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Homework and In-class Assignments
- For Friday December 9 (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
- Due Wednesday December 7: reading response
- Section 6.5
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 7, 12-15, 21, 22, 24, 30-32, 38, 39
- Due Friday December 2: reading response
- Due Monday December 5: find a favorite Conway's Game of Life starting pattern online and also create your own starting pattern. Turn in these patterns and write about why you chose them.
- Section 6.4
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 8, 1, 12-15, 20-23, 26-30, 36, 38, 40
- No reading response
- Due Friday December 2: one of 41, 43, 44
- Section 6.3
- Mindscapes: 1-7, 1-12, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21
- Due Monday November 28: 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 18: one of 41, 43, 44
- Section 6.1
- Mindscapes: 1-6, 9
- No reading response
- Section 5.6
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6-12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 21, 23
- No reading response
- Due Monday November 14: 24
- Section 5.5
- Mindscapes: 6, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 26-28, 35, 36, 38
- Due Wednesday November 9: reading response
- Section 5.4
- Mindscapes: 7-9, 12, 14, 15, 19, 20, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32, 33, 35-37, 39, 40
- Due Monday November 7: reading response
- Due Wednesday November 9: 40
- Section 5.3
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15, 19, 21, 23
- Due Friday November 4: reading response
- Section 5.2
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6-8, 14, 24, 26-28, 39
- No reading response
- Due Friday November 4: one of 41, 43, 44
- Section 5.1
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6, 7, 9, 10-12, 12, 24, 26-28, 31, 38, 39
- Due on Friday October 28: reading response
- Section 4.7
- Mindscapes: 1-5, 6-8, 10, 11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22
- No reading response
- For Monday October 17, read at least the first 30 pages (the first 9 sections) of "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions" by Edwin A. Abbott');
- For Wednesday October 26, read "... And He Built a Crooked House --" by Robert A. Heinlein (make sure you click through all three web pages to read the whole story!).
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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 Wednesday October 19; 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 Friday October 28.
- For Monday October 31 (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 Friday October 14: reading response
- Section 4.4
- Mindscapes: 6, 8, 9-12, 15, 16, 18, 21
- Due on Wednesday October 12: reading response
- Due on Friday October 14: a solution to # 8
- Section 4.3
- Mindscapes: 6, 7, 8, 13, 16, 20, 22
- Due on Wednesday October 12: 23, 25 or 26
- Section 4.2
- Mindscapes: 7-11, 14-16, 19, 21, 22
- Due on Friday October 7: reading response
- Due on Monday October 10: 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 Wednesday October 5: reading response
- Due on Friday October 7: a group solution to one of 13, 15, 20, 21
- Due on Friday October 7: a carefully explained proof of the Pythagorean theorem
- Section 3.3
- Mindscapes: 6, 7, 9, 10, 12-14, 16, 19, 20, 22
- Due on Monday October 3: reading response
- Due on Wednesday October 5: 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 Monday October 3: 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 Monday September 26: Reading Response
- Due on Wednesday September 28: 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 Monday September 26: 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 16: 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 14: Write a complete and careful proof that there is an infinite number of primes.
- Due on Friday September 16: 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 21: 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 Monday September 12: 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 Wednesday September 7: Reading response.
- Section 1.4
- Work on these stories: 1-3, 5-12. Number 15 is a semester challenge problem.
- Due on Wednesday September 7: 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 September 2: 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?
Also: send an email to your family, telling them when your tests and final exam are in this class, advising them NOT to book travel that conflicts with these events.