Mathematics Commons^™

On Rational Subgroups Of Exceptional Groups., Neha Hooda Dr.

Doctoral Theses

The main theme of this thesis is the study of exceptional algebraic groups via their subgroups. This theme has been widely explored by various authors (Martin Leibeck, Gary Seitz, Adam Thomas, Donna Testerman to mention a few), mainly for split groups ([26], [27], [28], [60] ). When the field of definition k of the concerned algebraic groups is not algebraically closed, the classification of k-subgroups is largely an open problem. In the thesis, we mainly handle the cases of simple groups of type F4 and G2 defined over an arbitrary field. These may not be split over k. We first …

Efficacy Of Math Video Tutorials On Student Perception And Achievement, Carol R. Kahrmann

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this mixed methods research study is to explore how teacher-made video tutorials in one middle school mathematics classroom are being used and what enables/impedes their effectiveness. A quantitative, quasi-experimental design investigates how video tutorial usage relates to students’ self-efficacy and achievement in mathematics. The sample consisted of 55 students in the experimental group and 65 students in the control group. Results found parents wanted the tutorials even if they did not view them. Students did actually use the video tutorials for remediation and learning. Videos longer than ten minutes impeded the effectiveness of the videos. The …

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 Development Of Notation In Mathematical Analysis, Alyssa Venezia

Honors Thesis

The field of analysis is a newer subject in mathematics, as it only came into existence in the last 400 years. With a new field comes new notation, and in the era of universalism, analysis becomes key to understanding how centuries of mathematics were unified into a finite set of symbols, precise definitions, and rigorous proofs that would allow for the rapid development of modern mathematics. This paper traces the introduction of subjects and the development of new notations in mathematics from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century that allowed analysis to flourish. In following the development of analysis, we …

Infinite Color Urn Models., Debleena Thacker Dr.

Doctoral Theses

In recent years, there has been a wide variety of work on random reinforcement models of various kinds. Urn models form an important class of random reinforcement models, with numerous applications in engineering and informatics and bioscience. In recent years there have been several works on different kinds of urn models and their generalizations. For occupancy urn models, where one considers recursive addition of balls into finite or infinite number of boxes, there are some works which introduce models with infinitely many colors, typically represented by the boxes.As observed in [51], the earliest mentions of urn models are in the …

Exploring The Relationship Between High School Diploma Requirements In Mathematics And College Remediation Rates, Derek J. Brown

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study examined the relationship between the essential skill of math and college remediation rates using a dataset of 1,858 recent high school graduates attending public, 4-year Oregon universities. Using a logistic regression methodology, this study explored (a) the extent to which the essential skill of math improved college remediation rates, (b) the association between allowable essential skill of math sources of evidence and college remediation rates, and (c) the impact of the essential skill of math on students from various demographic backgrounds. Results from this study suggest the essential skill of math graduation requirement significantly predicts the likelihood of …

Area And Volume Where Do The Formulas Come From?, Roger Yarnell

Masters Essays

No abstract provided.

Inference On Time-To-Event Distribution From Retrospective Data With Imperfect Recall., Sedigheh Salehabadi Dr.

Doctoral Theses

Time-to-event data arises from measurements of time till the occurrence of an event of interest. Such data are common in the fields of biology, epidemiology, pub- lic health, medical research, economics and industry. The event of interest can be the death of a human being (Klein and Moeschberger, 2003), failure of a machine (Zhiguo et al., 2007), onset of menarche in adolescent and young adult females (Bergsten-Brucefors, 1976; Chumlea et al., 2003; Mirzaei, Sengupta and Das, 2015), onset (or relapse) of a disease (Klein and Moeschberger, 2003), dental develop- ment (Demirjian, Goldstien and Tanner, 1973; Eveleth and Tanner, 1990), breast …

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 …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Manipulatives During Middle School Math Instruction, Angela L. Vizzi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In a Colorado school district, school personnel and parents were concerned that middle school math proficiency levels were low for 2011-2014 and math teachers were not using manipulatives in their classes to increase math performance. The district's math coordinator did not foresee providing specific professional development (PD) for math manipulative use to address these concerns. Without this PD, math teachers may be ill-quipped to teach math concepts when using manipulatives, which, in turn, could lead to further poor math performance. The purpose of this qualitative bounded collective case study was to explore middle school teachers' perceptions of PD and perceived …

