Digital Commons Network^™

Minimal Surfaces And The Weierstrass-Enneper Representation, Evan Snyder

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The field of minimal surfaces is an intriguing study, not only because of the exotic structures that these surfaces admit, but also for the deep connections among various mathematical disciplines. Minimal surfaces have zero mean curvature, and their parametrizations are usually quite complicated and nontrivial. It was shown however, that these exotic surfaces can easily be constructed from a careful choice of complex-valued functions, using what is called the Weierstrass-Enneper Representation.

In this paper, we develop the necessary tools to study minimal surfaces. We will prove some classical theorems and solve an interesting problem that involves ruled surfaces. We will …

Excluded Minors For Nearly-Paving Matroids, Vanessa Natalie Vega

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Matroids capture an abstract notion of independence that generalizes linear independence in linear algebra, edge independence in graph theory, as well as algebraic independence. Given a particular property of matroids, all the matroids possessing that property form a matroid class. A common research theme in matroid theory is to characterize matroid classes so that, given a matroid M, it is possible to determine whether or not M belongs to a given class. An excluded minor of a minor-closed class is a matroid N that is, in a sense, minimal with respect to not being in the minor-closed class. An attractive …

Hyperbolic Triangle Groups, Sergey Katykhin

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This paper will be on hyperbolic reflections and triangle groups. We will compare hyperbolic reflection groups to Euclidean reflection groups. The goal of this project is to give a clear exposition of the geometric, algebraic, and number theoretic properties of Euclidean and hyperbolic reflection groups.

Dna Complexes Of One Bond-Edge Type, Andrew Tyler Lavengood-Ryan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

DNA self-assembly is an important tool used in the building of nanostructures and targeted virotherapies. We use tools from graph theory and number theory to encode the biological process of DNA self-assembly. The principal component of this process is to examine collections of branched junction molecules, called pots, and study the types of structures that such pots can realize. In this thesis, we restrict our attention to pots which contain identical cohesive-ends, or a single bond-edge type, and we demonstrate the types and sizes of structures that can be built based on a single characteristic of the pot that is …

Exploring Matroid Minors, Jonathan Lara Tejeda

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Matroids are discrete mathematical objects that generalize important concepts of independence arising in other areas of mathematics. There are many different important classes of matroids and a frequent problem in matroid theory is to determine whether or not a given matroid belongs to a certain class of matroids. For special classes of matroids that are minor-closed, this question is commonly answered by determining a complete list of matroids that are not in the class but have the property that each of their proper minors is in the class; that is, minor-minimal matroids that are not in the minor-closed class. These …

Symmetric Presentations And Related Topics, Mayra Mcgrath

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this thesis, we have investigated several permutation and monomialprogenitors for finite images. We have found original symmetric presen-tations for several important non-abelian simple groups, including lineargroups, unitary groups, alternating groups, and sporadic simple groups.We have found a number of finite images, including : L(2,41), PSL(2,11)×2, L(2,8), and L(2,19), as homomorphic images of the permutation progenitors. We have also found PGL(2,16) : 2 =Aut(PSL(2,16)) and PSL(2,16) as homomorphic images of monomial progenitors. We have performed manual double coset enumeration of finte images. In addition, we have given the isomorphism class of each image that we have discovered. Presentation for all …

Algebraic Methods For Proving Geometric Theorems, Lynn Redman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Algebraic geometry is the study of systems of polynomial equations in one or more variables. Thinking of polynomials as functions reveals a close connection between affine varieties, which are geometric structures, and ideals, which are algebraic objects. An affine variety is a collection of tuples that represents the solutions to a system of equations. An ideal is a special subset of a ring and is what provides the tools to prove geometric theorems algebraically. In this thesis, we establish that a variety depends on the ideal generated by its defining equations. The ability to change the basis of an ideal …

Tribonacci Convolution Triangle, Rosa Davila

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A lot has been said about the Fibonacci Convolution Triangle, but not much has been said about the Tribonacci Convolution Triangle. There are a few ways to generate the Fibonacci Convolution Triangle. Proven through generating functions, Koshy has discovered the Fibonacci Convolution Triangle in Pascal's Triangle, Pell numbers, and even Tribonacci numbers. The goal of this project is to find inspiration in the Fibonacci Convolution Triangle to prove patterns that we observe in the Tribonacci Convolution Triangle. We start this by bringing in all the information that will be useful in constructing and solving these convolution triangles and find a …

