Why we study math ?

Interesting how a fighting technique using the nunchaku weapon, the octagonal oak sticks connected by a short chain or string, which were immortalized by Bruce Lee in his famous martial arts film, "Enter the Dragon," and mathematics---particularly parametric equations---could be so nicely entwined. It is as though mathematics has no favoritism when popping its head up in all kinds of seemingly unrelated fields. Read on and you will see how the nunchaku and math are so related.

In a previous article titled, "Why Study Math? - Parametric Equations," I talked about how these nifty equations can describe some exotic curves which, using only the variables x and y, could not be so easily expressed. Thus we talked about the cycloid and how it is easily described by the two parametric equations x = a(t - sint) and y = a(1 - cost). If you tried to eliminate the parameter and express this curve only in terms of x and y, I think you will find this to be an insurmountable task. I tried it and quickly found myself mired in some deep quicksand. Better to stick to the parametric equations.

Now how would parametric equations and math get caught up with Bruce Lee and the art of nunchakudo? Well firstly, as a master of the martial arts and particularly the art of using the nunchuks, which is called nunchakudo, Bruce Lee could produce beautiful katas, or forms, using the nunchuks as a weapon. When executing these katas, Lee, or any expert nunchakudoka (martial artist who is expert at the nunchuks), would wave these curious sticks in wave patterns and swirls which are described by some beautiful mathematical curves called Lissajous, eponymously named after the French mathematician who studied them in detail.

The Lissajous are given parametrically by x = A[sin(at) + d], y = B[sin(bt)]. The curves range from the simple sideways figure eight, as when A = 1, B = 2, and d = pi/2 (pi is approximately 3.14), to intricate opposite-facing boomerang figures. Now relating these curves back to nunchakudo, it turns out that when practicing with these sticks, the expert will swing them in patterns that trace out the various Lissajous curves. As the practitioner becomes more and more expert, he or she can trace out more intricate Lissajous curves and do this with poise, artistry, and balance. Now how's that for a real-life example of where math comes into play in the world!

The next time you watch a martial arts movie like "Enter the Dragon" and see the nunchuks being swung in graceful fashion, remember there's a set of parametric equations that describes that beautiful motion and elegant display of the chuks. Indeed Bruce Lee would be proud to know that someone understood his art in this way.

Joe is a prolific writer of self-help and educational material and an award-winning former teacher of both college and high school mathematics. Joe is the creator of the Wiz Kid series of math ebooks, Arithmetic Magic, the little classic on the ABC's of arithmetic, the original collection of poetry, Poems for the Mathematically Insecure, and the short but highly effective fraction troubleshooter Fractions for the Faint of Heart. The diverse genre of his writings (novel, short story, essay, script, and poetry)-particularly in regard to its educational flavor- continues to captivate readers and to earn him recognition.

Joe propagates his teaching philosophy through his articles and books and is dedicated to helping educate children living in impoverished countries. Toward this end, he donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every ebook.