Class Highlights

  • Thur Dec 3
    What is Mathematics segment
    Mathematics and Religion (final project ideas: sacred geometry, spiritual numeracy)
    Math Cuffed: Is math binding or freeing?
    Down with fractions by Dennis Deturck, and Beauty and mathematics.
    Beauty of Mathematics
    http://vimeo.com/77330591 [1:41]
    Math It's Everywhere [1:04].
    Discuss mathematical breakthroughs and revolutions: changing the world.
    Share the final research presentations topic (name, major(s), concentrations/minors, research project idea, and whether you prefer to go 1st, 2nd or have no preference).
    Discuss how to research mathematical connections and people for a number of class interests, including equations, geometry, algebra, statistics, mathematicians research soccer, mathematicians and Mactutor final research presentations
    I'll follow this up by messaging you about some mathematical connections to your topic on the ASULearn Forum!
    Formal evaluations.

  • Tues Dec 1
    What is Mathematics segment
    What good is math? What is mathematics really like? What is the process of a mathematician like? How does their work contribute to society in general?
    Discuss what you found on David Blackwell and Andrew Wiles
    Real-World Problems Being Solved by Mathematicians
    Utility of Mathematics adapted from Angelo Mingarelli, and connections to Thomas Banchoff from the beginning of the semester
    Smarter Math Builds Equations for a Smarter Planet. [:32]

    Why are we taking math in schools? Should we be taking less of it or changing the focus? Is math binding or freeing?
    Clicker questions on QL at Appalachian and Liz Coleman
    Why make Liberal Arts Majors take Math in College? video. Liberal arts.
    Math Cuffed: Is math binding or freeing?
  • Mon Nov 30 Class stats
  • Tues Nov 24
    Review the slides about the What is Mathematics projects and answer any questions.
    Review the What is Mathematics segment.
    Share a quote from the hw along with the person (try to share something different than what came before).
    Clicker questions on homework readings and discussion.
    Andrew Wiles and The Proof video and questions (to turn in). We'll watch the Nova version, but here is the BBC version as well as a text transcript.

  • Mon Nov 23
    What is Mathematics intro lab
    An even broader context: Liz Coleman on General Education TED talk
  • Thur Nov 18 Test 3
  • Tues Nov 17 Review bar charts, box plots
    Mauna Loa Observatory on the island of Hawaii has been measuring the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in earth's atmosphere since the 1950's. The observatory is 3,400 meters, or 11,000 feet, above sea level. The undisturbed air, remote location, and minimal influences of vegetation and human activity are well-suited for monitoring atmosphere components, including those that may cause to climate change. The observatory is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    http://www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/obop/mlo/
    and regression Predicting height and solving a crime. Critical analysis and connections.
    Take questions on test 3 study guide, ASULearn review or anything else.
    Big Data and consensus via visualization! David McCandless: The beauty of data visualization [12:06] from 2010. data detective.
    Case studies: College Success #6
    What is Mathematics segment.
    David Blackwell and controversy of Friend or Foe http://vimeo.com/59756719
    Prisoner's Dilemna, Tragedy of the Commons
  • Mon Nov 16
    1. Go to ASULearn Dr. Sarah's Math 1010 Glossary/Wiki (Testing)
    Browse by category
    Choose Consumer Statistics from the drop down menu
    Read through the entries for boxplot, golden mean, and regression and ask me any questions
    2. Statistics Detective Review
    3. Purchase your stock
  • Thur Nov 12 Finish
    Discuss correlations versus causations on why birds fly south during colder weather

    Discuss
    Benford's Law where the first digit in many real-life sources of data is not equally distributed, and approximates a logarithmic trend (where 1 occurs about 30% of the time while 9 less than 5% of the time) in data such as street addresses, stock prices, population numbers, death rates, etc...
    Identity theft, fraudulent election in Iran faked economic data, cooked accounting books.

    Discuss the Bradford-Hill criteria
    a) yes and I strongly feel so
    b) yes
    c) no
    d) no and I strongly feel so
    The Cigarette Controversy The tobacco companies knew and for most part accepted the evidence that cigarette smoking was a cause of cancer by the late 1950s. The documents also reveal that the tobacco companies helped manufacture the smoking controversy by funding scientific research that was intended to obfuscate and prolong the debate about smoking and health. Today, the tobacco companies acknowledge that smoking is a cause of disease, but they have not materially altered the way they do business.
    Look at succeeding in mathematics (Circle lots of As): Here's Good News... SAT scores are declining at a slower rate. Discuss the SAT and whether the SAT should predict college scores. HoM on SAT and GPA. Review the biased MRT instructions and relate to stereotype vulnerability.

