Monday 30 May 2016

S8.265 - Sine Us


QQuinn does want to shake up the status quo. Here was Versine’s original pitch.

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QHYPER: Seems that the i-Tans will pick a polynomial to run.
QPARA: i-Tans?
QHYPER: I consider them to be imaginary.
QPARA: Should we also pick a polynomial?
QHYPER: Too divisive. I’d say our best chance is with Trigonometry.
(QSINE does a spittake)
QHYPER: Besides, we'll need a trig to counter Versine.
QLYN: Who would vote for Versine?
VERSINE: (video) I will fight calculators, and restore trig tables!
QQUINN: Finally, someone else suspicious of calculators!

Monday 23 May 2016

S8.264 - Poll Dancing


Here’s notes about response bias, not to be confused with non-response bias. That was our first poll from April, the other will feature in two weeks’ time.

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PARA: QPara didn't seem thrilled by her name shift...
EXPONA: We must show strength! Now, where’s that twitter vote about “best leader”?
EXPONA: 48% for Polynomials? And Exponential wasn't even an option! Why?!
PARA: Limited space.
EXPONA: Did I at least get a mention in "Other"?
PARA: No... probability, power series, quadratics...
EXPONA: Let's discuss “response bias”!
PARA: You already printed your “All my base are belong to us” campaign buttons, didn't you.

Monday 16 May 2016

S8.263 - Naming Generator


This whole comic massively violates the One Steve Limit 
(as x-->Steve)

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PARA: For convenience, I will now be called Para. This is QPara, as her deity is a Q.
QPARA: What?
QPARA: Naming shouldn’t be decided until AFTER our math election!
PARA: Do you have a better way to differentiate between us?
QPARA: Obviousl--
PARA: A way that doesn’t involve calculus?
QPARA: Okay, no...

Monday 9 May 2016

Series 8: d(Voted)

SERIES 8: d(Voted) INDEX

<- Back to Index 7

Monday 2 May 2016

Post S7: Art Aside Specials

These posts are still coming together on a wing and a prayer. Not sure what we'll have next week - but I know what's this week, and that's more art. First, another commissioned piece from ConBravo 2015, this time the new Lyn.
New Lyn, as drawn
by Meg Simmons.
I had asked for a somewhat gender neutral look. The inverse of a linear function is also linear, as opposed to the other polynomials, who have defined male counterparts... so in my redesign, I was trying to consider that aspect of the character. It's an idea that fell a bit by the wayside, as I scrambled to put this comic together every week, but I think that image did a good job of capturing my intent. If you want to see a prior Lyn for comparison, see this art post.

This next image needs some context. I had a student in my 3M class last semester who would draw anime style characters on the backs of her tests. Some rather intricate, depending on how long it took her to finish the actual math. She was really good. I would often respond with little head shots of my own characters. At the end of the semester, I asked if it was okay to have a couple photocopies of my favourites, and she said sure. Then she drew me this:

Unsolicited artwork of one of my characters, for the first time ever. (It's Sine, better than I've ever drawn her!) This is the sort of thing that makes me wonder (again) how such things might be incorporated into the actual strip; time will tell.

And that was going to be it for this post, but then the following was posted to my wall last week for my birthday:

That's by John Golden, who gave me permission to post it here. It even includes math humour! That was the first time I found a use for FBs new 'love' button. I also made my own silly birthday image, which you can see there (if you want more of my usual).

Thanks for having a look! Feel free to personify math yourselves! And come back next week for... something, hopefully... any ideas?