Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Counting Spanning Trees On Triangular Lattices, Angie Wang

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis focuses on finding spanning tree counts for triangular lattices and other planar graphs comprised of triangular faces. This topic has applications in redistricting: many proposed algorithmic methods for detecting gerrymandering involve spanning trees, and graphs representing states/regions are often triangulated. First, we present and prove Kirchhoff’s Matrix Tree Theorem, a well known formula for computing the number of spanning trees of a multigraph. Then, we use combinatorial methods to find spanning tree counts for chains of triangles and 3 × n triangular lattices (some limiting formulas exist, but they rely on higher level mathematics). For a chain of …

Measuring Racial Segregation In Los Angeles County Using Random Walks, Zarina Kismet Dhillon

CMC Senior Theses

As of now there is no universal quantitative measure used to evaluate racial segregation in different regions. This paper begins by providing a history of segregation, with an emphasis on the impact of redlining in the early 20th century. We move to its effect on the current population distribution in Los Angeles, California, and then provide an overview of the mathematical concepts that have been used in previous measurements of segregation. We then introduce a method that we believe encompasses the most representative aspects of preceding work, proposed by Sousa and Nicosia in their work on quantifying ethnic segregation in …

Analyzing Marriage Statistics As Recorded In The Journal Of The American Statistical Association From 1889 To 2012, Annalee Soohoo

CMC Senior Theses

The United States has been tracking American marriage statistics since its founding. According to the United States Census Bureau, “marital status and marital history data help federal agencies understand marriage trends, forecast future needs of programs that have spousal benefits, and measure the effects of policies and programs that focus on the well-being of families, including tax policies and financial assistance programs.”[1] With such a wide scope of applications, it is understandable why marriage statistics are so highly studied and well-documented.

This thesis will analyze American marriage patterns over the past 100 years as documented in the Journal of …

Mary Eleanor Spear's Importance To The History Of Statistical Visualization, Melanie Williams

CMC Senior Theses

This paper will demonstrate why Mary Eleanor Spear (1897-1986) is an important figure in the history of statistical visualization. She lead an impressive career working in the federal government as a data analyst before "data analyst" became a thing. She wrote and illustrated two comprehensive textbooks which furthered the art of statistical visualization. Her textbooks cover extensive graphing knowledge still valuable to statisticians and viewers today. Most notable of her works is her development of the box plot. In addition to Spear's career and contributions, this paper will also address the lack of female representation in science, technology, engineering, and …

Energy As A Limiting Factor In Neuronal Seizure Control: A Mathematical Model, Sophia E. Epstein

CMC Senior Theses

The majority of seizures are self-limiting. Within a few minutes, the observed neuronal synchrony and deviant dynamics of a tonic-clonic or generalized seizure often terminate. However, a small epilesia partialis continua can occur for years. The mechanisms that regulate subcortical activity of neuronal firing and seizure control are poorly understood. Published studies, however, through PET scans, ketogenic treatments, and in vivo mouse experiments, observe hypermetabolism followed by metabolic suppression. These observations indicate that energy can play a key role in mediating seizure dynamics. In this research, I seek to explore this hypothesis and propose a mathematical framework to model how …

On Properties Of Positive Semigroups In Lattices And Totally Real Number Fields, Siki Wang

CMC Senior Theses

In this thesis, we give estimates on the successive minima of positive semigroups in lattices and ideals in totally real number fields. In Chapter 1 we give a brief overview of the thesis, while Chapters 2 – 4 provide expository material on some fundamental theorems about lattices, number fields and height functions, hence setting the necessary background for the original results presented in Chapter 5. The results in Chapter 5 can be summarized as follows. For a full-rank lattice L ⊂ Rd, we are concerned with the semigroup L+ ⊆ L, which denotes the set of all vectors with nonnegative …

Optimal Execution In Cryptocurrency Markets, Ethan Kurz

CMC Senior Theses

The purpose of this paper is to study the Almgren and Chriss model on the optimal execution of large block orders both on the NYSE and in cryptocurrency exchanges. Their model minimizes execution costs, which include linear temporary and permanent price impacts. We focus on how the stock market microstructure differs from a cryptocurrency exchange microstructure and what that means for how the model functions. Once the model and microstructures are explained, we examine how the Almgren-Chriss model functions with stocks from the NYSE, looking at specifically selling a large number of shares. We then investigate how a large "wholesale" …

