Oxford 2011 Freshers Chat Thread

If you want a cheap, meaty buy. Ham hock.

It's fantastic, a big bit lasts for days, and to cook it you just boil it for a while.

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1341/ham-hock-and-lentils

This'll keep you alive for a whole term.

Reply 3401

micky022

16

I don't like baked beans :frown:

However, some different sauces and my Oxford career as an Asian peasant begins...

Reply 3402

The Anti-Hero

10

Original post by deFossard

I know what you mean, I think similarly of Niall Ferguson, I know he's slightly more of a popular historian, but he writes in such an engrossing way. I'm reading Roy Porter's "Enlightenment: Britain and the making of the modern world" which is certainly very good, but it's packed to the brim with all sorts of -isms. How am I meant to keep track of Cartesianism, Deism, Arithomancy, Cleromancy, Dactylomancy.....?

I've never read anything by Porter, but I agree that Ferguson is great. He's a very interesting guy; did you watch his "Is the West History?" programme a few months ago? I don't care if he's "popularist"- he's a bloody good historian.
Likewise for Tom Holland; he might be looked down upon slightly by academics, but in terms of cultivating an interest in his period he really nails it.
Historiographical snobbery is a very dangerous thing; in an attempt to
avoid coming across as "popularist" I think lots of historians lose their accessibility and the exciting, pseudo-escapist element of history gets lost.

Forgive the nerdy rant XD

Reply 3403

micky022

16

Fergusson annoys me a little bit. Not sure why.

Reply 3404

Yafoubnx

Original post by micky022

Fergusson annoys me a little bit. Not sure why.

Probably has something to do with his obsession with the superiority of the western world and his neoliberal worldview. He was quite a good historian back in the day, but he looks more and more like a pundit with each passing year.

Reply 3405

gasmask

Any maths people: is the reading list ****ing you over too? I'm on chapter 1 of Numbers and Proofs (Allenby) and I've utterly forgotten how to prove 5sinx - 4cosx < 9. Can't even wait to begin the problem sheets.

Reply 3406

BJack

19

Original post by SamF1992

Going down on Wednesday for accomodation purposes, excited now :biggrin:

*going up.

Original post by deFossard

Mini fridges, eh? Guess which college has a mini fridge in each room...

It's so handy.

Reply 3407

dbmag9

15

Original post by gasmask

Any maths people: is the reading list ****ing you over too? I'm on chapter 1 of Numbers and Proofs (Allenby) and I've utterly forgotten how to prove 5sinx - 4cosx < 9. Can't even wait to begin the problem sheets.

I've started looking through the material for single maths A-levelers (I did IB, but hopefully it'll help get me back into it), and I'm starting to realise quite how rusty I've gotten. Hopefully it'll start coming back as I do the problem sheets, otherwise it's going to be an interesting first term...

Reply 3408

micky022

16

Original post by Yafoubnx

Probably has something to do with his obsession with the superiority of the western world and his neoliberal worldview. He was quite a good historian back in the day, but he looks more and more like a pundit with each passing year.

I think he was on Newsnight/Question Time and I remember him, like Starkey, coming across as quite arrogant and difficult. Starkey is the worst though.

Reply 3409

fluteflute

19

Original post by gasmask

Any maths people: is the reading list ****ing you over too? I'm on chapter 1 of Numbers and Proofs (Allenby) and I've utterly forgotten how to prove 5sinx - 4cosx < 9. Can't even wait to begin the problem sheets.

Here's a not particularly scientific proof, but i think it sort of works...

-1 ≤ sin x ≤ 1
-1 ≤ cos x ≤ 1

-5 ≤ 5sinx ≤ 5
-4 ≤ 4cosx ≤ 4

-9 ≤ 5sinx - 4cosx ≤ 9
(5sinx - 4cosx ≤ 9)

However in order to get 5sinx - 4cosx = 9 then sinx would have to be at a maximum at the same time as cosx is at a minimum. If you plot the graphs of these two functions you see this never happens.

Therefore if 5sinx - 4cosx ≠ 9
and 5sinx - 4cosx ≤ 9
5sinx - 4cosx < 9

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 3410

soutioirsim

15

Original post by gasmask

Any maths people: is the reading list ****ing you over too? I'm on chapter 1 of Numbers and Proofs (Allenby) and I've utterly forgotten how to prove 5sinx - 4cosx < 9. Can't even wait to begin the problem sheets.

Sorry to intrude but could you rewrite it as

5sinx - 4cosx = Rsin(x+k)

and then show that

R < 9

?

