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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Fourth Voices Conference On Teaching Stem With Song, Lawrence M. Lesser Jul 2021

Fourth Voices Conference On Teaching Stem With Song, Lawrence M. Lesser

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The fourth VOICES (Virtual Ongoing Interdisciplinary Collaborations on Educating with Song) conference will be held September 26, 2021, with its Sunday date especially targeting those whose teaching schedule precludes attendance on a weekday. This online-only conference explores the use of song to teach STEM content at the college or secondary school level and will include reviewed interactive sessions, video-posters, and discussions of interest to both practitioners and researchers.


An Interview With The (Other) Corona Graph, Bonnie Jacob, Jobby Jacob Jul 2021

An Interview With The (Other) Corona Graph, Bonnie Jacob, Jobby Jacob

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The following is an interview, conducted in April 2021, with a graph product known as the corona graph. Disclaimer: The views expressed herein are not ours. Actually, this entire interview is fiction, other than the mathematics, of course.


The Music Is All That Counts! A Poem-Collage Pair Created During The Pandemic, Sarah Glaz, Mark Sanders Jul 2021

The Music Is All That Counts! A Poem-Collage Pair Created During The Pandemic, Sarah Glaz, Mark Sanders

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The poem-collage pair presented here is a work of collaboration between the mathematician and poet, Sarah Glaz, and the collage and ceramic artist, Mark Sanders. The piece is part of their larger joint poem-collage project involving the history of mathematics. Created at the height of the pandemic, the poem-collage pair reflects the reality of living during a plague and embodies the solace offered by long-distance collaboration and by the arts. Included as background is a brief discussion on the history and mathematics involved, information about Sarah’s poem and Mark’s collage, and a reflection on how the pandemic influenced both the …


Letters From Incompleteness, Jonah Howell Jul 2021

Letters From Incompleteness, Jonah Howell

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In a series of letters to a faraway lover, an unnamed narrator attempts to make sense of his own internal struggles by fixating on the strange death of Kurt Gödel.


A Life Cut Short, Cacey L. Wells Jul 2021

A Life Cut Short, Cacey L. Wells

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Connecting scholars and students with the human side of mathematics is critical. This poem about Évariste Galois provides a synopsis of his controversial life, while also providing details into his life that some may not be familiar with.


Asymptotic Dream, Oscar Gonzalez Jul 2021

Asymptotic Dream, Oscar Gonzalez

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A love poem about breaching mathematical limits, inspired by the tragic beauty of calculus.


Train Algebra, Mary Soon Lee Jul 2021

Train Algebra, Mary Soon Lee

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.


The Uncertainty Of Confidence, Michael J. Leach Jul 2021

The Uncertainty Of Confidence, Michael J. Leach

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This is a free-verse poem about the estimation of population parameters in statistical models. The spacing of words is intended to reflect uncertainty.


Mathematical Poetry In The Time Of Covid Jul 2021

Mathematical Poetry In The Time Of Covid

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected mathematicians and teachers in many ways. In our January 2021 issue, we invited our community to submit essays and reflections, as well as fiction and poetry, based on their experiences during this globally unsettling (and still ongoing) event. This folder presents a select collection of poems submitted in response to that call, by Christopher Caruvana, Marion Cohen, Lawrence M. Lesser, Dan May, Vanessa Sun, and Michele Willman, ordered alphabetically by poet last name.


Mathematical Rigor From Within, Lowell Abrams Jul 2021

Mathematical Rigor From Within, Lowell Abrams

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

There is a certain feel that is unique to the rarefied context of rigorous mathematics. These poems constitute an exploration of my experience of mathematical rigor when I am in the midst of exercising my skills as a research mathematician.


Examining The Modeling Framework Of Crime Hotspot Models In Predictive Policing, Heidi Goodson, Alanna Hoyer-Leitzel Jul 2021

Examining The Modeling Framework Of Crime Hotspot Models In Predictive Policing, Heidi Goodson, Alanna Hoyer-Leitzel

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Predictive policing has its roots in crime hotspot modeling. In this paper we give an example of what goes into mathematical crime hotspot modeling and show that the modeling assumptions perpetuate systemic racism in policing. The goal of this paper is to raise objections to this field of research, not on its mathematical merit, but on the scope of the problem formation. We do not make any suggestions about how to incorporate race into predictive policing models in order to make them less biased.


The Mystery Of The Dancing Men, Manmohan Kaur Jul 2021

The Mystery Of The Dancing Men, Manmohan Kaur

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper I describe an activity based on a 1903 Sherlock Holmes murder mystery, in which a substitution cipher is used to encrypt secret messages. The story provides a fun and interesting way to talk about frequency analysis, and can be used as a segue into mathematical constructs such as modular arithmetic and computation. The activity is accessible to ages twelve and above, and has been successfully used in mathematics outreach and popularization efforts as well as in general education and mathematics courses.


