Monthly Archives: November 2014

A Little Queueing Math

Posted on 8-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction Queues arise naturally in many circumstances and networking products are no exception. We use queues for many tasks in our networking products and this post discusses our need to store packets while we wait to be granted access to … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiber Optics, Networking | Comments Off on A Little Queueing Math

Cow Productivity

Posted on 7-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Quote of the Day The good thing about science is that it is true whether or not you believe in it. — Neil deGrasse Tyson Many of my blog posts are motivated by lunch-time conversations with our engineering staff. During … Continue reading →

Posted in General Science | Comments Off on Cow Productivity

Wood Hardness Versus Moisture Content

Posted on 5-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction I have long been told that wood hardens as it ages, but I have anecdotal evidence that this is not always true. I also know that some species are far harder than others (Figure 1). I read the following … Continue reading →

Posted in Construction | Comments Off on Wood Hardness Versus Moisture Content

Spy Camera Math

Posted on 3-November-2014 by mathscinotes

Introduction I just listened to a very interesting interview of Philip Pressel, a retired Perkin-Elmer mechanical engineer and satellite surveillance camera designer. The interview was conducted by Vince Houghton of the International Spy Museum. Philip discussed how the recently declassified … Continue reading →

Posted in History of Science and Technology, optics | 3 Comments

Good Examples of Underwater Pressure

Posted on 1-November-2014 by mathscinotes

I used to work on ships that were used to test undersea equipment. When we had visitors on the ship, we would put a Styrofoam cup on some of our test gear when lowered the equipment to our test depth. … Continue reading →

Posted in Underwater | 1 Comment