(Use the double angle formula to get the Rsin(x+k) bit)

Reply 3411

gasmask

Original post by fluteflute

proof

That is a little distressing, but I think it's essentially what the back of the book is saying. I just realised that the answers are printed in the Appendix... woops.

@soutioirsim: that actually shows that -rt41 ≤ 5sinx - 4cosx ≤ rt41 because 5sinx - 4 cosx = rt41sin(x-0.67...)

I should learn LaTeX.

Reply 3412

soutioirsim

15

Original post by gasmask

That is a little distressing, but I think it's essentially what the back of the book is saying. I just realised that the answers are printed in the Appendix... woops.

@soutioirsim: that actually shows that -rt41 ≤ 5sinx - 4cosx ≤ rt41 because 5sinx - 4 cosx = rt41sin(x-0.67...)

I should learn LaTeX.

Yeah so if

-\sqrt{41}< 5sinx-4cosx < \sqrt{41}

Then surely it follows that

5sinx - 4cosx < 9

because obviously

\sqrt{41}<9

? (Or am I just not being mathsy enough? :p:

)

Reply 3413

BJack

19

Original post by gasmask

I should learn LaTeX.

Basically you just put slashes before everything. >_>

Reply 3414

Fang_RedDragon

Original post by gasmask

That is a little distressing, but I think it's essentially what the back of the book is saying. I just realised that the answers are printed in the Appendix... woops.

@soutioirsim: that actually shows that -rt41 ≤ 5sinx - 4cosx ≤ rt41 because 5sinx - 4 cosx = rt41sin(x-0.67...)

I should learn LaTeX.

Am I the only one reading this and thinking waaaa?!

Reply 3415

LtCommanderData

13

Original post by dbmag9

Ack, so jealous. I want my @merton.ox.ac.uk (incidentally, am I the only person who pronounces that as "dot ox dot ack dot uck"?) address!

I do too! (In my head, at least)

Original post by qwertyuiop1993

It'd be cool if Exeter emails were "ex.ox.ac.uk"

I think someone mentioned this earlier, but your pronunciation would make it sound so cool.

That was me, and the pronunciation thing partly inspired it!

:biggrin:

BTW, maths people, where did you get these problem sheets/reading lists? Did they come in the post/email from your college or did you get them off the maths institute site? I haven't had anything subject specific from my college :s-smilie:

Reply 3416

dbmag9

15

Original post by LtCommanderData

I do too! (In my head, at least)

BTW, maths people, where did you get these problem sheets/reading lists? Did they come in the post/email from your college or did you get them off the maths institute site? I haven't had anything subject specific from my college :s-smilie:

Woo, the movement grows.

The information we got from Merton just recommended doing the exercises here, which is what I've started looking at.

Reply 3417

deFossard

Original post by The Anti-Hero

I've never read anything by Porter, but I agree that Ferguson is great. He's a very interesting guy; did you watch his "Is the West History?" programme a few months ago? I don't care if he's "popularist"- he's a bloody good historian.
Likewise for Tom Holland; he might be looked down upon slightly by academics, but in terms of cultivating an interest in his period he really nails it.
Historiographical snobbery is a very dangerous thing; in an attempt to
avoid coming across as "popularist" I think lots of historians lose their accessibility and the exciting, pseudo-escapist element of history gets lost.

Forgive the nerdy rant XD

Loved that series. It was so well made, and he makes his arguments so soundly. This is also a very good series of his. Taught me what bonds were, then I forgot.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-ascent-of-money

I've been meaning to read Rubicon for AGES, every time I flicked through it at my bookshop it seemed fantastic. I think the same goes for Boris Johnson's book The Dream of Rome, it's fantastic popular history, witty, exciting, escapist and it's fostered a real interest in Rome. Now, onto Tacitus!

Reply 3418

refref

You don't really need to do any preparation for maths, unless you didn't take further maths at A-level.

Reply 3419

gasmask

Original post by LtCommanderData

BTW, maths people, where did you get these problem sheets/reading lists? Did they come in the post/email from your college or did you get them off the maths institute site? I haven't had anything subject specific from my college :s-smilie:

I was sent a subset of the aforelinked problem sheets to do BEFORE THE END OF SEPTEMBER POST IT TO ME FAST FAST FAST. :eek:

About the email addresses - I got my @worc.ox.ac.uk address today (pronounced work dot ox dot ack dot uck too :biggrin:

) and got so excited! I have it all set up in Mail as my "Nexus" account and all. I feel so proper! (This was before I started reading Numbers and Proofs :frown:

)

To the physicist - I don't think it is mathsy enough. It wants to prove it's less than 9, not less than or equal to rt41, which is what I can prove :frown:

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