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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™

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2018

Claremont Colleges

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Articles 1 - 30 of 94

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Find, Process, And Share: An Optimal Control In The Vidale-Wolfe Marketing Model, Michael C. Barg Dec 2018

Find, Process, And Share: An Optimal Control In The Vidale-Wolfe Marketing Model, Michael C. Barg

CODEE Journal

The Vidale-Wolfe marketing model is a first-order, linear, non-homogeneous ordinary differential equation (ODE) where the forcing term is proportional to advertising expenditure. With an initial response in sales as the initial condition, the solution of the initial value problem is straightforward for a first undergraduate ODE course. The model serves as an excellent example of many relevant topics for those students whose interests lie in economics, finance, or marketing. Its inclusion in the curriculum is particularly rewarding at an institution without a physics program. The model is not new, but it was novel to us when a group of students …

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The Principal Problem With Principal Components Regression, Heidi Margaret Artigue, Heidi Margaret Artigue Dec 2018

The Principal Problem With Principal Components Regression, Heidi Margaret Artigue, Heidi Margaret Artigue

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

Principal components regression (PCR) reduces a large number of explanatory variables down to a small number of principal components. PCR is thought to be more useful, the more numerous the potential explanatory variables. The reality is that a large number of candidate explanatory variables does not make PCR more valuable; instead, it magnifies the failings of PCR.

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Experiences Using Inquiry-Oriented Instruction In Differential Equations, Keith Nabb Nov 2018

Experiences Using Inquiry-Oriented Instruction In Differential Equations, Keith Nabb

CODEE Journal

Student-centered instruction can be a challenging endeavor for teachers and students. This article reports on the use of the Inquiry-Oriented Differential Equations (IO-DE) curriculum (Rasmussen, 2002) in an undergraduate differential equations course. Examples of student work are shared with specific reference to research in mathematics education.

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Teaching Differential Equations Without Computer Graphics Solutions Is A Crime, Beverly H. West Nov 2018

Teaching Differential Equations Without Computer Graphics Solutions Is A Crime, Beverly H. West

CODEE Journal

In the early 1980s computer graphics revolutionized the teaching of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Yet the movement to teach and learn the qualitative methods that interactive graphics affords seems to have lost momentum. There still exist college courses, even at big universities, being taught without the immense power that computer graphics has brought to differential equations. The vast majority of ODEs that arise in mathematical models are nonlinear, and linearization only approximates solutions sufficiently near an equilibrium. Introductory courses need to include nonlinear DEs. Graphs of phase plane trajectories and time series solutions allow one to see and analyze the …

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Boundary Homogenization And Capture Time Distributions Of Semipermeable Membranes With Periodic Patterns Of Reactive Sites, Andrew J. Bernoff, Daniel Schmidt, Alan E. Lindsay Sep 2018

Boundary Homogenization And Capture Time Distributions Of Semipermeable Membranes With Periodic Patterns Of Reactive Sites, Andrew J. Bernoff, Daniel Schmidt, Alan E. Lindsay

All HMC Faculty Publications and Research

We consider the capture dynamics of a particle undergoing a random walk in a half- space bounded by a plane with a periodic pattern of absorbing pores. In particular, we numerically measure and asymptotically characterize the distribution of capture times. Numerically we develop a kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method that exploits exact solutions to create an efficient particle- based simulation of the capture time that deals with the infinite half-space exactly and has a run time that is independent of how far from the pores one begins. Past researchers have proposed homogenizing the surface boundary conditions, replacing the reflecting (Neumann) …

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Frontiers For Young Minds: Call For Contributions, Jeremy L. Martin Jul 2018

Frontiers For Young Minds: Call For Contributions, Jeremy L. Martin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Frontiers for Young Minds, available at https://kids.frontiersin.org/, is a free, open-access scientific journal with articles written by scientists with an audience of children and young teens (ages 8-15). A distinctive feature of the journal is that submitted articles are reviewed not by the author's peers, but by kids themselves, working under the guidance of experts. The mathematics community is invited to submit articles, both on original research and on classic topics.

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When Mercy Seasons Justice, Basant K B Jul 2018

When Mercy Seasons Justice, Basant K B

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This is based on the simple mathematical concept of ratio, which tends to get more intricate the more one thinks about it.

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The Rubbish Researchers Puzzle, Michael W. Lucht Jul 2018

The Rubbish Researchers Puzzle, Michael W. Lucht

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The Rubbish Researchers Puzzle is a humorous short story about the Blue-Eyed Islanders Puzzle, cultural insensitivity in logic problems, and the quality of research.

