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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
The Mathematical And Historical Significance Of The Four Color Theorem, Brock Bivens
The Mathematical And Historical Significance Of The Four Color Theorem, Brock Bivens
Honors Theses
Researching how the Four Color Theorem was proved, its implications on the mathematical community, and interviews with working mathematicians to develop my own personal opinions on the significance of the Four Color Theorem.
Exploring The Structure Of Partial Difference Sets With Denniston Parameters, Nicolas Ferree
Exploring The Structure Of Partial Difference Sets With Denniston Parameters, Nicolas Ferree
Honors Theses
In this work, we investigate the structure of particular partial difference sets (PDS) of size 70 with Denniston parameters in an elementary abelian group and in a nonelementary abelian group. We will make extensive use of character theory in our investigation and ultimately seek to understand the nature of difference sets with these parameters. To begin, we will cover some basic definitions and examples of difference sets and partial difference sets. We will then move on to some basic theorems about partial difference sets before introducing a group ring formalism and using it to explore several important constructions of partial …
Graphs, Adjacency Matrices, And Corresponding Functions, Yang Hong
Graphs, Adjacency Matrices, And Corresponding Functions, Yang Hong
Honors Theses
Stable polynomials, in the context of this research, are two-variable polynomials like $p(z_1,z_2) = 2 - z_1 - z_2$ that are guaranteed to be non-zero if both input variables have an absolute value less than one in the complex plane. Stable polynomials are used in a variety of mathematical fields, thus finding ways to construct stable polynomials is valuable. An important property of these polynomials is whether they have boundary zeros, which are points in the complex plane where the polynomial equals zero and both variables have an absolute value of 1. Overall, it is challenging to find stable polynomials …
Dijkstra’S Pathfinder, Taylor F. Malamut
Dijkstra’S Pathfinder, Taylor F. Malamut
Honors Theses
Dijkstra’s algorithm has been widely studied and applied since it was first published in 1959. This research shows that Dijkstra’s algorithm can be used to find the shortest path between two stations on the Washington D.C. Metro. After exploring different types of research and applying Dijkstra’s algorithm, it was found that the algorithm will always yield the shortest path, even if visually a shorter path was initially expected.
Tying The Knot: Applications Of Topology To Chemistry, Tarini S. Hardikar
Tying The Knot: Applications Of Topology To Chemistry, Tarini S. Hardikar
Honors Theses
Chirality (or handedness) is the property that a structure is “different” from its mirror image. Topology can be used to provide a rigorous framework for the notion of chirality. This project examines various types of chirality and discusses tools to detect chirality in graphs and knots. Notable theorems that are discussed in this work include ones that identify chirality using properties of link polynomials (HOMFLY polynomials), rigid vertex graphs, and knot linking numbers. Various other issues of chirality are explored, and some specially unique structures are discussed. This paper is borne out of reading Dr. Erica Flapan’s book, When Topology …
Third Order Degree Regular Graphs, Leslie D. Hayes
Third Order Degree Regular Graphs, Leslie D. Hayes
Honors Theses
A graph G is regular of degree d if for every vertex v in G there exist exactly d vertices at distance 1 from v. A graph G is kth order regular of degree d if for every vertex v in G, there exist exactly d vertices at distance k from v. In this paper, third order regular graphs of degree 1 with small order are characterized.