Issue 17 - Jan 2006
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Dr Burkard Polster a researcher of Monash University in Melbourne , Australia and his international colleagues have calculated that simply turning a rectangular table around on most surfaces will cure the wobble. Ok, so the table might not necessarily end up being totally horizontal, which means your drink may still slide off. But it won't wobble. But if you are
curious
as to the mathematics behind such a solution you could do what Polster did himself and apply 'intermediate value theory' to solve the problem. His research uses this theory to pinpoint the process by which the balanced point can be found. "In practice, it does not seem to matter how exactly you turn your table on the spot, as long as you turn roughly around the centre of the table," he says. Polster says unlike four legs, three will always balance. This explains why you'll rarely encounter a wobbly three-legged stool. A fourth leg requires what is known as an extra degree of freedom to find stability, and this is provided by rotation. Give a table a fifth leg, Polster adds, and the chances of finding common ground for all of the legs becomes harder. Source:
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| maths news: from around the globe  |
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 On 15th December 2005, two professors at Central Missouri University in the USA stuck mathematic gold when they found the largest prime number yet discovered.MORE |
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 A mathematician in Melbourne has applied a mathematical formula to solving one of the most irritating problems in the restaurant; how to stabilise a wobbly table. MORE |
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 University College London Tennis players unwittingly use maths to estimate the speed and accuracy of their opponent's return.MORE |
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Visit the NCETM website for further maths news
A mathematician in Melbourne has applied a mathematical formula to solving one of the most irritating problems in the restaurant; how to stabilise a wobbly table without needing to jam a coaster under one of the legs. 