Discrete Geometry And Covering Problems, Alexander Hsu

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis explores several problems in discrete geometry, focusing on covering problems. We first go over some well known results, explaining Keith Ball's solution to the symmetric Tarski plank problem, as well as results of Alon and F\"uredi on covering all but vertices of a cube with hyperplanes. The former extensively utilizes techniques from matrix analysis, and the latter applies polynomial method. We state and explore the related problem, asking for the number of parallel hyperplanes required to cover a given discrete set of points in $\mathbb{Z}^{d}$ whose entries are bounded, and prove that there exist sets which are ``difficult'' …

Eigenvalues And Approximation Numbers, Ryan Chakmak

CMC Senior Theses

While the spectral theory of compact operators is known to many, knowledge regarding the relationship between eigenvalues and approximation numbers might be less known. By examining these numbers in tandem, one may develop a link between eigenvalues and l^p spaces. In this paper, we develop the background of this connection with in-depth examples.

Decoding Book Barcode Images, Yizhou Tao

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis investigated a method of barcode reconstruction to address the recovery of a blurred and convoluted one-dimensional barcode. There are a lot of types of barcodes used today, such as Code 39, Code 93, Code 128, etc. Our algorithm applies to the universal barcode, EAN 13. We extend the methodologies proposed by Iwen et al. (2013) in the journal article "A Symbol-Based Algorithm for Decoding barcodes." The algorithm proposed in the paper requires a signal measured by a laser scanner as an input. The observed signal is modeled as a true signal corrupted by a Gaussian convolution, additional noises, …

The Boundedness Of The Hardy-Littlewood Maximal Function And The Strong Maximal Function On The Space Bmo, Wenhao Zhang

CMC Senior Theses

In this thesis, we present the space BMO, the one-parameter Hardy-Littlewood maximal function, and the two-parameter strong maximal function. We use the John-Nirenberg inequality, the relation between Muckenhoupt weights and BMO, and the Coifman-Rochberg proposition on constructing A₁ weights with the Hardy- Littlewood maximal function to show the boundedness of the Hardy-Littlewood maximal function on BMO. The analogous statement for the strong maximal function is not yet understood. We begin our exploration of this problem by discussing an equivalence between the boundedness of the strong maximal function on rectangular BMO and the fact that the strong maximal function maps …

Triple Non-Negative Matrix Factorization Technique For Sentiment Analysis And Topic Modeling, Alexander A. Waggoner

CMC Senior Theses

Topic modeling refers to the process of algorithmically sorting documents into categories based on some common relationship between the documents. This common relationship between the documents is considered the “topic” of the documents. Sentiment analysis refers to the process of algorithmically sorting a document into a positive or negative category depending whether this document expresses a positive or negative opinion on its respective topic. In this paper, I consider the open problem of document classification into a topic category, as well as a sentiment category. This has a direct application to the retail industry where companies may want to scour …

Four Years With Russell, Gödel, And Erdős: An Undergraduate's Reflection On His Mathematical Education, Michael H. Boggess

CMC Senior Theses

Senior Thesis at CMC is often described institutionally as the capstone of one’s undergraduate education. As such, I wanted my own to accurately capture and reflect how I’ve grown as a student and mathematician these past four years. What follows is my attempt to distill lessons I learned in mathematics outside the curriculum, written for incoming undergraduates and anyone with just a little bit of mathematical curiosity. In it, I attempt to dispel some common preconceptions about mathematics, namely that it’s uninteresting, formulaic, acultural, or completely objective, in favor of a dynamic historical and cultural perspective, with particular attention paid …

Best Approximations, Lethargy Theorems And Smoothness, Caleb Case

CMC Senior Theses

In this paper we consider sequences of best approximation. We first examine the rho best approximation function and its applications, through an example in approximation theory and two new examples in calculating n-widths. We then further discuss approximation theory by examining a modern proof of Weierstrass's Theorem using Dirac sequences, and providing a new proof of Chebyshev's Equioscillation Theorem, inspired by the de La Vallee Poussin Theorem. Finally, we examine the limits of approximation theorem by looking at Bernstein Lethargy theorem, and a modern generalization to infinite-dimensional subspaces. We all note that smooth functions are bounded by Jackson's Inequalities, but …