Analogues Between Leibniz's Harmonic Triangle And Pascal's Arithmetic Triangle, Lacey Taylor James

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This paper will discuss the analogues between Leibniz's Harmonic Triangle and Pascal's Arithmetic Triangle by utilizing mathematical proving techniques like partial sums, committees, telescoping, mathematical induction and applying George Polya's perspective. The topics presented in this paper will show that Pascal's triangle and Leibniz's triangle both have hockey stick type patterns, patterns of sums within shapes, and have the natural numbers, triangular numbers, tetrahedral numbers, and pentatope numbers hidden within. In addition, this paper will show how Pascal's Arithmetic Triangle can be used to construct Leibniz's Harmonic Triangle and show how both triangles relate to combinatorics and arithmetic through the …

Geodesics On Generalized Plane Wave Manifolds, Moises Pena

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A manifold is a Hausdorff topological space that is locally Euclidean. We will define the difference between a Riemannian manifold and a pseudo-Riemannian manifold. We will explore how geodesics behave on pseudo-Riemannian manifolds and what it means for manifolds to be geodesically complete. The Hopf-Rinow theorem states that,“Riemannian manifolds are geodesically complete if and only if it is complete as a metric space,” [Lee97] however, in pseudo-Riemannian geometry, there is no analogous theorem since in general a pseudo-Riemannian metric does not induce a metric space structure on the manifold. Our main focus will be on a family of manifolds referred …

Fuchsian Groups, Bob Anaya

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Fuchsian groups are discrete subgroups of isometries of the hyperbolic plane. This thesis will primarily work with the upper half-plane model, though we will provide an example in the disk model. We will define Fuchsian groups and examine their properties geometrically and algebraically. We will also discuss the relationships between fundamental regions, Dirichlet regions and Ford regions. The goal is to see how a Ford region can be constructed with isometric circles.

Pascal's Triangle, Pascal's Pyramid, And The Trinomial Triangle, Antonio Saucedo Jr.

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Many properties have been found hidden in Pascal's triangle. In this paper, we will present several known properties in Pascal's triangle as well as the properties that lift to different extensions of the triangle, namely Pascal's pyramid and the trinomial triangle. We will tailor our interest towards Fermat numbers and the hockey stick property. We will also show the importance of the hockey stick properties by using them to prove a property in the trinomial triangle.

Calculus Remediation As An Indicator For Success On The Calculus Ap Exam, Ty Stockham

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study investigates the effects of implementing a remediation program in a high school Advanced Placement Calculus AB course on student class grades and success in passing the AP Calculus AB exam.

A voluntary remediation program was designed to help students understand the key concepts and big ideas in beginning Calculus. Over a period of eight years the program was put into practice and data on student participation and achievement was collected. Students who participated in this program were given individualized recitation activities targeting their specific misunderstandings, and then given an opportunity to retest on chapter exams that they had …

Symmetric Presentations And Double Coset Enumeration, Charles Seager

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this project, we demonstrate our discovery of original symmetric presentations and constructions of important groups, including nonabelian simple groups, and groups that have these as factor groups. The target nonabelian simple groups include alternating, linear, and sporadic groups. We give isomorphism types for each finite homomorphic image that has been found. We present original symmetric presentations of $M_{12}$, $M_{21}:(2 \times 2)$, $L_{3}(4):2^2$, $2:^{\cdot}L_{3}(4):2$, $S(4,3)$, and $S_{7}$ as homomorphism images of the progenitors $2^{*20}$ $:$ $A_{5}$, $2^{*10}$ $:$ $PGL(2,9)$, $2^{*10}$ $:$ $Aut(A_{6})$, $2^{*10}$ $:$ $A_{6}$, $2^{*10}$ $:$ $A_{5}$, and $2^{*24}$ $:$ $S_{5}$, respectively. We also construct $M_{12}$, $M_{21}:(2 \times 2)$, …

Exploring Flag Matroids And Duality, Zachary Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Matroids capture an abstraction of independence in mathematics, and in doing so, connect discrete mathematical structures that arise in a variety of contexts. A matroid can be defined in several cryptomorphic ways depending on which perspective of a matroid is most applicable to the given context. Among the many important concepts in matroid theory, the concept of matroid duality provides a powerful tool when addressing difficult problems. The usefulness of matroid duality stems from the fact that the dual of a matroid is itself a matroid. In this thesis, we explore a matroid-like object called a flag matroid. In particular, …

