Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Plato's Ghost: The Modernist Transformation Of Mathematics (Book Review), Calvin Jongsma

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Reviewed Title: Plato's Ghost: The Modernist Transformation of Mathematics by Jeremy Gray. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2008. 515 pages. ISBN 9780691136103.

"All The Crises Reached A Concerted Crescendo" - The Arab Oil Embargo And Why The United States Was Unprepared For It, Jonathan D. Chilcote

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

During the 2008 spike in oil prices, oil companies and government officials were brought under close scrutiny as many Americans began to question why prices were able to rise so quickly. Americans had become accustomed to living in an economy where cheap oil was the norm, and demanded answers when that situation changed. What most of them did not know is that they were repeating history and mimicking the response to the 1973 oil embargo. Just as in 2008, the United States faced a crisis in 1973 with which it was unprepared to effectively cope. This thesis analyzes the reasons …

Interview With Robert Dozono, Blackfish Gallery, 2009 (Audio), Robert Dozono

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Robert Dozono by Greg Plath at Blackfish Gallery in Portland, Oregon on November 21st, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

2009 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library, Michael Schwartz Ph.D.

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti. Dr. Michael Schwartz was the honored guest.

Arts And Sciences Newsletter, Volume 13, Issue 1, College Of Arts & Sciences

Arts and Sciences Newsletters

No abstract provided.

"Insufferably Stupid Or Miserably Out Of Place": F.A.P. Barnard And His Scientific Instrument Collection In The Antebellum South, Stephen Case

Faculty Scholarship – Geology

In the 1850s, the American scientist and educator Frederick A. P. Barnard created a collection of scientific apparatus at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Mississippi, of a size and expense that surpassed any collection in the United States at that time. The collection, which would come to include over three hundred instruments of both American and European manufacture, was the attempt by Barnard, born and educated in the North, to bring Big Science to the South and challenge the dominance of Northern schools in science education. In this respect it failed, and the collection became a forgotten footnote in …

Ua35/1 Doers & Deeds Vol. 7, No. 12, Wku Provost

WKU Archives Records

Newsletter created by the WKU Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs to highlight the activities of faculty, staff and alumni.

Interview With Rabbi Arthur Zuckerman, Shaarie Torah, 2009 (Audio), Arthur Zuckerman

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Rabbi Arthur Zuckerman by Austin Rosenfeld in NW Portland, Oregon on August 7th, 2009.

The interview index is available for download.

Interview Of James Szczur, James Szczur, Christopher Spaman

All Oral Histories

Mr. James Michael Szczur was born in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, PA in 1947. He grew up in close proximity to both his grandparents. He was an only child of his parents, who were also born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. Jim, as he was asked to be called during the interview, attended Catholic grammar and high school in Philadelphia. Upon completion of high school, he attended seminary for about 2 years in western PA. He left the seminary and returned home when his father suffered a heart attack. He was drafted into the army in 1968 during the …

An Oral History Of The American Chestnut In Southern Appalachia Presentation, Bethany N. Baxter

American Chestnut Oral History Project

Bethany Baxter's defense presentation for the thesis entitled, An oral history of the American chestnut in Southern Appalachia, submitted to the faculty of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science.

Fall 2009 Nova Southeastern University Undergraduate Student Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

Undergraduate Programs Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Holism And Human History, Martin Zwick

Systems Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

We want and need the ‘whole story,’ but the whole story is difficult to tell. We can reduce the magnitude of the task by taking a cue from the title of the meeting, namely “Cosmos, Nature, Culture: A Transdisciplinary Conference.” The ‘whole story’ can be divided into three stories: the story of the unfolding of the universe (‘cosmos’), the story of the evolution of life (‘nature’), and the story of human history (‘culture’). This paper focuses on the third of these. Of course, human history is rooted in nature which is a manifestation of cosmos on our planet, but its …

Cooper's Green World: Adapting Ecosemiotics To The Mythic Eastern Woodlands, Paul Siewers

Faculty Contributions to Books

James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales situated in a Trans-Atlantic Green World tradition of Anglophone literature, related also to Native American culture.

