INSTRUCTOR: Andy Long. Office: ST 328; phone: 572-5794; email: longa@nku.edu
MEETING TIME: 1:40-2:55PM TR, ST 249.
EXPECTED BACKGROUND: A math ACT score of 18 or better, C- or better in MAHD 099 or MAHD 095 or placement; and an open and curious mind, and the willingness to put aside any preconceived prejudices or dislikes for mathematics.
TEXT: 50 Mathematical Ideas You Really Need to Know, by Tony Crilly. This text will be supplemented by additional, web-based resources.
Please do the assigned reading before the class session in which it is discussed. Much of our time in class will be spent in discussion of ideas in the text.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this course we will consider some of the greatest ideas of humankind, ideas comparable in scale and beauty to the works of Shakespeare, Plato, and Michelangelo. These ideas fall within the domain of mathematics. Mathematics is as much an artistic endeavor as it is a scientific one, and, as such, it requires both imagination and creativity. There are three basic goals for this course:
GRADING:
| Homework assignments will be collected, and some problem(s) graded. There will be one individual/group research project, which will be presented and/or discussed in class. Your course grade will be determined as follows: |
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Exams will be given in class, closed book. Make-up exams will be given only under extreme circumstances. You will need a calculator for exams (you may not use your phone as a calculator). |
RESEARCH PROJECT: The best way to understand mathematics is to learn and discover it on one's own. 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 those Tony Crilly presents in our textbook. You are strongly encouraged to work together in pairs 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.
HOMEWORK: Homework will be assigned regularly, and assignments will be handed in for grading. Only a few problems, selected at random, will be graded carefully for correctness. You will also be graded on completeness. I'm especially interested in effort: are you trying? We don't always get the answer, but we can't usually get the answer without pursuing the answer....
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 1, 2010. After that day it is not usually permitted.
OFFICE HOURS: TR, 9:30-10:45, and 12:30-1:30; MW, 4:45-6:00. I am also available by appointment, and at random when approached with a smile.
Notes: