Day 01, MAT115-012, Fall 2002

Introduction to this special flavor of Mat115

Welcome!
4x6 cards: Please fill out the card, indicating
1. Name
2. Year (Senior, etc.)
3. Major
4. Preferred email address
5. Where you are from
6. Working status (If so, where and how much?)
7. Why you decided to take this course
8. What your math background/experience is
9. Something special about yourself
As a general rule, students take the following attitude when entering MAT115:
"Math is very much a part of the axis of evil."
(Will Farrell, as President George Bush, Saturday Night Live).
This course would not exist without our textbook, The Heart of Mathematics. It is absolutely essential that you read it! The authors know how most people feel about mathematics, and want to help!
Hand out and go over syllabus
Lessons for life (from our textbook, page 25, 619):
1. Just do it.
2. Make mistakes and fail, but never give up.
3. Keep an open mind.
4. Explore the consequences of new ideas.
5. Seek the essential.
6. Understand the issue.
7. Understand simple things deeply.
8. Break a difficult problem into easier ones.
9. Examine issues from several points of view.
10. Look for patterns and similarities.
Robert Graves's Warning to Children provides us with an introduction to two ideas that we will study:
- Infinity, and
- Fractals (e.g. coastlines)
Before I knew about Graves, or his poetry, I was thinking along the same lines (Some mathematics from my youth).
Do you have any stories about math from your youths?
Your assignment: (due Wednesday):
Read the chapter "Welcome" (pages ix-xii) and Section 1.1; start #1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 from Section 1.1.
You may read Section 1.2 (hints), but do not read 1.3 (solutions)!

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