MAT305-001 - History of Mathematics - Fall, 2009

INSTRUCTOR: Andy Long. Office: ST 328; phone: 572-5794; email: longa@nku.edu

MEETING TIME/PLACE: 4:50-6:05, MW, ST248

CATALOG DESCRIPTION: MAT 305 History of Mathematics (3,0,3) Mathematics from ancient times through development of the calculus. PREREQ: C or better in MAT129 or MAT227.

TEXT: David M. Burton, The History of Mathematics: An Introduction, 6th Ed., McGraw Hill: 2007.

GRADING: The following materials will determine your grade for the course:

• Six homework sets, of which I'll take the best five grades for an average.
• Two "commercials", which you will present in class. These are five minute (max) presentations of
  • A mathematician, and
  • A mathematical idea.
  The commercial will end with you giving me a two page "report" on the mathematician or idea, including a reference or two.
• A mid-term, take-home exam
• A paper on a mathematician or an idea that we will not cover (from chapter 8 or later). These will be presented during the time slot reserved for our final exam (4:30, 12/16)
• A final, take-home exam (which will be due 12/16, after the presentations)

Your course grade will be determined as follows:

Homework: 30% Commercials: 10% Paper: 20% Midterm Exam 20% Final Exam 20%

I use the standard grading scale, with a small buffer zone for the assignment of plus/minus grades:

HOMEWORK: Homework will be assigned regularly. You should expect to do the homework in order to do well in the course. Each homework assignment will be handed in, at the end of the chapter, so that some homework problems (chosen at random) may be graded thoroughly. Homework will always be picked up on Wednesday, to give me a little cushion so that I can get it graded by the next meeting.

PAPERS: You will be writing a paper for this course. Papers are to be typed and double-spaced. They are to have reasonable margins and font sizes. Papers must include a bibliography with at least five sources used in the paper. The topic of the paper must get the approval of the instructor. The following criteria will be considered when grading papers (and other writing assignments):

1. Accuracy of content.
2. Structure of paper (logical, coherent, and well-organized).
3. Appropriate for the audience (the instructor and your peers).
4. Proofread and edited (grammar, spelling, and punctuation).
5. Clarity of explanation and examples.
6. Variety and appropriateness of references.

ATTENDANCE: The student is responsible for all material assigned or discussed in class. Attendance will be taken, and may be used along with class effort (as measured by participation - asking questions, answering other students' questions, group work, etc.) to resolve borderline grades.

WITHDRAWAL: The last day to withdraw from any class is November 2, 2009 with a "W". After that day it is not usually permitted.

OFFICE HOURS:

• MWF, 11:00-12:30;
• MW, 2:00-4:00 and 6:05-7:00;
• TR 10:00-11:30.

Notes:

• Course homepage: http://www.nku.edu/~longa/classes/mat305/
• Learning Objectives: http://www.nku.edu/~longa/classes/mat305/LearningObjectives.html
• I reserve the right to alter this syllabus if necessary. Any changes will be discussed in class, and all students will be notified.
• If you need accommodations for a physical, psychological, or medical disability please talk with me so that I may do my best to meet your needs.
• The Departmental Syllabus for all Mathematics courses is a part of the syllabus for this course, and is available upon demand. Additional information concerning Secondary Education Students is available on the Departmental Syllabus.