Confidence Intervals For The Ratio Of Two Exponential Means With Applications To Quality Control, James Albert Polcer,Iii

Student Research Conference Select Presentations

We considered the problem of statistical quality control based on the ratio of two population means. We restrict the discussion for two exponential rates, which are commonly used for modeling failure times of components, machines, or systems. Closed form expressions via the moment generation function (MGF) technique will be presented, and numerical examples will be shown using engineering data sets.

Approximating Sums Of Infinite Series, Kara Garrison, Thomas E. Price

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

The Euler-Maclaurin summation formula is frequently used to efficiently estimate sums of infinite series of the form $\sum_{j=1}^{\infty}f(j)$. The purpose of this article is to describe a modification of this numerical technique designed to simplify and reduce the computational effort required to obtain an acceptable estimate of the sum. The modified formula is obtained by replacing $f\left( x\right) $ with an easily constructed polynomial like interpolating function $a\left( x\right) $ designed to simplify the calculation of the integral and derivatives associated with Euler-Maclaurin. This approach provides a more tractable algorithm which can be written as a matrix equation. Examples are …

Are Mathematical Entities Real?, Phillip E. Lestmann

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

This talk will introduce ontological questions related to mathematics. After surveying the views of Plato and Artistotle, other possible philosophical perspectives will be considered including realism, nominalism, conceptualism, and empiricism with their relative strengths and weaknesses. The discussion will conclude with a possible biblical foundation for mathematical ontology.

History Of Mathematics In The Service Of School Mathematics Education, Calvin Jongsma

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

This slide presentation outlines the author's use of history of mathematics in teaching a mathematics-content course to prospective middle school mathematics teachers. A pedagogical rationale for using history of mathematics is given, along with a case study illustrating its use for teaching the topic of ratio and proportion drawing upon the numerical and geometrical theories of such found in Euclid's Elements.

A Career Preparation Course For Students In Mathematics And Computer Science, Donna Pierce, Peter A. Tucker

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

As professors, we all want our students to succeed, and to be motivated to study. We all get questions from students that can be boiled down to, "What can I do with X degree?" Certainly, a quick answer is to point students to career websites, or to send them to the career services department on campus. However, we want to do better than that. We want students to learn how to investigate these future directions, and to have them think about their future more holistically--not just an effort to find a job. To that end, we have developed a course …

Integrating Dynamic Software Into Geometry Courses At Middle School, High School, And College Levels: Ten Lesson Plan And Instruction Material Units Incorporating Geometer's Sketchpad Version 4.07, Jamie Blauw, Lauren Zylstra, Dave Klanderman

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

This paper explores the use of dynamic geometry software (Geometer's Sketchpad) in the teaching and learning of Geometry at the high school and college level. As part of an honors project, two of the authors created a series of lesson activities to address specific geometric concepts. Each lesson implements Geometer's Sketchpad to create an engaging student-centered learning environment.

A Vision For Acms, James Bradley

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

This paper applies McGrath's and Heller's approach to the consideration of mathematics. It assumes that mathematics is not self-interpreting, but that, looked at from a framework informed by the Christian scriptures, it can be seen as having significant meaning and value and a transcendent purpose. In particular, it presents a classical interpretation of mathematics broadly conceived, presents two approaches to providing warrant for such an interpretation, and explores some implications. It argues, by means of the example of the classical interpretation, that the relationship between mathematics and theology is a viable area of scholarly inquiry encompassing profound and fascinating questions. …

The Development Of Mathematical And Spiritual Maturity In The Undergraduate Mathematics Curriculum, Angela Hare

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

Colleges and universities that teach mathematics have a responsibility to develop in students an appreciation of the powerful tools they are studying in the mathematics curriculum. Beyond this fundamental responsibility, the Christian college or university has the richer task of equipping mathematics graduates to use their mathematical knowledge and skills to sharpen their spiritual insight, to serve others, and to promote justice and freedom in society. The growth in mathematical maturity that occurs during the undergraduate years is an asset that enables Christian students of mathematics to participate in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ through their discipline of study. …

Monoids For Math Majors, Brian D. Beasley

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

Inspired by an MAA PREP workshop on “The Art of Factorization in Multiplicative Structures”, this paper will treat the basics of congruence monoids and arithmetical congruence monoids with their potential for a Modern Algebra or capstone course.

