Re: [Phys-l] C & C Trajectories

[Brian Whatcott <betwys1@sbcglobal.net>]

chuck's note [below]  mentioned the Mean Value Theorem.

 In reviewing this lead, I notice that the Intermediate Value Theorem
 has unexpected aspects too...like the following two puzzlers:

You are sitting at a  wobbly table with four legs that can sit flush
 on a plane surface    i.e. the table has four identical  leg lengths .
 how can you stop it rocking on the restaurant floor?
(for reasonable floor smoothness and gradient)
The obvious method, a folded table napkin, is not desired.


For a specified geophysical characteristic, can you find two
antipodean terrestrial  locations with the identical value of
this variable?
 Say temperature, or  surface air pressure, air density,
air humidity,  elevation, sea depth:
                 [pick one.]


Brian W

At 12:47 PM 6/21/2008,  Chuck Britton, you wrote:
> A congruent problem of a monk who traveled up a mountain and back
> down - was used in my intro calculus class as an example of the Mean
> Value Theorem and it's wide ranging power.
>
>
>
> On Jun 21, 2008, at Jun 21(Sat) 1:31 , Brian Whatcott wrote:
>
> > Click and Clack offered a version of the following puzzler
> > this morning.
> >
> > A family of four drove up the west coast 400 miles on Saturday,
> > starting at 8 a.m. They arrived at their destination at 4 p.m.
> > Three of them returned home the following day by the same route,
> >   in the same car, starting at 11 a.m. Sunday.
> >
> > The question: what is the probability that the car passed the
> > same spot at the same time of day, going both ways?
> > I was surprised that the answer was not immediately obvious.
> > To me at least.
> > The idea of space time diagrams came to mind.
> >


Brian Whatcott    Altus OK    Eureka!