  • Tues Nov 10
    applications of statistics to our lives hw readings #5-8
    Clickers for regression lab
    Project 3, rubric, full criteria
    November 11 is Veterans Day.
    Would you have been drafted for Vietnam in the 1969 draft?
    Is there anyone in the class with the same birthday?
    Begin the 1969 Vietnam draft data, scatterplot, line of best fit, and boxplots 195, boxplots via Starr
    GE experiment
    Discuss correlations versus causations on why birds fly south during colder weather

  • Mon Nov 9
    1. Can We Predict the Future? Stocks, Class Data, and Raw Egg Regressions
    2. If finished before we come back together for the contest, work on homework for tomorrow.
  • Thur Nov 5 Book connections to the articles
    Music choices and compatibility issues (measuring "difference" in music tastes via looking at vertical distance between points) music 1, music 2.
    Predicting the future! Put equation of line on the board.
    Linear Equations Instructional Rap Video from 2:20 myth: m from monter (french) to climb.
    2000 election between Bush and Gore and Pat Buchanan's impact in Florida
    3.4 #11
    Does volume predict high.
    applications of statistics to our lives hw readings #1-4

  • Tues Nov 3 Election day! Clicker questions on the hw readings
    Review the Representations of Data Lab via clicker questions and by #20
    Clicker questions on elections, Project 3, Book connections to the articles
    John Oliver and food labels: John Oliver on Misleading Labeling of Food Products [5:12]

  • Mon Nov 2 Representations of Data Lab
  • Thur Oct 29
  • Nielsen ratings
  • Clicker questions on the readings
  • Boxplot and baseball. google news for "box plot" or boxplot, google scholar [any time since 2014], including connections to the social sciences, medicine and sports and google images including cell phone usage and the Michelson-Morley experiment in 1887 that led to the acceptance of special relativity...
    Project 3
    doodling in math class.
    Difficult to count, like stars in the universe. Sampling versus census.
    Golden mean analysis
  • Anthropology study: width/length of 20 beaded rectangles used in Shoshani leather handicrafts and the relationship to 1/golden mean.
    Worst graph intro, worst graphs cover.

  • Tues Oct 27
    Clicker questions on the hw readings Discuss the hw readings and mention project 3.
    Clicker questions on measures of center

    Distance from home bar chart.
    Discuss bar chart of volume of stocks from lab including how you can tell whether the mean will be above or below the median using the idea of a scale balance.
    Height box plots.
    Armspan bar chart.
  • Mon Oct 26 Test 2
  • Thur Oct 22 Review for test 2
  • Tues Oct 20 Review 9, 14, and 21, 24, 8 and 10. Clicker for 24:
    David deposits $500 at the end of each quarter into an account paying 6.5% interest compounded quarterly for 7 years. He then changes his deposit to $725 each quarter for 5 more years at the same rate. What will the amount on deposit be after the entire 12 years?
    Which formula(s) applies here.
    a) lump sum
    b) periodic payment
    c) loan payment
    d) combinations of lump sum and periodic payment
    e) other
    Discuss project 4. The people mentioned in the finance segment... Ben Franklin, Warren Buffett (google warren buffett America and see BofA), John Oliver. Truth is in algebra and in details, in lending practices, John Oliver exposing truth.
    Equations in this segment.
    End of material for test 2. Take any questions.

    Psychic experiment. Histogram of the ASULearn random number from 1 to 10.
    Truth and Consequences: Random number experiment. The expected value if equally distributed from adding the people in the class and dividing by 10. experiment and Excel analyses. Discuss whether the human mind can provide a random number. Discuss sampling versus census. Discuss mathematical proof versus statistical significance and randomness. Discuss the expected value (sum/10) and briefly mention the chi test [(B2-C2)^2/C2, CHITEST(B2:B11,C2:C11)] and p-value (are the observations statistically significant or can the differences be ascribed to random variations of chance?)
    Statistics and quantifying equations in the context of "what is mathematics" and the prevalence of equations in and outside of mathematics. Ranking, observing (census or sample) and representing equations.

