

On your N/T questions, I am going to guess: T/N/N

Enjoy!

[Txantslusam Skxawng]

Congrats ma Swoka Ikran! You earned it!

T/T/F

[Swoka Ikran]

Well, my time is up

Irayo to Uniltìrantokx te Skxawng for choosing me

As for the Ts/Ng:

1. Tsleng. Nowhere near the top for the university (I go to a branch campus of Penn State), but I do have one of the highest scores all-time for my (now retired) professor.

2. Ngay. It was a close competition. The top 8 spots were all within 9 points. A large number of no-show contestants improved my odds. This event was part of a convention I attended through the tech school I went to.

3. Ngay. Never took it in high school, and will never take it in university. I've taken environmental science (twice), biology, astronomy, geology, and I'm taking a course on human disease next semester. After that, no more science unless I take it as an elective.