Professor Peacock's Symbolical Algebra: Glimpses Into The Life And Work Of A Mathematical Reformer, Richard Stout

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

In his 1859 obituary of George Peacock (Royal Society of London, 1859),the nineteenth century mathematician and Dean of Ely Cathedral, his friend and long-time colleague J. F. W. Herschel not only lists Peacock's accomplishments as an educator, a churchman, and a mathematician, but also describes a man who embodies warmth and wisdom, the kind of person you would enjoy knowing and having as a colleague. Writing about Peacock in the Memoirs of the Royal Astronomical Society, Augustus DeMorgan echoes these sentiments when he says that "Whenever a man of safe judgment was wanted, who united kindness and courtesy to a …

Can Critical Thinking Be Redeemed?, Jeremy Case

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

We often claim that mathematics develops critical thinking skills. Critical thinking has many different definitions, but problem solving, deduction, analyzing arguments, and identifying assumptions are all certainly a part of critical thinking. As the trend in higher education moves away from focusing exclusively on content towards assessment and learning outcomes, we can justify our endeavors since mathematics and critical thinking align themselves well.

However, when examining the ultimate purpose of critical thinking in higher education, we must take care. If there is no agreed upon content knowledge in our postmodern age, the focus of education falls elsewhere. How one thinks …

Fire! Lessons Learned And Applied To Computer Systems, Kim P. Kihlstrom

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

A wildfire swept through Santa Barbara on November 13, 2008, burning 1940 acres and destroying 230 homes. Nine structures on the Westmont College campus were destroyed as well as fifteen faculty homes near campus. What insights can be drawn from this experience? We will examine some of the lessons that can be applied to the design of intrusion-tolerant computer systems.

Supplemental Vocabulary Acquisition In The Desymbol Logic Translator, Darren F. Provine, Nancy Lynn Tinkham

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

DeSymbol is a program that translates first-order predicate logic expressions into English. It is designed to help students practice when learning or reviewing symbolic logic: students begin by translating English sentences into symbolic logic notation, and then they can use DeSymbol to translate the logic back into English to check their work.

The newest version of DeSymbol adds the ability for the user to expand the system’s vocabulary, using a web interface. The user can enter new nouns, verbs, or adjectives, specifying each word’s part of speech, its singular and plural forms, and (for verbs) whether the verb takes an …

Galileo's Solution To Dante's Riddle, Andrew Simoson

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

In Dante’s Inferno, several riddles are posed regarding the relative sizes of ordinary men versus giants versus Lucifer—all of which Galileo solves in his first public lecture—which we review herein.

Sage: Math In Your Dorm Room, From Calculus To Research, Karl-Dieter Crisman

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

As computers have revolutionized math research in disciplines as disparate as number theory and bioinformatics, it is natural for us to introduce our students to technology in ways beyond mere homework-checking. However, most familiar programs are either not comprehensive enough to encompass all the math in our curriculum, or are very expensive and accessible only in a lab or with a student license. The open source software package Sage addresses all of these issues.

Sage is suitable for discovery and computation in introductory courses such as calculus or linear algebra, while also being ideal for use in upper-level courses or …

Exploring The Limits Of Computing Through Exhaustive Search, Jeffrey L. Lehman

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

Many computing problems can be solved by identifying all possible moves or combinations of events and then picking the best solution. Problems in this domain provide fertile ground for exploring problem representation, storage requirements, and computational complexity. The problems and solution approaches are easy to understand, yet quickly push the memory and storage limits of a personal computer. This paper describes insights from a preliminary investigating of two exhaustive search problems, the 15-puzzle and Rubik’s cube. The insights gained by looking at exhaustive search problems can be integrated into classroom discussions and projects.

Arithmetic Sequences, Diophantine Equations And The Number Of The Beast, Bryan Dawson

ACMS Conference Proceedings 2009

Revelation 13:18 invites anyone with "understanding" to "calculate the number of the beast". This session reviews historical attempts using arithmetic sequences and gives conditions by which a name is "beastable" by those methods. Do these approaches make it reasonable to identify the beast based on such calculation alone?