Digital Commons Network^™

Partitions Of Finite Frames, James Michael Rosado

Theses and Dissertations

An open question stated by Marcus, Spielman, and Srivastava [10] asks "whether one can design an efficient algorithm to find the partitions guaranteed by Corollary 1.5." This corollary states that given a set of vectors in C whose outer products sum to the identity there exists a partition of these vectors such that norms of the outer-product sums of each subset satisfy an inequality bound. Here particular types of vector sets called finite frames are analyzed and constructed to satisfy the inequality described in Corollary 1.5. In this thesis, rigorous proofs and formulations of outer-product norms are utilized to find …

The Principles Of Effective Teaching Student Teachershave The Opportunity To Learn In An Alternativestudent Teaching Structure, Danielle Rose Divis

Theses and Dissertations

Research has shown that the focus of mathematics student teaching programs is typically classroom management and non-mathematics specific teaching strategies. However, the redesigned BYU student teaching structure has proven to help facilitate a greater focus on mathematics-specific pedagogy and student mathematics during post-lesson reflection meeting conversations. This study analyzed what specific principles of NCTM’s standards of effective teaching were discussed in the reflection meetings of this redesigned structure. This study found that the student teachers extensively discussed seven of the eight principles NCTM considers to be necessary for effective mathematics teaching. Other pedagogical principles pertaining to student mathematical learning not …

On The Group Of Transvections Of Ade-Diagrams, Marvin Jones

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we examine symplectic spaces with forms generated by the ADEdiagrams. Specifically, we determine the generators of the group of transvections for each space under the standard basis, S, of Kⁿ (where K is a field with characteristic 0) and the hyperbolic basis, H, we get from the classification theorem of symplectic spaces. Further, we examine how the generators of these groups are related via g : G_f,S ! SL(Z)_n where g(X) = P⁻¹XP where P is the change of basis matrix for S to H.

Teachers' Beliefs And Practices Regarding Homework: An Examination Of The Cognitive Domain Embedded In Third Grade Mathematics Homework, Pandora Dell Bedford

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to gain a better understanding of third grade math teachers''beliefs and practices regarding homework, to explain how teachers''beliefs and practices regarding homework aligned to the framework of the Revised Bloom's'Taxonomy Cognitive Domain, and to determine the administrative influences on homework practices. The data were collected during October and November 2013. Six third grade math teachers (primary unit of analysis) and four principals (secondary unit of analysis) were interviewed from Dell School District. Each participant (teacher and principal) was interviewed for approximately one hour. A second meeting was set at a later time with …

Selected Research In Covering Systems Of The Integers And The Factorization Of Polynomials, Joshua Harrington

Theses and Dissertations

In 1960, Sierpi\'{n}ski proved that there exist infinitely many odd positive integers $k$ such that $k\cdot 2^n+1$ is composite for all positive integers $n$. Such integers are known as Sierpi\'{n}ski numbers. Letting $f(x)=ax^r+bx+c\in\mathbb{Z}[x]$, Chapter 2 of this document explores the existence of integers $k$ such that $f(k)2^n+d$ is composite for all positive integers $n$. Chapter 3 then looks into a polynomial variation of a similar question. In particular, Chapter~\ref{CH:FH} addresses the question, for what integers $d$ does there exist a polynomial $f(x)\in\mathbb{Z}[x]$ with $f(1)\neq -d$ such that $f(x)x^n+d$ is reducible for all positive integers $n$. The last two chapters of …

Coloring Pythagorean Triples And A Problem Concerning Cyclotomic Polynomials, Daniel White

Theses and Dissertations

One may easily show that there exist $O( \log n)$-colorings of $\{1,2, \ldots, n\}$ such that no Pythagorean triple with elements $\le n$ is monochromatic. In Chapter~\ref{CH:triples}, we investigate two analogous ideas. First, we find an asymptotic bound for the number of colors required to color $\{1,2,\ldots ,n\}$ so that every Pythagorean triple with elements $\le n$ is $3$-colored. Afterwards, we examine the case where we allow a vanishing proportion of Pythagorean triples with elements $\le n$ to fail to have this property.

