PSU 016 - 250: First Year Seminar in Mathematics
Penn State University Spring Semester 2000
Syllabus (Version 1.1)
The topics for each lecture are listed below, along with
the [reading assignment] to be read for that day. Supplementary
articles will be distributed a week or two before the class.
- 1) -Jan. 11- Introduction: surveys,
puzzles, journals.
- 2) -Jan. 18- Careers in Mathematics:
Prof. Carme Calderer (Mathematics, Associate Chair for
Undergraduate Studies) [Stewart Ch. 1]
- 3) -Jan. 25- Chemical Waves, Heart
Disease, and Differential Equations: Prof. A. Belmonte (Math) [Stewart Ch. 14; notes on differential equations]
- 4) -Feb. 1- Mathematics in Water Waves:
Prof. Diane Henderson (Math) [Stewart Ch. 15]
- 5) -Feb. 8- Semester checkup and
discussion.
- 6) -Feb. 15- Meeting with Penn State Math
Majors.
- 7) -Feb. 22- Mathematical Puzzles &
Advanced Research: Prof. Dmitri Burago (Math) [articles].
- 8) -Feb. 29- Game Theory & Intelligent
Adversaries: Dr. Richard Brooks (Applied Research Lab, Penn State)
[Casti Ch. 1]
- 9) -Mar. 14- Ramanujan and Partitions:
Prof. George Andrews (Math) [Berndt article]
- 10) -Mar. 21- Fermat's Last Theorem (NOVA
presentation) [Stewart Ch. 3]
- 11) -Mar. 28- Internet Security and Prime
Numbers: Dr. Kevin James (Math) [Stewart Ch. 2]
- 12) -Apr. 4- Semester checkup and
discussion.
- 13) -Apr. 11- Logical Foundations of
Mathematics: Prof. Stephen Simpson (Math) [Stewart Ch. 5;
Simpson article]
- 14) -Apr. 18- Computation, Turing
Machines, and the Undecidable [Stewart Ch. 18; Casti
Ch. 4]
- 15) -Apr. 25- Discussion of Computation;
Fluid Dynamics of Real Life Motion *.
Note that due to the complexities of scheduling,
there may be some changes* to the syllabus.
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