  • Mon Oct 19
    1. Car Purchases: Decisions, Decisions (Part 2)
    2. Go to ASULearn Dr. Sarah's Math 1010 Glossary/Wiki (Testing)
    Browse by category
    Choose Personal Finance from the drop down menu
    Read through the first 2 finance entries (compound and diverse ways that people succeed in and impact finance) and ask me any questions
  • Tues Oct 13
    Collect hw. Review the condo and car lab 1, 4, 7, 8 and 9-13
    a) Option 1 Smaller Loan
    b) Option 2 Lower Rate
    Student loan statement: credit cards finance charges=monthly interest=interest paid that month
    Review prohibitions against charging interest on money to members of the community (usury), but was ok for strangers - lending was considered philanthropy and part of a giving back to the community...
    Credit ratings, stores selling their credit cards by their employees, risk and interest rate, credit vs debit cards... Truth in algebra versus real-life. truth: numerous conclusions made from the same measurements that depend on something we cannot measure because it occurs in the future
    Discuss hw for Monday and Tuesday
    Connections between finance and geometry of the earth and universe:
    Plimpton Cuneiform 322 and interpreting data
    Richard Feynman quotation: There are 1011 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.
    Truth in a picture/space versus algebraic, and the commonality of equations.
  • Mon Oct 12
    1. Condo and Car Purchases: Decisions, Decisions (Part 1) lab
    2. Look at my forum posting to you on ASULearn and ask me any questions.
    3. If time remains, you can use that to work on hw for tomorrow (to turn in) here or at home.
  • Thur Oct 8
    Clicker questions on loans
    Second Student loan statement
    Review prohibitions against charging interest on money to members of the community (usury), but was ok for strangers - lending was considered philanthropy and part of a giving back to the community...
    Payday lender in Boone clicker
    Introduce the theme of unintended consequences and pay attention to the appearance of North Carolina here:
    Stop at 15:28 (Rich Guy's Car): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDylgzybWAw

  • Tues Oct 6 Clicker review of lump and periodic combined
    Philosophy and derivation of loans
    Clicker loan #1
    Student loan statement
    Excel file
    Modify the Excel amortization table - 58.18, 4795, .08/12, 120 months in B3 and D3. Rounding so change B3 to 58.18 exact, but the interest is still $2,186.60 rather than the $2,185.97 on the Student loan statement.
    Scroll down to month 120
    month # End of Month Payment Interest Paid that Month Principal Paid that Month Loan Balance
    120 $58.18 $0.38 $57.80 ($0.63)
    120*58.18-.63 [total paid - overbalance last month]
  • Mon Oct 5 Use lab time to work on Project 2 or review lump sum and periodic. I'll be in lab to help or you may work from home. Everyone turns in this homework
  • Thur Oct 1
    Philosophy of derivation of periodic payment
    Jane - Traveled Early and then Saved. Joan - Saved Early and then Vacationed.
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-branch-cfp/should-you-say-yes-to-you_b_5889992.html
    pension decisions
    Take questions on Ben Franklin project sample beginning or the hw. Hand out the rubric. Everyone turns in this homework
    Begin the lottery questions. Search google news for lottery winner lump.
    Picture of Excel work, Excel work file. Picture of Excel solutions, Excel solution file.
  • Tues Sep 29 Collect hw. Clicker questions for lump sum #5-6
    Project 2 sample beginning
    What about $100 deposited every month into an account for 25 years, compounded monthly at 5%? Work towards periodic payment understanding and compare the philosophy to the lump sum formula derivation and to Jeff Weeks.
    Transparencies from class
    Clicker questions for lump and periodic
  • Mon Sep 28 Benjamin Franklin's Will-Part 1 (Lab)
  • Thur Sep 24
    Clicker questions for lump sum #1-4
    Review the lump sum philosophy
    Intro to Goal Seek and Solver in Excel via using todays rate and seeing how long it will take to double our money using her rate, and then today's rate:
    =1000*(1+B2/12)^(C2*12)
    Start with B2=.08, C2=1
    Goal Seek: Data/What-If Analysis/Goal Seek/Set cell... a1, 2000, c2...
    Charlie Rose - An exclusive conversation with Warren Buffett [first 54 seconds and then from 3:30-5:18].[DVD 4:11 - 5:48] Youtube first 1:27
    Economic pearl harbor: snuck up, devastating, costly, motivated us to join the war-call to reform
    problems with American's keeping their money under their mattress
    Lisa's Thrifty Savers savings account from Bart the Fink: Excel can't solve the resulting lump sum equation for number of times compounding per year. constructing a solution versus guess and check.
    Quotes on taxation. Local to global taxes.
  • Tues Sep 22
    Begin finance.
    History and ethics of charging interest for the use of land, animals, money, even betrothal/dowry.
    What kind of world are we making. What kind of world should we be making. What kind of world can we be making.
    Historically multiples of 1/100 were common in taxation and computations. The decimal version came much later.
    Usury is Piracy [Responsibilities of Community Membership]
    Historically, animals, land and other property was lent out, and a part of the growth of the living animals, crop, etc, where given back to the lender. We have evidence of stone tablets that charging interest for the use of money dates back to at least the ancient Babylonian times. In numerous religions over time, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam, there were prohibitions against charging interest on money to members of the community (usury), but was ok for strangers - lending was considered philanthropy and part of a giving back to the community... In 1304, interest rates in Nuremberg were 220%. Interest rates have also been capped in history.
    Discuss 142 years compounding monthly versus annually.
    Lump Sum Philosophy
    Real-life bank situation. Past student was told that her c.d. will be compounded monthly at 8% for 8 months, and is told that this 8% will apply each and every month (ie 8% is the monthly rate). Let's say that she put in $1000. How much would her c.d. be worth at the end of 8 months?
    (a) 1000(1+.08)8
    (b) 1000(1+.08/8)8
    (c) 1000(1+.08/12)8*12
    (d) 1000(1+.08/12)8
    (e) none of the above

