Week:     #1                                     8/29 –8/31

                      

 

Readings:   These four selections are to be read for Wednesday  8/31

 

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Chinese_overview.html

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/Indian_mathematics.html

http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/HistTopics/History_overview.html

Note: You should skim the third reading, and try to read the other two for highlights.

 

All of Chapter 1, “Defining Culture” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture#Defining_culture

 

Assignment:  Consider the following questions (you do not need to write the answers out) for our discussion on Wednesday. 

 

Other:  Purchase your books, “What is Mathematics, Really?” and “Prime Obsession”.  Recall that the ISBN numbers are listed on the course webpage. Note that you will need the first book immediately for next week.  ORDER today!!!!  Note: If you do a search on Froogle or Google you may be able to purchase these very cheaply.

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Week:     #2                                     9/7

                      

 

Readings:  What is Mathematics, Really? ; pp. 3-23, 35-47 – to be read by Wednesday 9/7

 

Assignment:  Critiquing a film that “has” mathematics in it

            Due:  9/14

 

Other:  Class members volunteered to look up further information on the number systems.  A good place to start is Google or Wikepedia.

 

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Week:     #3                                    9/12-9/14

                      

 

Readings: is Mathematics, Really? ; pp. 3-23, 35-47 – to be read by Monday 9/12

 

Assignment: Working with different numeral systems

            DUE:  9/21

 

Other:  Make sure to keep updated with our webpage and do your reading assignment as soon as your book gets in!

 

 

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Week:     #4                                    9/19-9/21

                      

 

Readings: is Mathematics, Really? ; pp. 3-23, 35-47 – We want to discuss this soon!

 

Assignment:  Journal #1

            DUE:  Friday, 9/30 (you can email or slide it under my door)

            Note: if you email it, please put a subject heading of “math200journal1”. 

 

Other:  CBS has put its “math” show, NUMBERS, on for a second season.  The first show is this Friday (http://www.cbs.com/primetime/numb3rs/) at 10 pm.  Watch or tape the show.  How do they try to portray the world of mathematics?

 

 

Make sure to keep updated with our webpage and do your reading assignment as soon as your book gets in!

 

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Week:     #5                                    9/26-9/28

                      

 

Readings assigned: is Mathematics, Really? ; Read   pp. 48-71  and write down

                        1)   One thing you agree with and WHY and list the page number(s) you found it on

                        2)  One thing you disagree with and WHY and list the page number(s) you found it on

                                                     I will collect these on Wednesday 10/5

 

Assignment to be worked on:  Journal #2

            DUE:  Monday 10/10 by midnight  (you can email or slide it under my door)

            Note: if you email it, please put a subject heading of “math200journal1”. 

 

Other:  CBS has put its “math” show, NUMBERS, on for a second season.  Try (if you can) to watch it on Friday (http://www.cbs.com/primetime/numb3rs/) at 10 pm.  Watch or tape the show.  How do they try to portray the world of mathematics?

 

 

Make sure to keep updated with our webpage and do your reading assignment as soon as your book gets in!

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Week:     #6                                   10/3-10/5

                      

 

Readings assigned:  is Mathematics, Really? ; Read   pp. 48-71  and write down

                        1)   One thing you agree with and WHY and list the page number(s) you found it on

                        2)  One thing you disagree with and WHY and list the page number(s) you found it on

                                                     I will collect these on Wednesday 10/5

 

Assignment to be worked on :   continue to work on Journal #2 that is due 10/10

             

 

Other:  If you can, go see the play PROOF with the math club on Sunday 10/16

            Start thinking about your midterm project- what do you want to explore?

 

Make sure to keep updated with our webpage and do your reading assignment as soon as your book gets in!

 

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Week:     #7                                   10/10-10/12

                      

 

Readings assigned:  Read pp 138-141, pp 198-232 out of the Hersh book

 

Assignment to be worked on :   Midterm Project

             

 

Other:  If you can, go see the play PROOF with the math club on Sunday 10/16

            Start thinking about your midterm project- what do you want to explore?

 

Make sure to keep updated with our webpage.

 

 

You can check more on game theory by reading this and checking out the provided links

 

 

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Week:     #8                                   10/17-10/19

                      

 

Readings assigned:  Read pp 138-141, pp 198-232 out of the Hersh book, make sure you have your copy of the Prime Obsession book because we will be starting that next. When you read the last excerpt out of the Hersh book, try to go for “big picture”.  This last bit is very dense.  Look back here for some questions to guide your reading that will be posted on 10/18.

 

Assignment to be worked on :   Midterm Project

             

 

Other:  Make sure you are working on the project

              The questions you were assigned

 

Make sure to keep updated with our webpage.

 

 

You can check more on game theory by reading this and checking out the provided links

 

 

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Week:     #9                                   10/24-10/26

                      

 

Readings assigned:  Prime Obsession- Read the introduction and Chapter 1. We will discuss this on 10/26.

 

 

 

Assignment to be worked on :   Midterm Project

             

 

Other:   Continue to work and develop your project!

 

Make sure to keep updated with our webpage.

 

 

Week:     #10                                   10/31-11/2

                       

 

Readings assigned:  Prime Obsession- Read Chapter 2,3. We will discuss this on 10/31. 

 

 

 

Assignment to be worked on :   Midterm Project

             

 

Other:   Continue to work and develop your project!  We will be watching a video for part of the time on Monday.

 

Make sure to keep updated with our webpage.

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Week:     #11                                   11/7-11/9

                      

 

Readings assigned:  Prime Obsession- Read Chapter 4,5. We will discuss this on 11/7. 

                                There is a book on hold at the library, titled “ The Code Book”.  To answer the question, “who cares about    

       primes”- read the following pages:  243-292 and pay careful attention to pp. 274-279. 

 

 

Assignment to be turned in :   Midterm Project—turn in on Monday November 7 or at the latest by November 9, Wednesday.

             

 

Other:   Some questions to guide your reading

 

Make sure to keep updated with our webpage.

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Week #12                11/ 14- 11/16

 

PRESENTATION OF MIDTERM PROJECTS

 

 

 

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Week #13         11/21

Readings assigned:  Prime Obsession- Read Chapter 6, Chapter 7 pp 101-113, chapter 8. We will discuss this on 11/21 and do some exploring. 

                               

 

 

Assignment to be turned in :   To be handed out in class on Monday and we will do some of it in class. 

             

 

Other:  

 

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Week #14   11/28/05

 

Looked at an overview of complex numbers..

 

Assignment to be turned in :   Journal #3

 

 

 

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Week #15  12/02/05

 

Looked at modular arithmetic and RSA encoding.

 

Assignment to be turned in :   RSA work    due Monday 12/5

 

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Week #16

Final presentations on the day of finals