Subj : Re: Hey Nick
To   : alt.tv.farscape
From : Jim Larson
Date : Tue Sep 06 2005 03:45:11

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.farscape

weirdwolf wrote:

> Tyler Trafford <ttrafford+usenet@gmail.com> wrote in news:3o4cs5F4520qU1
> @individual.net:
> 
>> Jim Larson wrote:
>> 
>>> Yes, yes, but that's not quite as easy to produce as something with
>>> obviously positive curvature (with props and stuff) like say, a
>>> sphere. Also, it's not really the negative curvature analogue to a
>>> sphere, since that has constant positive Gaussian curvature at every
>>> point. The canonical hyperbolic paraboloid has asymptotically 0
>>> curvature in any direction away from the origin. An analogue with
>>> constant negative curvature is generally difficult to picture in R^3.
>>> You could take something like a pseudosphere (surface of revolution of
>>> a tractrix) or Kuen's surface, which just looks freaky. But again, not
>>> exactly easy prop material.
>> 
>> YAY!
>> 
>> (Speaking of math, I can't believe how little Calculus I remember, 
> after
>> doing little else for four years.)
> 
><sigh> I've never learnt calculus. Laugh at point at me now if you will. 
> I feel like such a barbarian.

Now there's a good starting point. If you are so inclined, get thee to a 
library and borrow a book. 

If you like the "classics" and are interested in a bit of formalism, try G.H. 
Hardy's Course of Pure Mathematics. It's an oldy (1908) but a goody. And he 
was a Brit, so...uh...you can salute it and stuff.

-- 
Jim

.