Event Description: Tales of pyramids and spheres: speaking volumes of CavalieriAbstract: We will explore the computation of volume of interesting solids using simple geometrical ideas and dimensional arguments. We will start with the unassuming pyramid and we will explore how dimensional arguments and extreme case reasoning allows us to approach the volume of a truncated pyramid. If you have ever wondered about the formula for the cone volume, we will see this in action by building a paper model and solving a puzzle. Following this, we will extend this idea to the volume of a sphere using the ideas of Cavalieri and discover how it has connections with another peculiar solid, which goes by many names, but one is called the Steinmetz solid! Depending on audience interest, we can draw connections to Mamikon’s sweeping tangent theorem and its connection to Cavalieri congruenceAbout the Speaker: Kaushik Basu is an instructor in Mathematics and Physics at the Graduate School of Education, Un...
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