does "hidden figures" have any equations?

[StephenG1CMZ]

I just bought "hidden figures", a book about some mathematicians at NASA.
I gather there is also a movie.

On getting it home and having a very quick skim through the book, I was surprised and disappointed that I didnt see any formulae, just lots of text.

Though to be fair to the book, there was an extensive bibliography and notes, so perhaps its just an index to other books containing some maths.

I guess the historical story will be interesting and worth the £2, but my initial impression is one of disappointment in the book, on a par with buying a book about Neil Armstrong and finding that it didn't mention what kind of vehicle he used to travel in.

Did I miss a page of formulae out?
Or am I just being too harsh because I was hoping to find a few formulae to type into the HP Prime?

[KeithB]

The movie has a lot of equations on the blackboard and some discussion of going from elliptical to parabolic.

Also a mention of "Euler's Method", which would have more likely been called Runge Kutta at the time.

It also shows a FORTRAN text. I could not tell whether it was by McCracken, though. 8^)

Great Movie.

[Don Shepherd]

(02-11-2017 12:23 AM)KeithB Wrote:  It also shows a FORTRAN text. I could not tell whether it was by McCracken, though. 8^)

I think that FORTRAN text, titled "Understanding FORTRAN," might have just been a prop for the movie, and not a real book. I did some searching on Amazon for FORTRAN books published around the late 50's and early 60's and didn't find anything. I did find (and buy) a book titled "Understanding FORTRAN" published in 1968, but it has a totally different cover than the book in the movie, that's why I think the book shown in the movie was a prop.

I agree, great movie.

[Paul Dale]

Hmmm, folks need to relearn the history of computing and appreciate the genius of:

ttp://members.iinet.net.au/~neonsignal/jokes/rambo.html


Pauli

[rprosperi]

(02-11-2017 08:28 AM)Paul Dale Wrote:  Hmmm, folks need to relearn the history of computing and appreciate the genius of:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~neonsignal/jokes/rambo.html


Pauli

Bad link, at least here in NY.

[StephenG1CMZ]

(02-11-2017 01:36 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  

(02-11-2017 08:28 AM)Paul Dale Wrote:  Hmmm, folks need to relearn the history of computing and appreciate the genius of:

http://members.iinet.net.au/~neonsignal/jokes/rambo.html


Pauli

Bad link, at least here in NY.

You need to change the the h blue t t P to http.

[rprosperi]

(02-11-2017 02:41 PM)StephenG1CMZ Wrote:  You need to change the the h blue t t P to http.

Ahh... yes I see it clearly (now that you've pointed it out). The leading h was not included in the embedded url. I never looked at the very first character of the link.

You trying to keep us honest Pauli?

[Csaba Tizedes]

In the film the FORTRAN book is a real book?
Who is the author and what is the title?

Thanks,
Csaba

[rprosperi]

(03-23-2020 05:49 PM)Csaba Tizedes Wrote:  In the film the FORTRAN book is a real book?
Who is the author and what is the title?

Look 5 posts above yours. Seems to be not genuine...

[toml_12953]

(02-10-2017 11:10 PM)StephenG1CMZ Wrote:  I just bought "hidden figures", a book about some mathematicians at NASA.
I gather there is also a movie.

On getting it home and having a very quick skim through the book, I was surprised and disappointed that I didnt see any formulae, just lots of text.

Though to be fair to the book, there was an extensive bibliography and notes, so perhaps its just an index to other books containing some maths.

I guess the historical story will be interesting and worth the £2, but my initial impression is one of disappointment in the book, on a par with buying a book about Neil Armstrong and finding that it didn't mention what kind of vehicle he used to travel in.

Did I miss a page of formulae out?
Or am I just being too harsh because I was hoping to find a few formulae to type into the HP Prime?

It's a story, not a math book. It's written for entertainment and a superficial insight into the lives of the people involved. The people at whom it's targeted wouldn't understand the math anyway.

[Steve Simpkin]

I love how a conversation can pick up after three (or more) years as if no time had passed at all Some forum sites lock threads after a few months or so of inactivity. I'm glad this site doesn't do that. A lot of topics are still relevant years later.

As a side note Katherine Johnson, one of the main characters
in the movie, just passed away last month at the age of 101.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson

[toml_12953]

(03-24-2020 01:30 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  I love how a conversation can pick up after three (or more) years as if no time had passed at all Some forum sites lock threads after a few months or so of inactivity. I'm glad this site doesn't do that. A lot of topics are still relevant years later.

As a side note Katherine Johnson, one of the main characters
in the movie, just passed away last month at the age of 101.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katherine_Johnson

Let's do the Time Warp again... I'm glad they don't lock topics as well. I'm still interested in many things from auld lang syne.