Syllabus-in-Progress for Math 103 (Fall 2006)

Assignments are always due the following class day, unless otherwise indicated. Items listed in red are worth extra credit points.

Date Topics Assignments
Tuesday8/29 What is mathematics? Figure out the rules of the card game Set, and learn how to play the game. Practice playing Set, and write down at least three questions that the class could try to answer about Set.
Thursday8/31 Establish common notation, definitions, and rules for Set, and generate a list of ten questions about Set that we might be able to answer. State your group's question precisely. Write down one thought about your group's question, and one thought about another group's question.
Tuesday9/5 Settle on wording for the ten Set questions. Work in groups on Set questions and related lemmas. Report any group findings to the class. One person from each group emails me with a concise statement of any current results or findings.
Thursday9/7 Lots of time to work in groups on the Set questions. Groups will decide what they will present to the class next week. A different person from each group emails me by midnight tonight to report what they plan to present next week.
Monday9/11 JMU Math/Stat Colloquium: Dr. Carl Droms will speak on Combinatorial Group Theory Attend the talk and do a 1/2-page to 1-page typed writeup to hand in on Tuesday in class.
Tuesday9/12 In groups, finish up results and start preparing for Thursday's presentation. Meet outside of class with your group to prepare for and rehearse your presentation.
Thursday9/14 <<< PRESENTATION DAY >>> Start studying for exam by thinking about theorems proved and techniques used.
Monday9/18 JMU Math/Stat Colloquium: Dr. Stephen Lucas will speak on A Direct Proof of the Prime Number Theorem. Attend the talk and do a 1/2-page to 1-page typed writeup to hand in on Tuesday in class.
Tuesday9/19 <<< PRESENTATION DAY >>> Study more for exam.
Thursday9/21 TEST 1: THE GAME OF SET Nothing! Enjoy the fresh air!
Monday9/18 JMU Math/Stat Colloquium: Dr. Kathryn Trapp from the University of Richmond will speak on Discrete Div-Curl Systems. Attend the talk and do a 1/2-page to 1-page typed writeup to hand in on Tuesday in class.
Tuesday9/26 Watch the documentary Math Life. Read Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the brown "Nature of Mathematics" book, and be ready to discuss the material next class.
Thursday9/28 Discuss Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the "Nature of Math" book. Work in groups on problems 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.10, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.8. Solutions presented for problems 2.5 and 2.6. Section 11 gets their tests back. Everyone do problems 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.10, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.8. Read Section 4.
Monday10/2 JMU Math/Stat Colloquium: Dr. Geir Agnarsson from George Mason University will speak on Kissing Numbers of Spheres and Related External Tangency Graphs. Attend the talk and do a 1/2-page to 1-page typed writeup to hand in on Tuesday in class.
Tuesday10/3 Solutions presented for problems 2.7, 2.10, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, and 3.8. Discuss Section 4. Work in groups at the blackboards on problems 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, and 4.5. Section 13 gets their tests back. Make sure you can do all of problems 4.1-4.5. Read Section 5. Write down specific counterexamples for problems 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3.
Thursday10/5 Discuss counterexamples for problems 5.1, 5.2, and 5.3. Work in groups on truth/liar puzzle and writing proofs by contradiction. Each group emails me two proofs by contradiction for the truth/liar puzzle.
Monday10/9 JMU Math/Stat Colloquium: Dr. Ezra Brown from Virginia Tech will speak on The Many Names of (7,3,1). Attend the talk and do a 1/2-page to 1-page typed writeup to hand in on Tuesday in class.
Monday10/9 Contemporary Mathematical Photography and New Media I,
Opening reception 5-7 pm at the New Image Gallery, 131 Grace Street.		 Attend the reception and do a 1-page typed writeup. (Only one reception will count as extra credit.)
Tuesday10/10 Each group critiques two other groups' proofs for the truth/liar puzzle. Start working in groups on the road-choosing puzzle. Each group hands in their final truth/liar proof, either in person or by email, today. For next class, read Section 19 and work on problems 19.1 and 19.4.
Thursday10/12 Discuss Section 19 and basic styles of proof. Students offer answers to problems 19.1 and 19.4. Work in brand new groups on the road-choosing puzzle. Self-test to review for next week's exam: Problems 3.3, 4.1, 5.1, and 19.6, and problems 7 and 8 on page 35.
