WHY I...
"A man always has two reasons for doing anything: a good reason and the real reason."
Whilst the Wall Street giant, J P Morgan, might have brought his cynical banker's eye to scrutinise peo-
ples' motivations, Wykehamists seem to have good real reasons for the things they do. Here are some of
them.
Drew Jug Entries, 2019
Why I code: Robin Li (E)
We all know how powerful modern computers can be. It can, with almost no error or reluctance, execute Indoctrinated by Eli Maor to think geometrically, the idea of other geometries appealed to me - namely that of
an extremely complex set of instructions using minimal time compared to a human working on the same task. imaginary and complex numbers. Picking up An Imaginary Tale: The Story of Sqrt -1 by Paul Nahin I found that there
Coding is the process of teaching your computer how to work on your problem, so that your desired output will are lots of geometrical links between trigonometry and complex numbers – like the square roots of unity. However,
be at the click of a button. Meanwhile, the sense of achievement you feel as you watch your program functioning it was one of the bridges between them, hyperbolic functions, that piqued my interest. Hyperbolic functions are not
as you wished is extremely rewarding. extensively covered in the Pre-U syllabus so I read Introduction to Non-Euclidean Geometry by Harold Wolfe. I found
his book difficult. While some concepts in negative curvature were challenging to grasp, others were comforting,
As a curious physics student, I often explore phenomena beyond what is taught in class. Since physics is
like the appearance of crocheted hyperbolic planes in nature.
heavily dependent on mathematics, I frequently stumble across calculations that are beyond my current ability.
This is when I turn to computers for help. For example, I attempted to model the trajectory of a ballistic projec-
And this made me appreciate that Mathma is comforting.
tile through the air a few months ago. Stumbling across some non-linear differential equations, I realised they
were unsolvable (no exact analytical solution has been found yet). Fortunately, Dr. French introduced me to the
That is why I study it.
Verlet Series, which enables an approximation of a solution by transforming each equation into iterative but
achievable numerical computations. The accuracy of the approximation increases with the number of iterations.
Having spotted a pattern in the series, I took advantage of my computer’s calculation power by coding a program
in Python language. Thousands of terms were calculated in merely two seconds. Taking this one step further, I
added a graphical simulation of the projectile, enabling me to study the trajectory in greater detail. Currently, I am
working on a planetary orbit simulator that will predict the path of our planet in the future.
Coding is not only useful for calculations but also vital in every aspect of modern society, not just in compu-
ters. It determines the functionality of most objects around us, from the password lock at the Science School to
Why I study Classics: Dylan Brookes (G)
In a certain sense, this was why I felt so close to the other in the Greek
class. They, too, knew this beautiful and harrowing landscape, centuries
dead; they’d had the same experience of looking up from their books
with fifth-century eyes and finding the world disconcertingly sluggish
and alien, as if it were not their home.
an air conditioner, up to missile guidance systems and assembly lines. The embedded system’s code can control
actuators such as motors and pistons that can lift tons of load easily then place it precisely to your desired loca-
Thus does the narrator of Tartt’s The Secret History, Richard Papen, describe his experience of first learning
tion, hence helping humanity greatly in accomplishing challenging architectural tasks and manufacturing proces- the ancient languages. Papen, one of the six classicists in the novel, is himself something of an outsider within the
ses that require great accuracy. Being able to code means having absolute control over these powerful machines. group, and as he provides the reader this encomium of Ancient Greek, he represents it as a gateway to a higher
What’s more amazing is that all of these wonders are coordinated by a processor no larger than the nail on your plane, a mystical force which enables its practitioners to exert strange and deadly power.
thumb!
Why I study Mathmā: Dmytro Georgiyenko (A)
For my Community Service I visit the town library and teach mathmā to two primary school pupils. Last year
our focus was on algebra, graph sketching, factorisation, completing the square and even deriving the quadratic
This scholarly mysticism is not a new phenomenon in Classics. Even as medieval language, literature, and
philosophy began to grow ever more distant from the world of Aristotle and Virgil, other, occult, justfications
for classical study were advanced to ensure their survival. Dominico Comparetti, in his book Virgilio nel Medio
Evo (Virgil in the Middle Ages), notes that Virgil, once admired for his careful use of metre and subtle imagery,
became known as the magician who banished serpents from Naples and prevented the eruption of Vesuvius.
formula. This year, we are studying Euclidean Geometry. Starting with a ruler and compass, we walk the path of
Euclid's Elements. I look forward to taking a detour to see how many ways we can derive Pythagoras' Theorem
The shroud of the supernatural which informs The Secret History, and this reasoning for the study of Clas-
using algebra and geometry they had learned. Often, we get mathematically side-tracked. I have to be prepared sics, is fundamentally hesitant and insecure about the differences between peoples. This pervasive view of history
to prove anything and everything we look at. contends that society, as it advances, becomes an increasingly weak reader of the ancient canon—a philosophy
which manifests itself in slavish imitation of the texts, leading to pedantry, archaising, and outright cult worship.
When I was little and at my own primary school in London, I asked my teacher to give me Junior Problems
(UKMT) to work through as a challenge. This took me over a year. Every problem was hard, but working through
them felt rewarding. There was no maths extension club, however, so I started one.
There are, of course, differences between our world and the world of the Greeks and Romans which prece-
ded us. But for me, it is those differences which create interest. Ido not think that the radical changes of the millenia
demand reevaluation of the importance of Classics, but rather justify the study altogether. What the ancient world
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The wykehamist
WHY I . . .
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