Week 14

Lots of traffic on this paradox:  Newcomb's Problem.  Perhaps you would be interested in Cliff Pickover's list of 10 great puzzles.

Week 13

This (short) week we'll investigate (mathematical) origami.

Week 11

We're talking theorems ... maybe we look to what interests non-majors.  An engineering student recently showed me two that he found and shared in Physics class.

Zipf's Law --- popularized by a linquist ... this relates to another result, Paredo's Principle, a curious 80% - 20% relationship

Week 10

There's a new book (Hidden Figures) being made into a movie to be released in January 2017.  Take a look at its trailer.

Both are based on the stories written by Margot Lee Shetterly, showcasing three particular calculators.  One of them, Katherine Johnson, received The Presidential  Medal of Freedom Nov 2015.

 

Margot Shetterly                                    Katherine Johnson

Week 9

I received a post from Dan Meyer blog, and sent it to you last week.  Since then, Jacob W from class sent a nice solution, and I've followed what others have commented.

The reason for Dan's post was to comment on the need to "do math", and be as intentional about our last or favorite math problem as we might be about our favorite or last book read.  Luckily, I stumbled on comments from Keith Devlin and a new site for cool problems, Brilliant.

Week 8

There is a long tradition of Math contests.  In the US, many States have local exams.  Nationwide,
perhaps the most respected HS contests are the AMC contests.  At the collegiate level, the Putnam Exam has been a tradition more than 80 years old.

Another source of contest is not timed.  Problems are posed in various mathematics journals, and solutions to those problems are eventually published.  One example of problems can be found in the Math Magazine intended for undergraduates.

Week 7

Since there was no post last week, I'll post two that (I think) involve mathematical thinking.  The first clip is from the 1951 movie, Ma & Pa Kettle Back on the Farm.   What makes Ma and Pa so convincing, yet it's wrong, maybe, surely.

There were 10 Ma & Pa Kettle films during the 1940s and 1950s, and their popularity is said to have saved Universal Studios from bankruptcy.  Henry Shapiro explains that the invention of America's idea of Appalachia was in response to an ``otherness'' of these mountain people.  Elsewhere, the dominant theme was the homogeneity of American culture.

Week 6

Prof Morehouse shared memories of the mathematical culture of preparing documents.  He tried to explain how docs were typed on an electric typewriter (the IBM Selectric) which had removeable heads.  Just to help you imagine, here's an image of a Selectric (mine was green not red).

YouTube has quite a few videos showing how this machine worked:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOIPN70f_-I.  They were nothing if not noisy.

Week 5

Fees are being restructured, and increased just at a time when a new scoring system is announced.  While they don't seem to assign one number or letter grade, it becomes clear in what way(s) each compares to national averages.  The salary of graduates the newest statistic computed by the Federal government.

Week 4

This week began with the unexpected visit of Prof. Eric Morehouse, and the opportunity to hear his comments about the early days of TEX.  Eric mentioned Don Knuth, so perhaps it's time to go to Knuth's (iconic) webpages.  Eric mentioned buying "the book" (below in blue).

 

Week 3

What would you recommend to a student who is getting their bachelor’s degree in math or applied math and is interested in an industry job?

To make yourself easily marketable, try to pick up a second degree with a major in a complementary subject, such as computer science or a relevant science. Some companies offer programs to mentor young mathematicians that allow them to keep their jobs while pursuing a master’s degree or a Ph.D. If applicable, discussing this option during the interview process is useful.  Read more >>

Every day there's been something significant in mathematics. Last Tuesday was an important day for everyone who likes Rolle's Theorem.  Today there's an interesting little story about math culture.  Check any day's events at the MAA website.

 

Here's a video with Steve Strogatz and Alan Alda, talking about his calculus friendship book.  What might you be inspired to do?