MATH 103
Nature of Mathematics: Math and Art
Sections 6 and 8
  Fall 2020
Course Recap
Group-of-one Final Project times will be offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday of final's week
The course syllabus (outline of course, office hours, exam format, etc.) in .pdf form is here.  Much of that information is repeated bellow (but not all of it, so read the syllabus!). The class schedule for this course will depend on how quickly we cover topics and which topics we choose to cover.  I will try to give you as much warning as possible for any exams as they are not pre-scheduled.   Generally, we will have homework assignments that are due for the next class.  It is important to attend class knowing where we are at, so when in doubt, read through what we did in the previous class and be prepared to discuss your solutions to/issues with the homework.  That will mean having thought about the problems in advance and being ready to present problems or ask questions on whichever problems you are having a hard time on ('all of them' is never an acceptable answer for that).  

The point of doing exercises is to help you to understand the material, not to jump through silly hoops, so don't do fewer exercises than are necessary for you.  For feedback on problems, please see me or the Math Science Learning Center.

You will want to start a course notebook/MATH 103 file right away.  This notebook/file should contain any class notes (we will occasionally have lectures on some of the more difficult material, and whether you attend virtually at the time or watch the lecture later, taking notes on it can really help you remember and solidify the material).  As well as your personal notes from any pre-class assignments and all of the homework problems you have done.  Everything in your notebook must be produced by you, but if this is the case, you will be allowed to bring your notebook/have files open when talking about problems in class and you will be allowed to use your notebook/computer files for the last 10 minutes of any tests we have, so be sure you can find things in your notebook/MATH 103 file.  You will want to either have access to a printer and scanner/ability to combine multiple pdfs into a single file or a notetaking/drawing app that will allow you to import pdfs and modify and save them for upload to the class Canvas page.


Instructor
Rebecca E. Field
fieldre@math.jmu.edu
(540) 568-4962
Office: Roop 114
Office Hours: MWF 11:00-11:45am,
  Tu 12:30-1:30pm,
Also by appointment

Lecture:
Section 6: MWF 2:10-3:00pm online on zoom (linked off the course Canvas page)
Section 8: MWF 12:00-12:50pm online on zoom (linked off the course Canvas page)
 

Course summary:
This course is designed to teach you how to think and reason mathematically by covering a wide variety of mathematical topics, ranging from general interest (like games and puzzles) to somewhat esoteric (like perspective drawing and group theory).  The side goal is to give you an idea of what Mathematics is as a working subject.  

One major difference between this class and any math class you have taken in the past is the strong emphasis on understanding and writing.  We don't care as much about producing 'the correct answer' as we care about explaining and understanding the process.  Your homework answers might be in sentence or paragraph form rather than a series of equations, and that will probably take some getting used to. 


Exams/Quizzes:
TBA

Final Exams:
Week of December 14

Extra Help:
Please come by my office hours or make an appointment if you need extra help.  Another resource available to you is the Math and Science Learning Center located in Roop Hall.  They are open 10am through 8pm Monday through Thursday as well as Friday 10am-2:30pm and Sunday 5-8pm.  You can also obtain a list of math tutors available for hire through the math office on the third floor of Roop Hall.  Be sure you hire a junior or senior math major as every MATH 103 class is different!

Topics we will cover are roughly as follows:

Japanese Pencil Puzzles
Finite Geometries
Perspective Drawing (warning, contains trig!)
Platonic Solids
3D Geometry and Programing
Modeling in 4 or More Dimensions
Space Filling Curves/Fractals
Surfaces and Orientation
Hexiflexigons
Hexidecimal Colors
Symmetry