Exploring the lunes of Hippocrates in a dynamic geometry environment

These classroom notes offer methods of solving the quadrature of lunes, that is, the area of croissant-shaped plane figures bounded by two intersecting non-congruent circular arcs, using Hippocrates of Chios’ area conservation and similarity arguments. I also offer a method of using history in the classroom with students via dynamic geometry snapshots presented in a manner that complements the analytic and the visual approaches.     

Transfer pricing in a dynamic marketing-operations interface

A transfer price mechanism is proposed to coordinate the strategies of the marketing and operations functional areas operating in a dynamic interface environment in a decentralized firm. Marketing and operations are strategic decision-makers in a differential game, in which marketing has price and advertising and operations has production as control variables, and advertising goodwill and production backlog are state variables. A constant transfer price is entered into the objective functionals for marketing and operations, and subgame perfect feedback strategies are derived for price, advertising, and production as functions of the state variables. The feedback strategies allow a solution for the dynamic system involving goodwill and backlog, and the total payoff to the firm, the sum of the payoffs to marketing and operations, is determined as a function of the transfer price. Finally, for certain parameter conditions an interior maximum of the payoff function is achieved, and the optimal transfer price is identified.     

Dragging as a conceptual tool in dynamic geometry environments

Some ‘drag-to-fit’ solutions given by student teachers to three geometric construction problems in a dynamic geometry environment (DGE) are analysed. The responses of a group of experienced mathematics teachers to the question whether or not such solutions can be considered ‘legitimate’ are then discussed. This raises fundamental questions concerning the concept of legitimacy, the relationship between DGEs and Formal Axiomatic Euclidean Geometry, the nature of ‘conceptual tools’ in different geometric environments, and the functions of dragging in DGEs. The authors argue that, if dragging is viewed as a conceptual tool, then certain drag-to-fit solutions, although soft constructions, may still be considered as conceptually legitimate and therefore valid. Finally, some important questions are raised concerning the impact that teachers’ different attitudes towards legitimacy might have on students’ learning through DGEs.     

The geometry of the chamber system of a semimodular lattice

In this paper geometric properties of the following metric space C are studied. Its elements are called chambers and are the maximal chains of a semimodular lattice X of finite height and its metric d is the gallery distance. We show that X has many properties in common with buildings. More specifically, Tits [17] has recently described buildings in terms of Weyl-group valued distance functions. We consider the Jordan-Hölder permutation (C, D) corresponding to a pair C, D of chambers and show that it has most properties of such a distance with values in the symmetric group.     

A continuous-time linear complementarity system for dynamic user equilibria in single bottleneck traffic flows

This paper formally introduces a linear complementarity system (LCS) formulation for a continuous-time, multi-user class, dynamic user equilibrium (DUE) model for the determination of trip timing decisions in a simplified single bottleneck model. Existence of a Lipschitz solution trajectory to the model is established by a constructive time-stepping method whose convergence is rigorously analyzed. The solvability of the time-discretized subproblems by Lemke’s algorithm is also proved. Combining linear complementarity with ordinary differential equations and being a new entry to the mathematical programming field, the LCS provides a computational tractable framework for the rigorous treatment of the DUE problem in continuous time; this paper makes a positive contribution in this promising research venue pertaining to the application of differential variational theory to dynamic traffic problems.     

On the geometry of the Calogero-Moser system

We discuss a special eigenstate of the quantized periodic Calogero—Moser system associated to a root system. This state has the property that its eigenfunctions, when regarded as multivalued functions on the space of regular conjugacy classes in the corresponding semisimple complex Lie group, transform under monodromy according to the complex reflection representation of the affine Hecke algebra. We show that this endows the space of conjugacy classes in question with a projective structure. For a certain parameter range this projective structure underlies a complex hyperbolic structure. If in addition a Schwarz type of integrality condition is satisfied, then it even has the structure of a ball quotient minus a Heegner divisor. For example, the case of the root system E₈ with the triflection monodromy representation describes a special eigenstate for the system of 12 unordered points on the projective line under a particular constraint.     

A continuous day-to-day traffic assignment model and the existence of a continuous dynamic user equilibrium

Suppose that a road network model is given, together with some given demand for travel by (say) car and that the demand for travel varies with time of day but not from day to day. Suppose that this demand is given in the form of specified total outflow rates from each origin headed towards each destination, for each origin-destination pair and for each time of day, and that some initial time-dependent routeinflow rates, meeting the given demand, are given. Finally, suppose that within-day time is represented by a continuous variable. This paper specifies a natural smooth day-to-day route-swapping procedure wherein drivers swap toward less expensive routes as day succeeds day, and shows that under reasonable conditions there is an equilibrium state of this dynamical system. If such a collection of route-inflows has arisen today, say, then there is no incentive for any route-inflow to change tomorrow, in the sense that at each moment of today each of today's route-inflows isalready on a route which today yielded the smallest travel cost. Such a set of no-incentive-to-change route-inflows is called adynamic equilibrium, or adynamic user-equilibrium, and may be regarded as a solution of the dynamic equilibrium traffic assignment problem. Thus, the paper introduces a smooth day-to-day dynamic assignment model and, using this model, shows that there is a dynamic user-equilibrium in a continuous time setting. The paper briefly considers the day-to-day stability of the route-swapping process, also in a continuous setting. Finally, the paper gives a simple dynamical example illustrating the stability of the route-swapping process in a simple two-route network when there is deterministic queueing at bottlenecks.     

Sketching the general quadratic equation using dynamic geometry software

This paper explores a geometrical way to sketch graphs of the general quadratic in two variables with Geometer's Sketchpad. To do this, a geometric procedure as described by De Temple is used, bearing in mind that this general quadratic equation (1) represents all the possible conics (conics sections), and the fact that five points (no three of which are collinear) uniquely determine a conic.     

Flow past a sphere straddling the interface of a two-phase system

An explicit solution is found for flow past a sphere with perfect slip in a two phase flow of two immiscible viscous fluids. The interface remains flat and an expression is found for the drag on the sphere.

---

Résumé Une solution de l'équation de Stokes est présentée pour une sphère entièrement immergée, la surface de séparation de deux fluides non mélangeables se situant á la hauteur du centre de cette sphère. Pour la surface de cette dernière la condition d'immobilité est remplacée par une condition de tension de cisaillement nulle.

     

Multiagent bayesian forecasting of structural time-invariant dynamic systems with graphical models

Time series are found widely in engineering and science. We study forecasting of stochastic, dynamic systems based on observations from multivariate time series. We model the domain as a dynamic multiply sectioned Bayesian network (DMSBN) and populate the domain by a set of proprietary, cooperative agents. We propose an algorithm suite that allows the agents to perform one-step forecasts with distributed probabilistic inference. We show that as long as the DMSBN is structural time-invariant (possibly parametric time-variant), the forecast is exact and its time complexity is exponentially more efficient than using dynamic Bayesian networks (DBNs). In comparison with independent DBN-based agents, multiagent DMSBNs produce more accurate forecasts. The effectiveness of the framework is demonstrated through experiments on a supply chain testbed.     

Autoresonance in a dynamic system

Results on the asymptotic analysis of a model of autoresonance using a natural small parameter, the amplitude of forcing oscillations, are presented. The given forcing perturbation is rapidly oscillating oscillations with small amplitude and slow varying frequency. The goal of the paper is to reveal conditions under which the trajectory of the system goes away from the initial equilibrium point by a distance of order 1 under the influence of such a perturbation.Translated from Sovremennaya Matematika i Ee Prilozheniya (Contemporary Mathematics and Its Applications), Vol. 5, Asymptotic Methods, 2003.     