    What did the bank really mean?
    Discuss other possibilities for unknowns in lump sum - the time length, the rate, or the number of times compounding per year. Intro to Goal Seek and Solver in Excel


    Plimpton Cuneiform 322 and interpreting data
    Reflect on equations in the context of "what is mathematics" and the prevalence of equations in and outside of mathematics. Highlight percentages, fractions and decimals.
  • Mon Sep 21
    1. Stock Graph and Data Collection
    2. ASULearn: Anonymous Class Data Collection
    3. Statistics of Nature
  • Thur Sep 17 Test 1
  • Tues Sep 15 Review the themes: What mathematics is, what mathematics is, what it has to offer and why it is useful, the diverse ways that people succeed in it and impact it,
    My own research as a part of the ways that people succeed and impact mathematics
    local to global theme, truth and consequenses theme.
    Review the Universe Lab and clicker question
    Geometry of the Universe slides
    Discuss equations in this segment.
    Take questions on the quiz, course themes, or the study guide.
    Test 1 study guide Didn't get to:
    Reflect on equations in the context of "what is mathematics" and the prevalence of equations in and outside of mathematics. Highlight percentages, fractions and decimals.
    Scholarship of Teaching

  • Mon Sep 14
    1. Geometry of our Universe Lab
    2. Read over the ASULearn Glossary/Wiki entry on truth and consequences in geometry
  • Thur Sep 10
    Clicker questions
    Mention ASULearn glossary, review questions, hw for next week
    Scholarship of Teaching
    Discuss the Jeff Weeks Interview.
    A spherical universe: Visualizing a hypersphere-Jeff Weeks worksheet [Einstein based his theory of relativity off of Riemann's work on this space]
    http://vimeo.com/73243719
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNva9WpQXvM
    NASA and flat universe
    Rob Kirschner's Supernovae results related to whether brightness=1/distance2.
    Hyperbolic universes: Hyperbolic Icosahedral
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u7hFQy9Mt0&feature=relate From 47:46 onwards.
    Discuss the local to global theme in this segment (part d of the homework). and the connection to project 4