The Little Prince -- The Lost Chapter, Igor Podlubny Jul 2021

The Little Prince -- The Lost Chapter, Igor Podlubny

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A "lost chapter" from Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's Le Petite Prince about the Little Prince visiting a mathematician, written in French in the style of the original work, is presented along with several translations.


Felix Hausdorff’S Poem “Den Ungeflügelten”, Benjamin Elkins Jul 2021

Felix Hausdorff’S Poem “Den Ungeflügelten”, Benjamin Elkins

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In 1900, Felix Hausdorff published Ekstasen (Ecstasy) under the pseudonym Paul Mongré. The book is comprised of 157 poems (70 sonnets, 32 rondels, 25 "mixed poems", where Hausdorff effortlessly combines different types of poetic styles, and 30 more poems). Den Ungeflügelten (To The Wingless Ones) is the first poem in this book and provides an interesting self-portrait of Hausdorff as he embraces his muse with confidence. Here I present an English translation of this poem without (much) commentary.


Archimedes Of Syracuse And Sir Isaac Newton: On The Quadrature Of A Parabola, Wyatte C. Hooper Jul 2021

Archimedes Of Syracuse And Sir Isaac Newton: On The Quadrature Of A Parabola, Wyatte C. Hooper

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Good mathematics stands the test of time. As culture changes, we often ask different questions, bringing new perspectives, but modern mathematics stands on ancient discoveries. Isaac Newton’s discovery of calculus (along with Leibniz) may seem old but is predated by Archimedes’ findings. Current mathematics students should be familiar with parabolas and simple curves; in our introductory calculus courses, we teach them to compute the areas under such curves. Our modern approach derives its roots from Newton’s work; however, we have filled in many of the gaps in the pursuit of mathematical rigor. What many students may not know is that …


Fantasy At The Service Of Mathematics, Clara Ziskin, Esther Williams, Alla Shmukler Jul 2021

Fantasy At The Service Of Mathematics, Clara Ziskin, Esther Williams, Alla Shmukler

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This article aims to introduce the reader to a book published in 2016 under the title “Amazing Tales from the Magic Wood and Famous Problems of Mathematics” by Elli Shor and Clara Ziskin. The book offers an original method of presenting mathematical facts and history through a fantasy narrative. The book’s two authors, Clara Ziskin and Alla Shmukler (Elli Shor), together with consultant psychologist Esther Williams, share here several excerpts taken from the first part of the book as well as related illustrations and mathematical riddles, so that the reader can form an informed impression of the book, its structure, …


The List: Proverbs For Calculus, Bruce H. Pourciau Jul 2021

The List: Proverbs For Calculus, Bruce H. Pourciau

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Topics chosen from first-year calculus illustrate a number of “sayings” or “proverbs,” the first three, for example, being: be awed, like a child; meaning before truth; and act with intention. Many are proverbs for life as well as mathematics.


The Power Of A Double Take: Doubling Back To Show Growth In A Pandemic, Lawrence M. Lesser Jul 2021

The Power Of A Double Take: Doubling Back To Show Growth In A Pandemic, Lawrence M. Lesser

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The COVID-19 pandemic inspired reflections on the importance and challenges of teaching exponential growth, such as doubling, to varied audiences.


Can We Science The Poop, Too?, Nat Banting Jul 2021

Can We Science The Poop, Too?, Nat Banting

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This article describes how an innocuous question from a primary schooler taught me to pay attention to the dynamic meaning making activities of children—particularly, those of my young daughter. Through this lens, I examine how the verb-based world of children might compel us to think differently about the largely nominalized project of schooling and, more specifically, about the craft of teaching mathematics.


Math Girl Solves The Pattern, Zoe H. Austin, Jennifer K.M. Austin Jul 2021

Math Girl Solves The Pattern, Zoe H. Austin, Jennifer K.M. Austin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

During COVID-19 isolation, Dr. Jennifer Austin and her seven-year-old daughter Zoe co-authored the short story Math Girl Solves the Pattern. Here we meet the superheroine Math Girl and her nemesis Minus Girl. Math Girl is observant, curious, and creative. Houses, balls, and sailboats are disappearing! The mystery must be solved. Persevering Math Girl saves the day.


Assessment, Evaluation, And Grading: A Reflection On My Radicalization, Priscilla Bremser Jul 2021

Assessment, Evaluation, And Grading: A Reflection On My Radicalization, Priscilla Bremser

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The COVID-19 pandemic forced instructors to adapt their assessment practices. For this author, that adaptation led to a reconsideration of evaluation systems, given the ways in which such systems can interfere with learning and perpetuate inequities. The author describes resulting changes in her grading of student work and evaluation of faculty colleagues.


Crocheting Mathematics Through Covid-19, Beyza C. Aslan Jul 2021

Crocheting Mathematics Through Covid-19, Beyza C. Aslan

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

As it is often said, something good often comes out of most bad situations. The time I spent during COVID-19, at home and isolated with my two children, brought out one secret passion in me: crocheting. Not only did it help me pass the time in a sane and productive way, but also it gave me a new goal in life. It connected my math side with my artistic side. It gave me a new perspective to look at math, and helped me help others see math in a positive way.