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A Mother's Math Is Never Done, Gizem Karaali Jul 2018

A Mother's Math Is Never Done, Gizem Karaali

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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Untitled, Marion D. Cohen Jul 2018

Untitled, Marion D. Cohen

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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Mathematical Motherhood, Marylesa Howard Jul 2018

Mathematical Motherhood, Marylesa Howard

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

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Breastmilk And Theorems, Bonnie Jacob Jul 2018

Breastmilk And Theorems, Bonnie Jacob

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Breastmilk and Theorems is a poem that traces a mother’s journey breastfeeding her baby over the course of the baby’s first months of life, while mentally working on proving a theorem.

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Wondering, Joanne Growney Jul 2018

Wondering, Joanne Growney

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This 15-line poem speaks of the ways that motherhood (in contrast with fatherhood) might limit creativity and publication. The lines of the poem have syllable counts that follow the Fibonacci Numbers: 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-13-8-5-3-2-1-1.

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Super Mamas: A Real Life Story Of Everyday Super Heroes, Emille Lawrence Jul 2018

Super Mamas: A Real Life Story Of Everyday Super Heroes, Emille Lawrence

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Bridging the gap between the world of motherhood and the world of academia can seem like a heroic feat. This essay acknowledges and celebrates a community of super women doing this every day. The Math Mamas Facebook group was formed in 2016 and today boasts over five hundred members. It provides its members a platform to commiserate about the challenges and celebrate the wins, big or small, whichever is appropriate whenever.

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Balancing An Academic Career In Mathematics With Motherhood And Life's Other Passions, Deena R. Schmidt Jul 2018

Balancing An Academic Career In Mathematics With Motherhood And Life's Other Passions, Deena R. Schmidt

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

I became a mother while a postdoctoral fellow, and solved my two-body problem shortly thereafter becoming a tenure-track professor in mathematics and statistics. My plan to have a second child came with an unexpected bonus: I had identical twin girls, and this happened during my second year on the tenure-track. Finding anything resembling a work-life balance has been extremely challenging since then. Many days I struggle just to cover the basics at work and home, let alone finding time for other passions in life --- in my case, dance has been my creative outlet since childhood and an essential part …

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Optimizing Maternal And Tenure Clocks: A Mathematical Proof, Tara T. Craig Jul 2018

Optimizing Maternal And Tenure Clocks: A Mathematical Proof, Tara T. Craig

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This essay shares my journey to solving the problem of timing, specifically as it applies to having a child on my journey towards a career as a mathematician in academia. I share some of the challenges I faced during pregnancy and the first few years of motherhood, which coincided with my first few years as an assistant professor of mathematics.

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College Dropout To College Professor, Deborah L. Gochenaur, Rose I. Verbos Jul 2018

College Dropout To College Professor, Deborah L. Gochenaur, Rose I. Verbos

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Being a college dropout wasn’t something to be proud of; it just happened. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we want or expect. Yet, it is often how we deal with defeat that defines us – figuring out when to lick our wounds and when to come back fighting. It took a few years to redefine my dream, start a family, and seem to move forward, but the ache for more was always in the back of my mind. Could I succeed at something at which I had already failed? Going back to school at a community college at …

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Rational Points On Surfaces And In Life, Amanda Knecht Jul 2018

Rational Points On Surfaces And In Life, Amanda Knecht

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This essay collects together examples of instances where I should have advocated for myself more as a mother and examples of how I have advocated for my children. Theses stories come from a mathematician who gave birth to two children while on the tenure track in an older department with only one tenured woman.

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Four Times Exceptional: Reflections On Motherhood And Teaching College Mathematics, Maria Fung Jul 2018

Four Times Exceptional: Reflections On Motherhood And Teaching College Mathematics, Maria Fung

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This essay discusses the challenges of mothering four very different children--one adopted, one gifted, one anxious and one dyslexic child--and the impact of this experience on teaching mathematics at the college level.

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Arrival At The Same Point: My Long, Winding, And Not-So-Circular Path To Professor, Melissa B. Hanzsek-Brill Jul 2018

Arrival At The Same Point: My Long, Winding, And Not-So-Circular Path To Professor, Melissa B. Hanzsek-Brill

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This is my story of the constant struggle between wanting both mathematics and motherhood, and realizing I could have it all but not all at once.The story involves earning degrees, securing a tenure-track position only to resign two years later, and then, through a gauntlet of adjunct and fixed-term positions, applying for and accepting another tenure-track position at the same institution, finally arriving back at the same point on the path I had been on sixteen years earlier. I walked this long, winding, and ultimately no-so-circular path while becoming and being a mother of four. It is my hope that …

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Beautiful Madness: Math And Motherhood --- Can You Have It All?, Abigail Wacher Jul 2018

