Projects for MAT115

This page features tips for your projects.

The best way to understand mathematics is to learn and discover it on one's own.

The best way to describe this project is to imagine that you are responsible for creating the 51st "Mathematical Idea You Really Need to Know" (following the format that Tony uses).

You will select a mathematical topic outside of (or beyond) those covered in our class and textbook, read and teach yourselves any necessary background to understand it, and then write up a four-page description "just like Tony Crilly does". You are strongly encouraged to work with a partner (only one) on this project: by working together, you can learn from each other and share the burdens and joys of the experience.

Various interim steps, reports, and/or presentations will occur throughout the term. Students are invited and encouraged to discuss all phases of the project with me. For example, midway through the course you will be analyzing a pair of Tony's "Mathematical Ideas", and critiquing them.

• Details on the "paper", which will come in two parts:
  • Text: 4 pages, of essentially the same magnitude as Tony Crilly's topics.
  • In addition to the four pages of text, you will include a one-page bibliography, including at least three sources in your bibliography (including at least one book, and an article worth citing).
  • An appendix, which may include additional material supporting your work in the four-page "idea" (graphs, charts, images, additional material). Because websites change so much (or even disappear), you must actually print out anything you use as a source from an internet source, as well as citing it by website URL.
• As I will emphasize in class, you want your work to be attractive. Think flowers and bees! We are going to put our papers together, to compile a supplement to Tony's book. You want to make sure that your "story" will stand up well against the others that your classmates produce.

• It should also be informative, however, so make sure that you do the research. In particular you will want to use a variety of resources, including some that do not appear on the web.

  Your peers will evaluate your work (as will I, and perhaps other members of the department). In our final week of class, we'll briefly present our works to each other.

• Whatever you do, don't plagiarize! Whenever you copy something from a source, you need to cite the source; simply changing an adjective here and an adverb there, without citation, is plagiarism.

• Remember interlibrary loan: even if we don't have the article or book in our library, you can borrow it from other libraries via interlibrary loan. Ask your librarians for help: they're here to assist you!