FRS 004— Sec. 011— (2 units) — CRN 53639— W 6:10-8:30pm— 1 Olson
Doing Mathematics — With a Computer at Your Side

Instructor: Kurt Kreith, Department of Mathematics, College of Letters and Science

Description: The course begins by revisiting topics from school mathematics in a decidedly modern context. Here you will use spreadsheets to demystify operations performed by hand calculators, such as finding square roots, solving equations, and simulating exponential and logistic growth. This use of spreadsheets will enable us to address a range of topics that have emerged since the dawn of the computer age. In particular, we will learn to use spreadsheets to generate fractal images and simulate chaos. Students will be presented with a modern view of mathematics and develop computer skills that are valuable in a variety of situations.

Format: The seminar will meet in a computer lab. Each session will begin with the discussion and elaboration of a familiar mathematical concept, followed by a computer project using Excel. Materials will be taken from “Teaching Mathematics Using Technology (Kreith & Chakerian, 2002) and from notes I have developed for my summer course for the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (Cosmos). Students will be required to develop and present a class project (usually one that elaborates on one of the class projects). Grading: Students will be graded on their final project and presentation (50%), and on class participation and interim projects (50%).

About the Instructor: Kurt Kreith is a Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at UC Davis. Since 1982 he has been actively involved in mathematics education, including summer institutes relating mathematics to environmental studies curricula at the secondary school level. He is co-author of “Iterative Algebra and Dynamic Modeling,” a recently published text that sets the stage for mathematical modeling at the secondary school level.