Day 01, MAT115-006, Spring 2008

Introduction to this special flavor of Mat115

Next Time

Welcome!
4x6 cards: Please fill out the card, indicating
1. Name
2. Year (Freshman, etc.)
3. Major
4. Hometown
5. Working status (If so, where and how much?)
6. What your math background/experience is.
7. Your birthday (just month and day, not year!)
8. Something special about yourself.
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! They apologize for all the stupid jokes....
Your assignments, for Wednesday:
- Read the chapter "Welcome" (pages ix-xii) and Section 1.1; start stories #1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 from Section 1.1.
  You may read Section 1.2 (hints), but do not read 1.3 (solutions)!
- Have a look at the book, and choose THREE sections or topics (other than chapter 1) that you would like to cover. Write a paragraph explaining what interests you about each section. You may also include topics which are NOT in the book, but which interest you, and which you would like to investigate.
  If you do not yet have your textbook, then "surf the book" at The Heart of Mathematics website, and describe the sections that you'd like to study.
- We also need you to take an attitude survey about mathematics. You do this on blackboard. Visit our blackboard site, and take the survey by Sunday (under assignments). We won't use Blackboard much, but you're free to use it as you wish.
The syllabus.
- Class will be organized around discussions of material, and activities. You must be prepared to contribute! My role will be to present and clarify, but moreover to moderate the discussions, and be a resource.
- What's this project all about? Something you love, I hope! A game that you enjoy? Something you've notice in a garden or at the zoo?
  Here are some guidelines. Hopefully you'll be working with a partner.
The authors claim that our goal is more than just mathematics -- there are "Lessons for life (from our textbook, page 28)" that we should focus on:
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.
I want you to think about finding mathematics in your everyday life. For example, one of my favorite poets, Robert Graves, provides us with an introduction to two ideas that we will study in his poem Warning to Children:
- 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?
How about an everyday object in Togo? What is it? How can we characterize it?
Let's try a little gambling game...about birthdays.
- What's the chance that two of us in this room have the same birthday (month, day)?
- What are the odds? (What are odds?!)
Now, let's play one of the games our authors feature in chapter 1: "Let's make a Deal!" (Story 7, p. 10)
- Read the story first...
- Then we'll break into groups to play:
  - Try 10 plays using each strategy (stick or switch)
  - count successes using each strategy
  - Is one strategy better? If so, by how much?
  - Can you justify your answer?

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