On the geometry of a four-parameter rational planar system of difference equations

In this paper, we consider geometric aspects of a rational, planar system of difference equations defined on the open first quadrant and whose behaviour is governed by four independent, non-negative parameters. This system, indexed as (23, 23) in the notation of Ladas (Open problems and conjectures, J. Differential Equ. Appl. 15(3) 2009, pp. 303–323), is one of the 200 systems from Ladas about which little is known. Using geometric techniques, we answer several questions concerning the behaviour of this system.     

Students' understanding of the notion of function in dynamic geometry environments

To make optimal use of computational environments, one must understand how students interact with the environments and how students' mathematical thinking is reflected and affected by their use of the environments. Similarly, to make sense of research on students' thinking and learning, one must understand how the environments and contexts used in the research may affect the conclusions one derives.The research on students' learning of functions has approached the topic in terms of symbols and graphs (see, for example, Leinhardt et al. (1990) for a review of work up to that point; Harel and Dubinsky (1992) for a collection of research; and Dugdale et. al. (1995), for some recent thinking about implications for curriculum reform using technology). Dynamic geometry environments (DGEs) like Cabri Geometry or Geometer's Sketchpad, offer us an opportunity to get a new perspective on these old and important issues. DGEs let students build geometrical constructions and then drag certain objects around the screen in a continuous manner while observing how the entire construction responds dynamically. In this way DGEs model functional relationships that are not specified by symbols or represented by graphs.Based on interviews with undergraduate mathematics majors, this paper presents preliminary observations that confirm some old results and raise some new questions about students' notions of function.     

Measuring in dynamic geometry environments as a tool for conjecturing and proving

This paper sits within the research on the affordances of new technologies in the mathematics classroom and focuses on a specific feature that is available in dynamic geometry environments, i.e. measuring tools, within the context of conjecturing and proving in open geometry problems. We develop a classification of different modalities of measuring, based on our previous work on dragging. The modalities are illustrated through the analysis of 15–16 year-old students’ proving processes, which focuses on how these modalities relate to the moves between the spatio-graphical field and the theoretical field and may either support or hinder the proving process. The classification of the modalities of measuring enables researchers to access students’ cognitive processes and teachers to be aware of the different possible uses and interpretation of measuring, giving them tools to support students when difficulties arise.

Estimation of the coefficients of a dynamic diffusion system

Formulas are derived for estimating the coefficients of the Kolmogorov (Ito) equation from a finite number of observations of the process.Translated from Statisticheskie Metody Otsenivaniya i Proverki Gipotez, pp. 166–173, 1986.     

Single objective layout design of user interface components with multiple qualitative factors

The purpose of this paper is to present a model to design the layout of the user interface components that handles many numbers of qualitative factors. An alternate rating system is also proposed for the closeness relationship ratings between the various pairs of components evaluated by using GOMS (goals, operators, methods and selection rules) technique. The proposed model is applied to the design of the part of the user interface in order to obtain the best layout of the components. The results of the proposed model are compared with that of an existing model, which handles single qualitative factor applied to obtain the layouts of user interface components.     

Chaos in a dynamic model of urban transportation network flow based on user equilibrium states

In this study, we investigate the dynamical behavior of network traffic flow. We first build a two-stage mathematical model to analyze the complex behavior of network flow, a dynamical model, which is based on the dynamical gravity model proposed by Dendrinos and Sonis [Dendrinos DS, Sonis M. Chaos and social-spatial dynamic. Berlin: Springer-Verlag; 1990] is used to estimate the number of trips. Considering the fact that the Origin–Destination (O–D) trip cost in the traffic network is hard to express as a functional form, in the second stage, the user equilibrium network assignment model was used to estimate the trip cost, which is the minimum cost of used path when user equilibrium (UE) conditions are satisfied. It is important to use UE to estimate the O–D cost, since a connection is built among link flow, path flow, and O–D flow. The dynamical model describes the variations of O–D flows over discrete time periods, such as each day and each week. It is shown that even in a system with dimensions equal to two, chaos phenomenon still exists. A “Chaos Propagation” phenomenon is found in the given model.