Courses 1995-6

Regular courses, Autumn, 1995

Math 387. Linear Algebra computer lab.

This lab is open to students taking (or having taken) Linear Algebra 308. Students in the lab will work through interactive Maple modules. Some of the modules are intended to develop greater understanding of linear algebra concepts through work with computer graphics and computational examples. Others are devoted to examples of applications of linear algebra.

Math 444 and Math 487. Geometry for teachers.

The 444 course and the 487 course are linked; they are structured as parts of the same course, and students enrolled in one must be enrolled in the other. The course treats a number of topics of Euclidean geometry, transformational geometry, geometry of circles and spheres, and other geometrical topics using a variety of different methods of learning, including discovery methods in small groups, hands-on investigation with physical models and with computer geometry software such as The Geometer's Sketchpad, Cabri, and Logo. The Student Edition of The Geometer's Sketchpad will be available for purchase by students.

Extension course Autumn, 1995 - Winter 1996

Math 497 (THIS COURSE WAS NOT OFFERED BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT ENROLLMENT)
This will be a course on Geometry using Dynamic Geometry software and the Internet offered through UW Extension. The class will meet one time for an introductory workshop and then will be conducted over the Internet. There will also be an optional concluding meeting in March.

Regular courses, Winter, 1996

Math 445 and Math 487. Geometry for Teachers.

This is a continuation of Math 444-487.

Math 497. Math Topics for Teachers. People Who Created Math: Modern Math from a Historical Perspective.

This will be an evening course on the UW campus.

This course will try to put a human face on some of the important mathematics from 1600 to the present. The mathematics of the early part of this period includes much of high school and college math, but it is usually presented as textbook theorems devoid of any personal, historical or cultural context. The mathematics of the twentieth century is living math, which is encountered too seldom in school and college.

Much of the class will consist of discussion and student presentations, with the goal of increased historical understanding and also the production of historically based math activities suitable for schools.

Each week some class time will be devoted to reading original math sources together.

The class will also produce a class math timeline, possibly to be placed on the World Wide Web.

Students will read original sources and biographical and historical accounts of mathematicians and ideas and will write short reports as the basis for weekly discussions in small groups.

In addition, each student will present a major project consisting of a historical or biographical paper plus an exploration of at least one related mathematical idea in depth, but presented in a form that can be appreciated by a general audience or used in schools.

Textbooks for Math 497

Author: Struik, Dirk J.
Title: Concise History of Mathematics
Edition: 4th Revised ed.
Publisher: Dover Publications, Incorporated
Year: 1987
ISBN/Price: 0-486-60255-9 Paper Text $7.95 (Ingram Price), $7.95

Author: Calinger, Ronald (Editor)
Title: Classics of Mathematics
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Year: 1994
ISBN/Price: 0-02-318342-X Paper Text $26.67


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