Geometry and Topology Commons^™

Minimizing Travel Time Through Multiple Media With Various Borders, Tonja Miick

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis consists of two main chapters along with an introduction and
conclusion. In the introduction, we address the inspiration for the thesis, which
originates in a common calculus problem wherein travel time is minimized across two media separated by a single, straight boundary line. We then discuss the correlation of this problem with physics via Snells Law. The first core chapter takes this idea and develops it to include the concept of two media with a circular border. To make the problem easier to discuss, we talk about it in terms of running and swimming speeds. We first address ...

Toric Varieties And Cobordism, Andrew Wilfong

Theses and Dissertations--Mathematics

A long-standing problem in cobordism theory has been to find convenient manifolds to represent cobordism classes. For example, in the late 1950's, Hirzebruch asked which complex cobordism classes can be represented by smooth connected algebraic varieties. This question is still open. Progress can be made on this and related problems by studying certain convenient connected algebraic varieties, namely smooth projective toric varieties. The primary focus of this dissertation is to determine which complex cobordism classes can be represented by smooth projective toric varieties. A complete answer is given up to dimension six, and a partial answer is described in ...

On The Spherical Symmetry Of Perfect-Fluid Stellar Models In General Relativity, Joshua M Brewer

Masters Theses

It is well known in Newtonian theory that static self-gravitating perfect fluids in a vacuum are necessarily spherically symmetric. The necessity of spherical symmetry of perfect-fluid static spacetimes with constant density in general relativity is shown.

On Contemplation In Mathematics, Frank Lucas Wolcott

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In a section about research, we make the case that intentional, structured reflection on the mathematical research process, by mathematical researchers themselves, would result in better mathematicians doing better mathematics. As supporting evidence, we describe the Flavors and Seasons project. In a section about teaching, we describe the contemplative education movement and share personal experiences using meditation in the math classroom. We conclude with an explicit proposal for elucidating the experiential context of mathematics, in both research and teaching environments.

Geometry Curriculum For High School Students During A Summer School Program, Kyle E. Kucsmas

Education and Human Development Master's Theses

This geometry curriculum project was designed to be used during a high school summer school credit recovery program. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), New York State (NYS) Learning Standards for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (MST), and the most recent addition of the Common Core Learning Standards (CCSL) harbor the foundations for each lesson. The curriculum presented will provide teachers with a condensed standards based instrument that can be utilized during a twenty-two day summer school geometry program which contains mathematical content, appropriate rigor, and opportunities for student growth. The curriculum is engaging, obtainable, cyclical, and diverse enough ...

Contractible Theta Complexes Of Graphs, Chelsea Marian Mcamis

Masters Theses

We examine properties of graphs that result in the graph having a contractible theta complex. We classify such properties for tree graphs and graphs with one loop and we introduce examples of graphs with such properties for tree graphs and graphs with one or two loops. For more general graphs, we show that having a contractible theta complex is not an elusive property, and that any skeleton of a graph with at least three loops can be made to have a contractible theta complex by strategically adding vertices to its skeleton.

The (Nested) Word Problem: Formal Languages, Group Theory, And Languages Of Nested Words, Christopher S. Henry

Open Access Dissertations and Theses

This thesis concerns itself with drawing out some interesting connections between the fields of group theory and formal language theory. Given a group with a finite set of generators, it is natural to consider the set of generators and their inverses as an alphabet. We can then consider formal languages such that every group element has at least one representative in the language. We examine what the structure of the language can tell us about group theoretic properties, focusing on the word problem, automatic structures on groups, and generalizations of automatic structures. Finally we prove new results concerning applications of ...

The Octonions And The Exceptional Lie Algebra G2, Ian M. Anderson

Research Applications

The octonions O are an 8-dimensional non-commutative, non-associative normed real algebra. The set of all derivations of O form a real Lie algebra. It is remarkable fact, first proved by E. Cartan in 1908, that the the derivation algebra of O is the compact form of the exceptional Lie algebra G2. In this worksheet we shall verify this result of Cartan and also show that the derivation algebra of the split octonions is the split real form of G2.

PDF and Maple worksheets can be downloaded from the links below.

A Convexity Theorem For Symplectomorphism Groups, Seyed Mehdi Mousavi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this thesis we study the existence of an infinite-dimensional analog of maximal torus in the symplectomorphism groups of toric manifolds. We also prove an infinite-dimensional version of Schur-Horn-Kostant convexity theorem. These results are extensions of the results of Bao-Raiu, Elhadrami, Bloch-Flachka-Ratiu and Bloch-El Hadrami-Flaschka-Raiu.

A Homotopy Theory For Diffeological Spaces, Enxin Wu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Smooth manifolds are central objects in mathematics. However, the category of smooth manifolds is not closed under many useful operations. Since the 1970's, mathematicians have been trying to generalize the concept of smooth manifolds. J. Souriau's notion of diffeological spaces is one of them. P. Iglesias-Zemmour and others developed this theory, and used it to simplify and unify several important concepts and constructions in mathematics and physics.

We further develop the diffeological space theory from several aspects: categorical, topological and differential geometrical. Our main concern is to build a suitable homotopy theory (also called a model category structure ...

Raphael's School Of Athens: A Theorem In A Painting?, Robert Haas Ph.D.

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Raphael's famous painting The School of Athens includes a geometer, presumably Euclid himself, demonstrating a construction to his fascinated students. But what theorem are they all studying? This article first introduces the painting, and describes Raphael's lifelong friendship with the eminent mathematician Paulus of Middelburg. It then presents several conjectured explanations, notably a theorem about a hexagram (Fichtner), or alternatively that the construction may be architecturally symbolic (Valtieri). The author finally offers his own "null hypothesis": that the scene does not show any actual mathematics, but simply the fascination, excitement, and joy of mathematicians at their work.

A Homogeneous Solution Of The Einstein-Maxwell Equations, Charles G. Torre

Research Applications

We exhibit and analyze a homogeneous spacetime whose source is a pure radiation electromagnetic field [1]. It was previously believed that this spacetime is the sole example of a homogeneous pure radiation solution of the Einstein equations which admits no electromagnetic field (see [2] and references therein). Here we correct this error in the literature by explicitly displaying the electromagnetic source. This result implies that all homogeneous pure radiation spacetimes satisfy the Einstein-Maxwell equations.

PDF and Maple worksheets can be downloaded from the links below.

How To Create A Lie Algebra, Ian M. Anderson

How to... in 10 minutes or less

We show how to create a Lie algebra in Maple using three of the most common approaches: matrices, vector fields and structure equations. PDF and Maple worksheets can be downloaded from the links below.