# February 28, 2006

• I showed a scene from the Colbert Report (http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/index.jhtml). Under videos (http://www.comedycentral.com/shows/the_colbert_report/videos/most_recent/index.jhtml), look for 'Nerd Patrol.' A quadratic equation is a polynomial like x2 + 3x + 2 = 0. I showed you that it was possible to write down the solution to any equation of the form ax2 + bx + c = 0. Ready Steven?
$x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2 a}$
• Abshir did a report on Poker and how to calculate how good your hand is. We did a detailed example in class.

Say that your hand was A$\spadesuit$ and A$\heartsuit$ and the following 5 cards were showing: J$\spadesuit$ 9$\spadesuit$ 5$\heartsuit$ 2$\spadesuit$ 5$\clubsuit$

To determine if your hand is good you should try to count the number of hands which are better than yours. You have an A-5 two of a kind. Which hands are better? Lets list them.

• 4-kind - two 5s
• Full house - two Js, 2s or 9s, also a 5-J, 5-2, or 5-9
• Flush - Any two spades
• 3-kind - by getting a 5 and some other card (not a J,9 or 2 and not two spades)
 4-of-a-kind two 5's 1 Full house JJ, 22 or 99 of $\heartsuit$$\clubsuit$,$\heartsuit$$\diamondsuit$ or $\diamondsuit$$\clubsuit$ or 5(of $\diamondsuit$or $\clubsuit$) and any J,2,9 27 Flush any two spades (there are 13-4=9 left in the deck) $\left({9 \atop 2}\right)=36$ 3-of-a-kind 5$\diamondsuit$ and 3,4,6,7,8,10,Q,K (any suit) A of$\diamondsuit$$\clubsuit$ OR 5$\diamondsuit$ and 3,4,6,7,8,10,Q,K ($\diamondsuit$$\clubsuit$or$\heartsuit$), A of$\diamondsuit$$\clubsuit$ 60
• And if that wasn't enough math for you when it comes to poker, I played for you the radio program on 'Game Theory' by Simon Singe (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/another5.shtml) from the BBC.
• Due in two weeks, the following two homework problems. We will talk about them next week:
• cube painting
• milk cartons

Previous class : February 21, 2006

Next class : March 7, 2006

Main class page : Mathematics 1590 Nature of Mathematics II