|
Fall 2010
Math 125 Seminar in Mathematics:
Mathematical Thinking in the Real World
Infinity, the Fourth Dimension, Primes and Chaos
Homework and In-class Assignments
A printed version of this page has no borders, background, links or menu bars.
Assigned work is listed here with most recent work listed first:
- For Friday December 3 (you will give brief presentations that day): Creative project on Fractals and/or Chaos is due. This can be any creative work. You must also turn in a 300-word essay explaining your work, how it relates to fractals and/or chaos, and why you chose to create your particular project.
- Section 6.6
- Mindscapes: 1-18, 22-24, 26-31
- Turn in a reading response
- Section 6.5
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 7, 12-15, 21, 22, 24, 30-32, 38, 39
- Turn in a reading response
- Section 6.4
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 8, 1, 12-15, 20-23, 26-30, 36, 38, 40
- No reading response
- Due Monday November 29: one of 41, 43, 44
- Section 6.3
- Mindscapes: 1-7, 1-12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21
- Turn in a reading response
- Section 6.2
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 32, 33, 37
- No reading response
- Due Friday November 19: one of 41, 43, 44
- Section 6.1
- Mindscapes: 1-6, 9
- Turn in a reading response
- Section 5.6
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6-12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23
- No reading response
- Due Wednesday November 10: 24
- Section 5.5
- Mindscapes: 6, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 26-28, 35, 36, 38
- Turn in a reading response
- Section 5.4
- Mindscapes: 7-9, 12, 14, 15, 19, 20, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 35-37, 39, 40
- Turn in a reading response
- Due Monday November 8: 40
- Section 5.3
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 23
- Turn in a reading response
- Section 5.2
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6-8, 14, 24, 26-28, 39
- No reading response
- Due Monday November 1: one of 41, 43, 44
- Section 5.1
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 7, 9, 10-12, 12, 24, 26-28, 31, 38, 39
- Turn in a reading response
- Section 4.7
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6-8, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22
- No reading response
- For Wednesday October 20, read at least the first 30 pages (the first 9 sections) of "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions" by Edwin A. Abbott');
- For Friday October 22, read "... And He Built a Crooked House --" by Robert A. Heinlein
-
Write a page or so on each of the two readings on other dimensions:
- describe life in Flatland (the inhabitants, their customs, episodes in their history), due Friday October 22; and
- outline the plot of the short story "-- And He Built a Crooked House ---" by Robert A. Heinlein; make connections with our study of the fourth dimension, due Monday October 25.
- For Wednesday October 27 (you will give brief presentations that day): Creative project on the fourth dimension is due. This can be any creative work. You must also turn in a 300-word essay explaining your work, how it relates to the fourth dimension, and why you chose to create your particular project.
- Section 4.5
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 9, 11, 14-17, 21
- Due on Monday October 11: reading response
- Section 4.4
- Mindscapes: 6, 8, 9-12, 15, 16, 18, 21
- Due on Friday October 8: reading response
- Due on Monday October 11: a solution to # 8
- Section 4.3
- Mindscapes: 6, 7, 8, 13, 16, 20, 22
- Due on Friday October 8: 23, 25 or 26
- Section 4.2
- Mindscapes: 7-11, 14-16, 19, 21, 22
- Due on Monday October 4: reading response
- Due on Wednesday October 6: a solution to # 10, including triangulations, coloring of the vertices, counts of the colors, and conclusions about where to place video cameras.
- Section 4.1
- Mindscapes: 6-8, 10-13, 15, 16, 20-22
- Due on Friday October 1: reading response
- Due on Monday October 4: a group solution to one of 13, 15, 20, 21
- Due on Monday October 4: a carefully explained proof of the Pythagorean theorem
- Section 3.3
- Mindscapes: 6, 7, 9, 10, 12-14, 16, 19, 20, 22
- Due on Wednesday September 29: reading response
- Due on Friday October 1: read Section 3.4 up to the end of the four questions on Page 196. Write a 300 word reflection on infinity. What are the most interesting or surprising discoveries of Chapter 3?
- Section 3.2
- Mindscapes: 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 20, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 31, 32, 34, 35
- Due on Wednesday September 29: one of 41, 43 or 44
- Section 3.1
- Mindscapes: 1-20
- No work due from this section. Make sure you can solve the "Hilbert Hotel" problems.
- Section 2.6
- Mindscapes: 1, 3, 4, 7, 6, 9, 11, 22, 26, 37, 40
- Due on Wednesday September 22: Reading Response
- Due on Friday September 24: Turn in a proof that the square root of three is irrational
- Section 2.5
- Mindscapes: 7, 8, 11, 13, 15-17, 19, 22
- Due on Wednesday September 22: one of 23, 25 or 26
- Section 2.4
- With reading:do Mindscapes 1-5
- Mindscapes: 6, 10, 13, 17, 19, 20-22, 26, 29, 32, 33, 39, 40
- Due on Friday September 10: Reading response.
- Section 2.3
- With reading: do one Mindscape from each of the following ranges: 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-25
- Mindscapes: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 13, 14, 19, 20, 26-28, 31, 35, 36
- Due on Wednesday September 8: Write a complete and careful proof that there is an inifinite number of primes.
- Due on Friday September 10: First draft of a short paper of at least 300 words on one of the unanswered questions about prime numbers (the twin prime conjecture or the Goldbach conjecture). Discuss the question's history, describe what progress has been made on the question, and include any interested related information. Take note of the following requirements:
- Include a list of references at the end of your paper.
- If you include a quote from your sources, make sure that you give attribution to the source of the quote and make it clear exactly what is quoted.
- Be careful not to plagiarize from any source - do not copy anything without attribution. Write the majority of the paper in your own words!
- Your paper will be graded on content (amount of information), mathematical accuracy, use of correct grammar and spelling, and on overall quality.
- Due on Wednesday September 15: second draft of the above paper.
- Section 2.2
- With reading: do calculations, play Fibonacci Nim
- Mindscapes: 7, 8, 26, 6, 10, 12, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20
- Due on Friday September 3: One of 7, 8, 26 and one of 41, 43, 44
- Section 2.1
- With reading: do one Mindscape from each of the following ranges: 1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, then do 21 and 22. Add the following to 21: (b) OTTFFSSEN... and (c) JFMAMJ...
- Due on Monday August 30: Reading response.
- Section 1.4
- Work on these stories: 1-3, 5-12. Number 15 is a semester challenge problem.
- Due on Monday August 30: Write a solution for your favorite Mindscape from this sectin, and also explain why you chose this Mindscape.
- Section 1.1
- Work on the stories not discussed in class (omit Stories 7-9). You will takes turns presenting your solutions and ideas.
- Due on Friday August 27: Please write (or, preferably, type) a paragraph or two about yourself. What is your major? What is your mathematical background? Why are you taking this class? What are you hoping to get out of this class? How do you intend to ensure a successful experience in this class? Visit the web site for this class - tell me something about it that you like, and something that could be improved. Write anything else you wish.
Where is New Zealand?
|