Work-Life Imbalance In The Time Of Covid-19, Rachel Epstein, Caroline Haddad, Emek Kose, Melissa Sutherland Jul 2021

Work-Life Imbalance In The Time Of Covid-19, Rachel Epstein, Caroline Haddad, Emek Kose, Melissa Sutherland

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Four women mathematicians at various stages of their careers at public liberal arts institutions share their struggles and challenges in their professional and personal lives during the pandemic.


My Year Of Memory And Mathematics, Richard Delaware Jul 2021

My Year Of Memory And Mathematics, Richard Delaware

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

I relive one stream of my state of mind over the pandemic year of 2020.


Making Art In Math Class During The Pandemic, Larson Fairbairn, Kameelah Jackson, Ksenija Simic-Muller Jul 2021

Making Art In Math Class During The Pandemic, Larson Fairbairn, Kameelah Jackson, Ksenija Simic-Muller

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

For many of us, the pandemic has changed how we teach and how we support students. This manuscript highlights creativity as a way to support for student mathematical and emotional well-being. It describes the positive impact that creative assignments in a mathematics content course for preservice K-8 teachers had on students during the early days of the pandemic. The story is told by the instructor and two former students in the course.


Leonardo Da Vinci In Raphael's School Of Athens, Frode Sirnes Larsen Jul 2021

Leonardo Da Vinci In Raphael's School Of Athens, Frode Sirnes Larsen

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

At the center of the School of Athens, Raphael painted Plato with a face similar to that of Leonardo da Vinci. In this article I argue that the likeness was intentional, and that Raphael’s fresco contains a set of references to the book De Divina Proportione, to which Leonardo contributed with drawings of polyhedrons. De Divina Proportione was written by Leonardo’s friend and teacher of mathematics, Luca Pacioli, and contains arguments for raising the status of the art of painting, similar to the arguments found in Leonardo’s Paragone. Pacioli and Leonardo thought painting should be regarded as …


Markov Chains For Computer Music Generation, Ilana Shapiro, Mark Huber Jul 2021

Markov Chains For Computer Music Generation, Ilana Shapiro, Mark Huber

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Random generation of music goes back at least to the 1700s with the introduction of Musical Dice Games. More recently, Markov chain models have been used as a way of extracting information from a piece of music and generating new music. We explain this approach and give Python code for using it to first draw out a model of the music and then create new music with that model.


The Math Games Seminar: A Mathematical Learning Community, Anthony Delegge, Ellen Ziliak Jul 2021

The Math Games Seminar: A Mathematical Learning Community, Anthony Delegge, Ellen Ziliak

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Learning communities can be an effective means of engaging university students across disciplines. Games have always been a source of both enjoyment and interesting mathematics. Based on our own interest in games, and the deep, strategic discussions we found ourselves having with students when we played games with them, we decided to design a learning community around the mathematics of games. We hoped in particular that such a community could be a great pathway to introducing mathematical thinking to students not majoring in mathematics, and that they would gain a greater appreciation for our field. In this paper, we describe …


An Interdisciplinary Rendezvous Between Mathematics And Literature: Reflections On Beauty As A Perspective In Comparative Disciplinary Didactics And A Thematic Approach To Interdisciplinary Work In Upper Secondary School, Uffe Thomas Jankvist, Helle Rørbech, Jesper Bremholm Jul 2021

An Interdisciplinary Rendezvous Between Mathematics And Literature: Reflections On Beauty As A Perspective In Comparative Disciplinary Didactics And A Thematic Approach To Interdisciplinary Work In Upper Secondary School, Uffe Thomas Jankvist, Helle Rørbech, Jesper Bremholm

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper we propose a thematic focus on aesthetics in the context of an interdisciplinary collaboration between mathematics and literature (Language Arts) as a way to further students’ reflections on and deeper understanding of what characterizes the two subjects. Furthermore, we argue that approaching aesthetics through the perspective of literacy can potentially strengthen students’ understanding of ways of thinking particular to specific (academic) disciplines; ways of thinking that are otherwise often hidden when teaching focuses on more pragmatic aspects. G. H. Hardy’s A Mathematician’s Apology from 1940 serves as the recurring illustrative example in our discussions of the pedagogical …


Mathematics Heritage Project: An Exploration Empowering Students' Mathematical Identities, Siddhi Desai, Brianna Kurtz, Farshid Safi Jul 2021

Mathematics Heritage Project: An Exploration Empowering Students' Mathematical Identities, Siddhi Desai, Brianna Kurtz, Farshid Safi

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The International Study Group on Ethnomathematics (ISGEm) supports incorporating cultural diversity of mathematical practices to promote the teaching and learning of school mathematics. Through The Mathematics Heritage Project, students at a middle school in the southeastern United States developed unique creations to connect with the mathematics connected to their identities and self-identified cultural group. Upon reflection, students reported an increased awareness of the relevance of mathematics in their lives and a sense of ownership that is both meaningful and modern.