Tutte-Equivalent Matroids, Maria Margarita Rocha

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

We begin by introducing matroids in the context of finite collections of vectors from a vector space over a specified field, where the notion of independence is linear independence. Then we will introduce the concept of a matroid invariant. Specifically, we will look at the Tutte polynomial, which is a well-defined two-variable invariant that can be used to determine differences and similarities between a collection of given matroids. The Tutte polynomial can tell us certain properties of a given matroid (such as the number of bases, independent sets, etc.) without the need to manually solve for them. Although the Tutte …

Toroidal Embeddings And Desingularization, Leon Nguyen

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Algebraic geometry is the study of solutions in polynomial equations using objects and shapes. Differential geometry is based on surfaces, curves, and dimensions of shapes and applying calculus and algebra. Desingularizing the singularities of a variety plays an important role in research in algebraic and differential geometry. Toroidal Embedding is one of the tools used in desingularization. Therefore, Toroidal Embedding and desingularization will be the main focus of my project. In this paper, we first provide a brief introduction on Toroidal Embedding, then show an explicit construction on how to smooth a variety with singularity through Toroidal Embeddings.

Symmetric Presentations, Representations, And Related Topics, Adam Manriquez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to develop original symmetric presentations of finite non-abelian simple groups, particularly the sporadic simple groups. We have found original symmetric presentations for the Janko group J₁, the Mathieu group M₁₂, the Symplectic groups S(3,4) and S(4,5), a Lie type group Suz(8), and the automorphism group of the Unitary group U(3,5) as homomorphic images of the progenitors 2^*60 : (2 x A₅), 2^{*60 :} A₅, 2^*56 : (2³ : 7), and 2^*28 : (PGL(2,7):2), respectively. We have also discovered the groups 2 …

Simple Groups, Progenitors, And Related Topics, Angelica Baccari

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The foundation of the work of this thesis is based around the involutory progenitor and the finite homomorphic images found therein. This process is developed by Robert T. Curtis and he defines it as 2^{*n} :N {pi w | pi in N, w} where 2^{*n} denotes a free product of n copies of the cyclic group of order 2 generated by involutions. We repeat this process with different control groups and a different array of possible relations to discover interesting groups, such as sporadic, linear, or unitary groups, to name a few. Predominantly this work was produced from transitive groups …

Modern Cryptography, Samuel Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

We live in an age where we willingly provide our social security number, credit card information, home address and countless other sensitive information over the Internet. Whether you are buying a phone case from Amazon, sending in an on-line job application, or logging into your on-line bank account, you trust that the sensitive data you enter is secure. As our technology and computing power become more sophisticated, so do the tools used by potential hackers to our information. In this paper, the underlying mathematics within ciphers will be looked at to understand the security of modern ciphers.

An extremely important …

Monomial Progenitors And Related Topics, Madai Obaid Alnominy

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The main objective of this project is to find the original symmetric presentations of some very important finite groups and to give our constructions of some of these groups. We have found the Mathieu sporadic group M₁₁, HS × D₅, where HS is the sporadic group Higman-Sim group, the projective special unitary group U(3; 5) and the projective special linear group L₂(149) as homomorphic images of the monomial progenitors 11*⁴ :_m (5 :4), 5*⁶ :_m S₅ and 149*² :_m D₃₇. We have also discovered 2 …

Progenitors, Symmetric Presentations And Constructions, Diana Aguirre

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Abstract

In this project, we searched for new constructions and symmetric presentations of important groups, nonabelian simple groups, their automorphism groups, or groups that have these as their factor groups. My target nonabelian simple groups included sporadic groups, linear groups, and alternating groups. In addition, we discovered finite groups as homomorphic images of progenitors and proved some of their isomorphism type and original symmetric presentations. In this thesis we found original symmeric presentations of M12, J1 and the simplectic groups S(4,4) and S(3,4) on various con- trol groups. Using the technique of double coset enumeration we constucted J2 as a …