Elliptic Curves And The Congruent Number Problem, Jonathan Star

CMC Senior Theses

In this paper we explain the congruent number problem and its connection to elliptic curves. We begin with a brief history of the problem and some early attempts to understand congruent numbers. We then introduce elliptic curves and many of their basic properties, as well as explain a few key theorems in the study of elliptic curves. Following this, we prove that determining whether or not a number n is congruent is equivalent to determining whether or not the algebraic rank of a corresponding elliptic curve E_n is 0. We then introduce L-functions and explain the Birch and …

On The Characterization Of Prime Sets Of Polynomials By Congruence Conditions, Arvind Suresh

CMC Senior Theses

This project is concerned with the set of primes modulo which some monic, irreducible polynomial over the integers has a root, called the Prime Set of the polynomial. We completely characterise these sets for degree 2 polynomials, and develop sufficient machinery from algebraic number theory to show that if the Galois group of a monic, irreducible polynomial over the integers is abelian, then its Prime Set can be written as the union of primes in some congruence classes modulo some integer.

Finding Zeros Of Rational Quadratic Forms, John F. Shaughnessy

CMC Senior Theses

In this thesis, we introduce the notion of quadratic forms and provide motivation for their study. We begin by discussing Diophantine equations, the field of p-adic numbers, and the Hasse-Minkowski Theorem that allows us to use p-adic analysis determine whether a quadratic form has a rational root. We then discuss search bounds and state Cassels' Theorem for small-height zeros of rational quadratic forms. We end with a proof of Cassels' Theorem and suggestions for further reading.

Invisibility: A Mathematical Perspective, Austin G. Gomez

CMC Senior Theses

The concept of rendering an object invisible, once considered unfathomable, can now be deemed achievable using artificial metamaterials. The ability for these advanced structures to refract waves in the negative direction has sparked creativity for future applications. Manipulating electromagnetic waves of all frequencies around an object requires precise and unique parameters, which are calculated from various mathemat- ical laws and equations. We explore the possible interpretations of these parameters and how they are implemented towards the construction of a suitable metamaterial. If carried out correctly, the wave will exit the metamaterial exhibiting the same behavior as when it had entered. …

Twisted Virtual Biracks, Jessica Ceniceros

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis will take a look at a branch of topology called knot theory. We will first look at what started the study of this field, classical knot theory. Knot invariants such as the Bracket polynomial and the Jones polynomial will be introduced and studied. We will then explore racks and biracks along with the axioms obtained from the Reidemeister moves. We will then move on to generalize classical knot theory to what is now known as virtual knot theory which was first introduced by Louis Kauffman. Finally, we take a look at a newer aspect of knot theory, twisted …

The Mathematical Landscape, Antonio Collazo

CMC Senior Theses

The intent of this paper is to present the reader will enough information to spark a curiosity in to the subject. By no means is the following a complete formulation of any of the topics covered. I want to give the reader a tour of the mathematical landscape. There are plenty of further details to explore in each section, I have just touched the tip the iceberg. The work is basically in four sections: Numbers, Geometry, Functions, Sets and Logic, which are the basic building blocks of Math. The first sections are a exposition into the mathematical objects and their …

Women In Mathematics: An Historical Account Of Women's Experiences And Achievement, Kendra D. Huff

CMC Senior Theses

For a long time, women have struggled to gain complete acceptance in the mathematics field. The purpose of this paper is to explore the history of women in the field of mathematics, the impact and experiences of current female mathematicians, and the common trends for women in the mathematics field, through literature review and personal interviews. This paper looks at the lives of four famous female mathematicians, as well as female mathematicians in the Claremont Colleges who were interviewed for this paper. Specifically this paper examines the discrimination they faced and how they overcame this discrimination, as well as the …

Ergodic And Combinatorial Proofs Of Van Der Waerden's Theorem, Matthew Samuel Rothlisberger

CMC Senior Theses

Followed two different proofs of van der Waerden's theorem. Found that the two proofs yield important information about arithmetic progressions and the theorem. van der Waerden's theorem explains the occurrence of arithmetic progressions which can be used to explain such things as the Bible Code.