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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™
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Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Mystery Of The Dancing Men, Manmohan Kaur
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.
Humanistic Stem: From Concept To Course, Debra T. Bourdeau, Beverly L. Wood
Humanistic Stem: From Concept To Course, Debra T. Bourdeau, Beverly L. Wood
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics
Blending perspectives from the humanities and STEM fosters the creativity of all students. The culturally implicit dichotomy between the two meta-disciplines can be overcome with carefully designed courses and programs intent on doing so. The why and how of doing so through an online course is described with qualitative evidence of the success. Future plans for a full slate of such course and a virtual community are discussed.