Understanding The Relationships Among Students' Goal Orientations, Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, And Accelerated Academic Success In The Redesign Of Developmental Mathematics, Kelly Ann Hogan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The low success rates of increasing numbers of underprepared students taking developmental mathematics classes 'often minority and economically disadvantaged' are challenging community colleges across the United States. These students, who must start in the lowest levels of precollege mathematics courses, are unlikely to pass the first course and earn a credential. Using a mastery goal orientation theoretical framework, a quantitative, survey research design was used to ascertain any correlations between students' goal orientations, self-efficacy, test anxiety, and success in a new model of learning. Survey data were used to answer 3 research questions: (a) the relationship between success and students' …

A Quantitative Quasi-Experimental Study Of An Online High School Mathematics Remediation Program, Terry Meehan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The local problem that drove this study is that a high school in an upper middle class suburban city in Pennsylvania wants to improve its student scores on its end-of-course Algebra 1 Keystone Exam. The purpose of this study was to conduct a quantitative, quasi-experimental assessment of an online high school mathematics remediation program to determine if the remediation program was successful in its endeavor to remediate students. This research study, informed by the self-efficacy and the behaviorist learning theories, attempted to determine whether students who (a) scored below proficient on the May algebra exam and were placed in the …

Follower And Extender Sets In Symbolic Dynamics, Thomas Kelly French

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given a word w in the language of a one-dimensional shift space X, the follower set of w, denoted F_X(w), is the set of all right-infinite sequences which follow w in some point of X. Extender sets are a generalization of follower sets and are defined similarly. To a given shift space X, then, we may associate a follower set sequence {|F_X(n)|} which records the number of distinct follower sets in X corresponding to words of length n. Similarly, we may define an extender set sequence {|E …

Junior High School Teachers' Perceptions Of Math Instruction For African American Students, Sandra Denise Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A mathematics achievement gap exists between 8th grade African American students and other ethnic groups. Guided by the conceptual framework of constructivism, the purpose of this case study was to examine 8, Grade 8 math teachers' perceptions of factors contributing to mathematical performance gap in their African American students and what instructional strategies can be used to help reduce the achievement gap in southwest Georgia. Data were obtained through interviews and classroom observations and were coded and analyzed using typological analysis, followed by inductive analysis. The results of the data revealed teachers perceived recruiting and retaining African American teachers and …

Understanding The Transition From Secondary Education Mathematics To Undergraduate Mathematics, Amanda D. Stenzelbarton

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Michigan Technological University had a collective 28% drop, fail, or withdraw rate in four predominantly first-year mathematics classes for the fall semesters from 2011 to 2015, with 58% of students dropping, failing, or withdrawing from College Algebra I in the fall of 2013. A survey was distributed via email to the 2015-2016 first year class of Michigan Tech in an attempt to determine why students struggle in making the transition from high school to undergraduate mathematics class, and what instructors can do to make this transition easier for students. It was found that the time between a student’s last high …

A Computational And Theoretical Exploration Of The St. Petersburg Paradox, Alexander Olivero

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

This thesis displays a sample distribution, generated from both a simulation (for large n) by computer program and explicitly calculated (for smaller n), that is not governed by the Central Limit Theorem and, in fact seems to display chaotic behavior. To our knowledge, the explicit calculation of the sample distribution function is new. This project outlines the results that have found a relation to number theory in a probabilistic game that has perplexed mathematicians for hundreds of years.

Subgroups Of Finite Wreath Product Groups For P=3, Jessica L. Gonda

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Let M be the additive abelian group of 3-by-3 matrices whose entries are from the ring of integers modulo 9. The problem of determining all the normal subgroups of the regular wreath product group P=Z₉≀(Z₃ × Z₃) that are contained in its base subgroup is equivalent to the problem of determining the subgroups of M that are invariant under two particular endomorphisms of M. In this thesis we give a partial solution to the latter problem by implementing a systematic approach using concepts from group theory and linear algebra.

New Facets Of The Balanced Minimal Evolution Polytope, Logan Keefe

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The balanced minimal evolution (BME) polytope arises from the study of phylogenetic trees in biology. It is a geometric structure which has a variant for each natural number n. The main application of this polytope is that we can use linear programming with it in order to determine the most likely phylogenetic tree for a given genetic data set. In this paper, we explore the geometric and combinatorial structure of the BME polytope. Background information will be covered, highlighting some points from previous research, and a new result on the structure of the BME polytope will be given.