CSU EAST BAY
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS AND
COMPUTER SCIENCE
COLLOQUIUM
Friday, April 1, 2005; Noon-1pm SC N321
Speaker:
Helmer Aslaksen
National University of Singapore & UC Berkeley
Heavenly Mathematics: Observing the Sun and the Moon from Different Parts of the World
Most astronomy books are written from a "high-northern-latitude-centric" point of view. I will discuss the motion of the Sun and the Moon from a "hemispherically-correct" point of view, with special emphasis on the needs of "latitudinally-challenged" observers.
Some of the questions we will address are: Why do clocks go clockwise? What does the orbit of the Moon around the Sun look like? Which day does the Sun rise earliest in San Francisco, Singapore or Sydney? How do you tell the difference between a waxing crescent Moon and a waning crescent Moon in San Francisco, Singapore or Sydney?
I hope that this talk will make you more conscious of the mathematics of the world around you, and give you knowledge that you will enjoy sharing with others for the rest of your life.
Pizza and soda will be served for those attending!