The Scottish Bubble and the Irish Bubble
A Maths Club Project: The Elementary Mathematics in an Advanced Problem
Our subject is the ‘Kelvin’ problem. But we enter it via two related problems: the ‘Tammes’ problem and the ‘Kepler’ problem. All three require us to think about spheres in some way.
The contents of this document are intended for the leader of the maths club. The material is of 3 different kinds:
- history – the problems in their historical setting: how they arose, how people first tackled them;
- calculation: what students of school age can work out for themselves;
- experiment: what the students can do and make.
Scottish Bubble and the Irish Bubble (pdf)
Lines in Space
Exploring ruled surfaces with cans, paper, Polydron, wool and shirring elastic.