Progenitors, Symmetric Presentations, And Related Topics, Joana Viridiana Luna

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Abstract

A progenitor developed by Robert T. Curtis is a type of infinite groups formed by the semi-direct product of a free group m∗n and a transitive permutation group of degree n. To produce finite homomorphic images we had to add relations to the progenitor of the form 2∗n : N. In this thesis we have investigated several permutations progenitors and monomials, 2∗12 : S4, 2∗12 : S4 × 2, 2∗13 : (13 : 4), 2∗30 : ((2• : 3) : 5), 2∗13 :13,2∗13 :(13:2),2∗13 :(13:S3),53∗2 :m (13:4),7∗8 :m (32 :8),and 53∗4 :m (13 : 4). We have discovered that …

Construction Of Finite Group, Michelle Soyeong Yeo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The main goal of this project is to present my investigation of finite images of the progenitor 2^(*n) : N for various N and several values of n. We construct each image by using the technique of double coset enumeration and give a proof of the isomorphism type of the image. We obtain the group 7^2: D_6 as a homomorphic image of the progenitor 2^(*14) : D_14, we obtain the group 2^4 : (5 : 4) as a homomorphic image of the progenitor 2^(*5) : (5 : 4), we obtain the group (10 x10) : ((3 x 4) : 2) …

Investigation Of Finite Groups Through Progenitors, Charles Baccari

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The goal of this presentation is to find original symmetric presentations of finite groups. It is frequently the case, that progenitors factored by appropriate relations produce simple and even sporadic groups as homomorphic images. We have discovered two of the twenty-six sporadic simple groups namely, M₁₂, J₁ and the Lie type group Suz(8). In addition several linear and classical groups will also be presented. We will present several progenitors including: 2^*12: 2² x (3 : 2), 2^*11: PSL₂(11), 2^*5: (5 : 4) which have produced the homomorphic images: …

An Introduction To Lie Algebra, Amanda Renee Talley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

An (associative) algebra is a vector space over a field equipped with an associative, bilinear multiplication. By use of a new bilinear operation, any associative algebra morphs into a nonassociative abstract Lie algebra, where the new product in terms of the given associative product, is the commutator. The crux of this paper is to investigate the commutator as it pertains to the general linear group and its subalgebras. This forces us to examine properties of ring theory under the lens of linear algebra, as we determine subalgebras, ideals, and solvability as decomposed into an extension of abelian ideals, and nilpotency, …

Making Models With Bayes, Pilar Olid

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Bayesian statistics is an important approach to modern statistical analyses. It allows us to use our prior knowledge of the unknown parameters to construct a model for our data set. The foundation of Bayesian analysis is Bayes' Rule, which in its proportional form indicates that the posterior is proportional to the prior times the likelihood. We will demonstrate how we can apply Bayesian statistical techniques to fit a linear regression model and a hierarchical linear regression model to a data set. We will show how to apply different distributions to Bayesian analyses and how the use of a prior affects …

Simple And Semi-Simple Artinian Rings, Ulyses Velasco

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The main purpose of this paper is to examine the road towards the structure of simple and semi-simple Artinian rings. We refer to these structure theorems as the Wedderburn-Artin theorems. On this journey, we will discuss R-modules, the Jacobson radical, Artinian rings, nilpotency, idempotency, and more. Once we reach our destination, we will examine some implications of these theorems. As a fair warning, no ring will be assumed to be commutative, or to have unity. On that note, the reader should be familiar with the basic findings from Group Theory and Ring Theory.

Planar Graphs, Biplanar Graphs And Graph Thickness, Sean M. Hearon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A graph is planar if it can be drawn on a piece of paper such that no two edges cross. The smallest complete and complete bipartite graphs that are not planar are K5 and K{3,3}. A biplanar graph is a graph whose edges can be colored using red and blue such that the red edges induce a planar subgraph and the blue edges induce a planar subgraph. In this thesis, we determine the smallest complete and complete bipartite graphs that are not biplanar.

Regular Round Matroids, Svetlana Borissova

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

A matroid M is a finite set E, called the ground set of M, together with a notion of what it means for subsets of E to be independent. Some matroids, called regular matroids, have the property that all elements in their ground set can be represented by vectors over any field. A matroid is called round if its dual has no two disjoint minimal dependent sets. Roundness is an important property that was very useful in the recent proof of Rota's conjecture, which remained an unsolved problem for 40 years in matroid theory. In this thesis, we …