Astrophysics without Mathematics

Mathematics and explanation in astronomy and astrophysics

The purpose of this paper is to expound and clarify the mathematics and explanations commonly employed in certain notable areas of astronomy and astrophysics. The first section concentrates upon the mathematics employed to represent and understand stellar structure and evolution. The second section analyses two different explanations for the structure of spiral galaxies. 1 Stellar structure and...

Constructive mathematics without choice

What becomes of constructive constructive mathematics without the axiom of (countable) choice? Using illustrations from a variety of areas, it is argued that it becomes better. Despite the apparent unanimity among schools of constructive mathematics with respect to the acceptance of the countable axiom of choice, I believe it to be one of the central problems, or mysteries, of constructive math...

Mathematics is painting without the brush; painting is mathematics without the chalk

Although at a superficial level mathematics and painting may be perceived as of very different nature, they are profoundly similar at a deep conceptual and functional level. The similarity goes far beyond immediate relationships such as the fact that geometry plays a significant role in both disciplines. The deep and significant kinship between math and painting becomes evident, when one consid...

Astrophysics.

Using the oscillation frequencies of α Cen A recently discovered by Bouchy & Carrier (2001, 2002), the available astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic data, we tried to improve the calibration of the visual binary system α Cen. With the revisited masses of Pour-baix et al. (2002) we do not succeed to obtain a solution satisfying all the seismic observational constraints. Relaxing the const...

Astrophysics.