Saturday, August 13, 2011

The Batman Equation


I can't verify that this is completely legit, but it certainly is very cool!  HardOCP has posted on their website a screen shot of an extremely elaborate mathematical formula, and its corresponding plot on a graph.  And, lo and behold, it's a Batman graph!

I wonder how long it will be before we have the Superman shield plotted out as well!  Though, I would imagine that as complicated as this Batman equation appears, it is probably just a piecemeal equation composed of lines and curves over specific domains.  The Superman equation would likely be far more complicated, as its shape is far more intricate.  If anyone has any free time and is able to put one together, send it my way and I'll be the first to post it for you!  :)

If ever there was a reason to learn how to make charts, this Batman graph is a pretty good one!  Though, judging by the complexity of the Batman equation (in the top part of the pic below), you would likely want to have a good graphing solver program.  Some of the most popular graphing calculators are made by Texas Instruments.  These TI calculators, such as TI 83, allow you to plug in your equations and have a big screen that will then display what your curve looks like.  These kinds of math graphing calculators would be invaluable if you need to work with complex mathematical formulas and their graphs.


*Edit: I'm surprised at the amount of traffic this blog posting generates!  When I first posted, I had no idea that so many people would end up searching for a Batman equation, and my site would rank so highly for it!  Check out this website as well for really cool visuals created by mathematical equations.  (Batman makes an appearance there as well.)  If nothing else, I hope that this demonstrates how useful math can be to do really cool things!  As I mentioned above, the equation shown above the Batman graph seems to be a piecemeal function, which utilizes a different equation over different domains of the function.  As you can see, piecemeal functions can produce some very interesting designs when graphed out.  Similarly, polar equations can produce very elegant designs as well!  A polar graph is based on an entirely different coordinate system, though it's just another example of how what seems to be just complicated strings of numbers and operations can come together to make something really interesting!  This general math concept should be taught to students early on, to hopefully catch their interest in pursuing further studies in mathematics!  After all, someone needs to develop the Superman equation!


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