Beautiful Madness: Math And Motherhood --- Can You Have It All?, Abigail Wacher

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

I am a tenure-track assistant professor, and I have a beautiful three-year old boy and a husband who I love. My life today is within epsilon of the future I imagined while I was in university and contemplating a career in mathematics. Getting here, however, took longer than I thought. Along the way I often felt I was under pressure to choose between my career and having a family. I never made this choice and, although my pregnancy and my son did interfere with my career, I would not have it any other way. This is the story of how …

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Mommy Brain And The Mommy Mathematician, Bonnie Jacob Jul 2018

Mommy Brain And The Mommy Mathematician, Bonnie Jacob

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Is mommy brain real? Are pregnant women and mothers ditzier than non-mothers? If mommy brain is a real phenomenon, what are the implications for women mathematicians whose careers depend on their mental agility? While anecdotes and references to the phenomenon in pop culture abound, concrete evidence is decidedly murky. In this article, I discuss some of the recent research on so-called mommy brain. I delve into the implications of its alleged existence, particularly for mother-mathematicians. I include perspectives of several mother-mathematicians on the consequences of mommy brain … or its perceived existence.

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Don't Ask The Baby To Do Calculus: Thoughts From An Early-Career Math Mama, Caitlin Krul Jul 2018

Don't Ask The Baby To Do Calculus: Thoughts From An Early-Career Math Mama, Caitlin Krul

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

I very recently became a math mama. In my desperate search for patterns and structure in those first few weeks, my husband told me, "She's only three weeks old; we can't expect her to be doing calculus homework." I suppose he was right. I am working towards tenure and finding a new balance between teaching and family, all while trying to not lose sight of who I am. My personal challenges range from the logistics of being a nursing mother in a shared office to feelings of being seen as less adequate in my job if I present myself as …

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So, Your Mom Wants To Be A Mathematician, Edie Stevens Jul 2018

So, Your Mom Wants To Be A Mathematician, Edie Stevens

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Despite all the stereotypes about them, mothers possess a skill set that makes them outstanding potential mathematicians. Most are organized, detail oriented, driven, determined, effective communicators; they are able to break down any concept or task into its principal components, and they can be logical and persuasive even when addressing the most formidable and unwilling audience. In short, no matter how messy, difficult, or tedious the task at hand, moms excel at getting the job done. This is my affirming story of how I left my engineering career to raise a family and returned to academia to pursue a doctoral …

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On Contradiction, Piper Harron Jul 2018

On Contradiction, Piper Harron

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Parenting, across species, is a clumsy, all-consuming, and often exasperating endeavor. Yet in many parts of the human world, we somehow expect to contain and control this part of ourselves. We idealize the separation of work and family. This seems to be especially true in mathematics where many of us hold space in our minds for the Devoted Genius Mathematician who has no other responsibilities but to their own passions, and no obstacles beyond the difficulties of their own pursuits. The unavoidable fact is that life with children is full of absurdities and contradictions. Unless we're willing to embrace that, …

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Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller Jul 2018

Motherhood And Teaching: Radical Care, Ksenija Simic-Muller

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This essay is a personal reflection on how I leverage my positioning as a caregiver in my roles of a mathematician, teacher, and mother, to advance a vision for a more just and equitable society. I argue that care at home and in the classroom takes similar forms, and can be liberating instead of oppressive.

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From Ecstasy To Agony And Back: Mathematics, Motherhood, And Postpartum Depression, Azadeh Rafizadeh Jul 2018

From Ecstasy To Agony And Back: Mathematics, Motherhood, And Postpartum Depression, Azadeh Rafizadeh

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this essay I address some challenges I had to overcome as a non-tenured mathematician mother married to another mathematician. While some of these challenges, such as lack of sleep, were predictable, many were not. For example, I was not aware that just getting pregnant would be a difficulty. Also, I did not know how paralyzing postpartum depression could be. Looking back on these experiences after a few years, I have a new perspective. I share my experiences, feelings about them, and some of the ways I figured out to overcome the hardships I experienced.

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The Grieving Mathematician And Mother, Kimberly A. Roth Jul 2018

The Grieving Mathematician And Mother, Kimberly A. Roth

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Grieving while teaching and researching is a tricky task. Support from the local community and from the larger mathematical community were important after my son Drew’s death. In this essay I describe my motherhood and grief journeys and how they intersected with my career, and also offer suggestions for others supporting parents in similar situations.

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Finding Hope Amidst The Pain Of Pregnancy Loss, Jessica Oshaughnessy Jul 2018

Finding Hope Amidst The Pain Of Pregnancy Loss, Jessica Oshaughnessy

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Pregnancy does not come easily to all women. This story shares my personal struggles with early miscarriage and second trimester losses and the struggle to balance grief in a professional setting.

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Pb & J, Elizabeth Gross Jul 2018

Pb & J, Elizabeth Gross

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this essay on academic life as a mother and a mathematician, I explore pregnancy in graduate school, parenting on the tenure-track, division of household labor, and sandwiches.

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