  • Tues Sep 8 Clicker question on 4.7
  • Last 3 questions from Project 1
    Dimension-shadows of higher dimensions? Experiment: Is the Universe a 2D Hologram?
    Davide Cervone's Cube Projections
    Local to global, light rays, string theory
    Stars in the universe
    Review http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uzd484Mvm2k starting at about 4:11, including a 3-torus with only 96 stars
    Geometry of the universe?
    Discuss and share responses: notes
    Discuss the Jeff Weeks Interview.
    A spherical universe: Visualizing a hypersphere-Jeff Weeks worksheet [Einstein based his theory of relativity off of Riemann's work on this space]
    http://vimeo.com/73243719
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNva9WpQXvM
    A flat universe: Portal trailer and Futurama: I, Roommate.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFT1pxHmSWA
    Hyperbolic universes: Hyperbolic Icosahedral
    Experiments:
    Gauss and Lobachevsky's measuring the angle sum
    Rob Kirschner's Supernovae results related to whether brightness=1/distance2.
    Discuss the density equation WMAP and Planck launches.
  • Thur Sep 3
    Clicker questions on 4.6 Gauss and Lobachevsky's measuring the angle sum
    Review project 1
    Discuss the last 3 questions: Project 1
    [~32 minutes] Selections cut from PBS Life by the Numbers: Seeing is Believing Video: Modern artists and mathematicians are trying to grapple with the 4th physical dimension. Mathematics helps define space and helps present visions of our world to us. Tom Banchoff as a mathematician. Shape of the World video: Viewers see how mathematics has become a tool to explore the heavens as the cosmos is charted.
    Class concentrates on what our universe looks like, how we know, and how we represent it. Discuss the video, including Tom Banchoff, Rob Kirschner, and Jeff Weeks, Riemann and Einstein, high dimensions, experiments and representations. notes
  • Tues Sep 1
    Clicker questions on dimensions and 2-D universes
    Collect and begin going over the first 4 questions from Project 1. Diverse perspective and local to global issues. Begin to discuss the last 3 questions, which we will continue to go over. Dimensions of our universe. Experiment: Is the Universe a 2D Hologram?
  • Mon Aug 31 Lab
  • Thur Aug 27
    Clicker questions for lab 1
    Where is North?
    Difference of hyperbolic geometry and spherical geometry:
    Sphere with Angels and Devils, 1942.
    Sphere Surface with Fish. 1958
    Books in my office for research project 1.
    There are many real-life applications of hyperbolic geometry, such as
    1. models of the internet that hope to reduce the load on routers,
    2. building crystal structures to store more hydrogen or absorb more toxic metals
    3. mapping the brain
    4. mapping the universe
    5. modeling Mercury's orbit.
    6. art: Crochet model of hyperbolic geometry Reef Crochet reef.
    Another 2-D universe: PacMan sequence from Futurama (Anthology of Interest II) and a tiling view versus folding up the space (where PacMan would see his back which would look like a piece of a circle or a flat line to him).
    Discuss what a 2-D creature would see if an orange passed through the plane of existence, including 2-D creature movements of the caterpillar turning into a 3-D movement butterfly.
    Watch an excerpt from Flatland: The Movie. What do you think spherius would say to the idea of a 4th dimension?
    Discuss Project 1.

  • Tues Aug 25
    Lab 2 clicker question
    Glass model - I have a much smaller model in my office.
    Students create a tiling view of Klein bottle Tic-Tac-Toe to the left and right (same board), and above and below (reflected board).
    Euclidean, Escher (hyperbolic) and perspective drawing clicker questions and other activities: Euclidean, Escher (hyperbolic) and perspective drawing. Walking a hyperbolic angle sum on the crochet model of hyperbolic geometry, which is less than 180 degrees. Local (close to Euclidean geometry) to global (geometry is very different) perspectives. Pythagorean theorem water demo.
  • Pythagorean theorem and Image of Pythagorean theorem
    Quotes from Escher on how he does mathematics and where it comes from. Discuss whether mathematics arises from nature or whether we impose our mathematical discoveries onto nature.

  • Mon Aug 24 2D Universes Lab.
  • Thur Aug 20 Register the i-clicker Clicker question on round earth. Take questions or comments on the syllabus or on project 1.
    Discuss the lab (and reading) for Monday via Perspective Drawing and Projective Geometry
    Review geometery segment themes: What does a space look like, how do we know and how do we represent it?
    Think of your favorite cartoon. What dimension is it?
    a) 2-D
    b) 3-D
    c) both
    d) neither
    e) unsure

    Are The Simpsons 2D or 3D?
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKQ8Ilr6PgU
    Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher and the mathematical clues he left in his work:
    Sun and Moon.  
    Worksheet on Escher.   (number 2).
    Walking and folding a Euclidean angle sum
  • Tues Aug 18 Review the Excel portion of the lab. Overview of the course including the attendance policy. What kind of world are we making. What kind of world should we be making. What kind of world can we be making.
    Discuss How could we tell that the earth is round instead of flat without using any modern technology (ie if we were ancient Greeks)? Make a list of ideas on the board. Watch 10 minute video excerpts and prepare to share something to discuss: Life By the Numbers Shape of the World (maps of the earth) and Seeing is Believing (perspective)
    lifebynumbersintro.mov notes. Highlight the questions of what our world looks like, how we know, and how we represent it. Highlight Danny Glover's discussion that the earth is finite but has no edges, that a flat map of the earth must contain some distortion, and Sam Edgerton's views that perspective -> industrial revolution, that perspective is learned - not innate, and that we must distort the work to give the illusion of depth.
    Advice from last semester.

    Julian Beever's pavement drawings:
    Butterfly
    Globe wrong view
    Globe correct view
    Accident
    I decided to get into 3D after seeing the effect of tiles being removed from the street, and later trying to recreate the sense of depth in a drawing. Once I realised you could make things go down, I realised you could make them appear to go up and I began experimenting.
  • Mon Aug 17 Perspective Lab Activities