Friday10/13 SUMS registration and poster submission deadline Everyone who attends even part of the conference should register either in advance, or on-site.
Monday10/16 JMU Math/Stat Colloquium: Dr. William Layton from the University of Pittsburgh will speak on Kayaking and fluid flow models: from laminar to turbulent! Attend the talk and do a 1/2-page to 1-page typed writeup to hand in on Tuesday in class.
Tuesday10/17 Finish working through road-choosing puzzle; groups present their proofs on the blackboards. Study for the test!
Thursday10/19 TEST 2: LOGIC AND PROOFS Relax and sit in the sun. Think about math.
Tuesday10/24 Each group figures out the rules to one of the PenpaMIX puzzles, and gets acquainted with the the puzzle book. Write down the rules to your puzzle, and practice playing the puzzle. Think about what puzzle you will want to investigate next.
Thursday10/26 No Class Today Continue thinking about the PenpaMIX puzzles.
Friday10/27 Contemporary Mathematical Photography and New Media II,
Special SUMS reception 7-9 pm at the New Image Gallery, 131 Grace Street		 Attend the reception and do a 1-page typed writeup. (Only one reception will count as extra credit.)
Saturday10/28 The second annual Shenandoah Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (SUMS) Conference at JMU. Attend all or part of the conference and do a 1 or 2 page typed writeup. For major extra credit, present a poster at the conference.
Tuesday10/31 Students continue working in groups to figure out the rules behind various PenpaMIX puzzles. Practice, practice, practice! Be ready to explain the rules to the games in the next class.
Thursday11/2 Students explain to the class how to play Slink. State and prove one theorem about Slink. Actually write this down, as it might be collected on Tuesday.
Monday11/6 JMU Math/Stat Colloquium: Dr. Katherine Crowley from Washington and Lee University will speak on The Story of the Million Dollar Poincaré Conjecture. Attend the talk and do a 1/2-page to 1-page typed writeup to hand in on Tuesday in class.
Tuesday11/7 Students explain to the class how to play Corners, Territory, and Islands. For each of the games we did today, state and prove one theorem. Be ready to hand this in on Tuesday!
Thursday11/9 No Class Today Do two Sudoku puzzles. Keep practicing Slink, Corners, Territory, and Islands.
Monday11/13 JMU Math/Stat Colloquium: Dr. Stephen Robinson from Wake Forest University will speak on Back in the Saddle Again. Attend the talk and do a 1/2-page to 1-page typed writeup to hand in on Tuesday in class.
Monday11/13 Contemporary Mathematical Photography and New Media II,
Opening reception 5-7 pm at the New Image Gallery, 131 Grace Street		 Attend the reception and do a 1-page typed writeup. (Only one reception will count as extra credit.)
Tuesday11/14 Work in groups on rules, theorems, and proofs for Slink, Corners, Territory, and Islands. Do two more Sudoku puzzles and bring them in for next class. Keep practicing Slink, Corners, Territory, and Islands.
Thursday11/16 Continue working in groups on the PenpaMIX theorems; start thinking about your presentations. More practice! You'll have to be able to play Slink and Corners by 11/30, and Territory and Islands by 12/5.
Thursday11/16 SPECIAL SUDOKU LECTURE at 8-9 pm in Burruss 031. Waste time playing a bunch of Sudoku variations :)
Tuesday11/21 If there is at least 95% attendance at the evening lecture on Thursday, 11/16, then this class will be cancelled. Yay! No class! Keep on keepin' on -- in other words, play more PenpaMIX puzzles.
Thursday11/23 No Class Today (Thanksgiving Break) Have a great Thanksgiving!
Tuesday11/28 Special Fun Activity (and a few minutes to collect materials and talk to your group about your upcoming presentation).
Thursday11/30 <<< PRESENTATION DAY (Slink and Corners) >>>
Tuesday12/5 <<< PRESENTATION DAY (Territory and Islands) >>>
Thursday12/7 Last day of class / review / discuss final exam / evaluations
Tuesday12/12 CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM Section 11: exam time 10:30--12:30.
Section 13: exam time 4:00--6:00.