Unrelated, in 1908, Schur raised the question of the irreducibility over $\Q$ of polynomials of the form …

Sharp Bounds Associated With An Irreducibility Theorem For Polynomials Having Non-Negative Coefficients, Morgan Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Consider a polynomial f(x) having non-negative integer coefficients with f(b) prime for some integer b greater than or equal to 2. We will investigate the size of the coefficients of the polynomial and establish a largest such bound on the coefficients that would imply that f(x) is irreducible. A result of Filaseta and Gross has established sharp bounds on the coefficients of such a polynomial in the case that b = 10. We will expand these results for b in {8, 9, ..., 20}.

3-D Computational Investigation Of Viscoelastic Biofilms Using Gpus, Paisa Seeluangsawat

Theses and Dissertations

A biofilm is a slimy colony of bacteria and the materials they secrete, collectively called “extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)”. The EPS consists mostly of bio-polymers, which cross link into a network that behave viscoelastically under deformation. We propose a single-fluid multi-component phase field model of biofilms that captures this behavior, then use numerical simulations on GPUs to investigate the biofilm’s growth and its hydrodynamics properties.

Hokua – A Wavelet Method For Audio Fingerprinting, Steven S. Lutz

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, multimedia identification has become important as the volume of digital media has dramatically increased. With music files, one method of identification is audio fingerprinting. The underlying method for most algorithms is the Fourier transform. However, due to a lack of temporal resolution, these algorithms rely on the short-time Fourier transform. We propose an audio fingerprinting algorithm that uses a wavelet transform, which has good temporal resolution. In this thesis, we examine the basics of certain topics that are needed in understanding audio fingerprinting techniques. We also look at a brief history of work done in this field. …

The Expectation Of Transition Events On Finite-State Markov Chains, Jeremy Michael West

Theses and Dissertations

Markov chains are a fundamental subject of study in mathematical probability and have found wide application in nearly every branch of science. Of particular interest are finite-state Markov chains; the representation of finite-state Markov chains by a transition matrix facilitates detailed analysis by linear algebraic methods. Previous methods of analyzing finite-state Markov chains have emphasized state events. In this thesis we develop the concept of a transition event and define two types of transition events: cumulative events and time-average events. Transition events generalize state events and provide a more flexible framework for analysis. We derive computable, closed-form expressions for the …

Numerical Solutions For Stochastic Differential Equations And Some Examples, Yi Luo

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I will study the qualitative properties of solutions of stochastic differential equations arising in applications by using the numerical methods. It contains two parts. In the first part, I will first review some of the basic theory of the stochastic calculus and the Ito-Taylor expansion for stochastic differential equations (SDEs). Then I will discuss some numerical schemes that come from the Ito-Taylor expansion including their order of convergence. In the second part, I will use some schemes to solve the stochastic Duffing equation, the stochastic Lorenz equation, the stochastic pendulum equation, and the stochastic equations which model …

On The Combinatorics Of Certain Garside Semigroups, Christopher R. Cornwell

Theses and Dissertations

In his dissertation, F.A. Garside provided a solution to the word and conjugacy problems in the braid group on n-strands, using a particular element that he called the fundamental word. Others have since defined fundamental words in the generalized setting of Artin groups, and even more recently in Garside groups. We consider the problem of finding the number of representations of a power of the fundamental word in these settings. In the process, we find a Pascal-like identity that is satisfied in a certain class of Garside groups.

Statistical Properties Of Thompson's Group And Random Pseudo Manifolds, Benjamin M. Woodruff

Theses and Dissertations

The first part of our work is a statistical and geometric study of properties of Thompson's Group F. We enumerate the number of elements of F which are represented by a reduced pair of n-caret trees, and give asymptotic estimates. We also discuss the effects on word length and number of carets of right multiplication by a standard generator x0 or x1. We enumerate the average number of carets along the left edge of an n-caret tree, and use an Euler transformation to make some conjectures relating to right multiplication by a generator. We describe a computer algorithm which produces …

Bounding The Number Of Graphs Containing Very Long Induced Paths, Steven Kay Butler

Theses and Dissertations

Induced graphs are used to describe the structure of a graph, one such type of induced graph that has been studied are long paths.

In this thesis we show a way to represent such graphs in terms of an array with two colors and a labeled graph. Using this representation and the techniques of Polya counting we will then be able to get upper and lower bounds for graphs containing a long path as an induced subgraph.

In particular, if we let P(n,k) be the number of graphs on n+k vertices which contains P_n, a path on n vertices, as …