A printed version of this page has no headers, footers, menu bars or this message.
General Course Information
Undergraduate Catalog Description: An inquiry course open to all undergraduates. In this course, aimed at students in the humanities and social sciences, we study some of the greatest ideas of mathematics that are often hidden from view in lower division courses. Topics selected from number theory, the infinite, geometry, topology, chaos and fractals, and probability. Taught in a computer classroom. 3 credit hours. Prerequisite: MATH 1200 with a grade of "C-" or higher, Math Waiver per Advisor with a minimum score of 1200, or SLU Math Placement with a minimum score of 1400.
Important (for students): the official class syllabus is available on Canvas. Read it.
What is this course?
Objectives
Student Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to recall accurately definitions of concepts in the course, e.g., Fibonacci numbers, prime numbers, one-to-one correspondence, golden ratio, platonic solids, topological equivalence, Möbius band, Euler circuit, planar graph, fractal.
- Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to prove basic results about fundamental concepts of the course, e.g., the infinity of primes, the irrationality of the square root of a prime, the countability of the rationals, the uncountability of the reals, the Theorem of Pythagoras, the Art Gallery Theorem, an outline of the Brouwer Fixed Point Theorem, the Hot Loop Theorem.
- Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to recognize when and how to apply important theorems.
- Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to work with and devise examples that illustrate basic concepts of the course.
- Students will be able to demonstrate the ability to translate a real life problem into mathematical language and recognize which mathematical tools to apply to solve the problem.
- Students will be able to demonstrate an appreciation for the beauty and power of mathematics.
Syllabus
Chapter 1: Fun and Games: An Introduction to Rigorous Thought
Chapter 2: Number Contemplations (2.1 - 2.6)
Chapter 3: Infinity (3.1 - 3.3)
Chapter 4: Geometric Gems (4.1 - 4.5, 4.7)
Chapter 5: Contortions of Space
Chapter 6: Modeling Our World Through Graphs (6.1 - 6.3)
Chapter 7: Chaos and Fractals
Assessment
1. | Homework and Projects | 25% |
2. | Class participation | 15% |
3. | Tests | 36% |
4. | Final Examination | 24% |
Test Schedule
Important: the dates listed below are subject to adjustment, for example, for unexpected/unpredictable events.
Test 1: Wednesday, September 21
Test 2: Friday, October 21
Test 3: Friday, November 18
Final: Monday, December 12 at 12 p.m.