Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Oceans Of Space, Stephanie Steinbrecher '16

EnviroLab Asia

"Oceans of Space" relates my observations of the 2016 EnviroLab Asia Clinic Trip to Singapore and Sarawak, Malaysia. In this meditation, the concept of space serves as a lens to examine assumptions of geopolitical, historical, and philosophical positioning—regionally and globally. At the center of my inquiry is EnviroLab's connection to the Dayak communities in Baram, Sarawak. This region is experiencing dramatic social and ecological change as a result of industrial development. By triangulating my subjective impressions of this space, various knowledge systems, and the qualitative data EnviroLab gathered in Southeast Asia, I aim to untangle some paradoxes that complicate the …

The Wonder Of A Child, Shraddha Chaplot

The STEAM Journal

A personal piece on the wonder of childhood and the continuation of curiosity into adulthood.

Fire – The Enigma That Continues To Blaze, Sara Kapadia

The STEAM Journal

How did humans first discover fire? What stories do we pass down to explain the discovery of fire?

Jaguar Sun, Anya Nadal

The STEAM Journal

Cymatics, is derived from a Greek word, meaning "wave", is a subset of modal vibrational phenomena. The term was coined by Hans Jenny, a Swiss follower of the philosophical school known as anthroposophy. This is a visual representation of the frequency field. I created this piece from acrylic on canvas based on the subtle energies I can see and feel.

An Interview With The Scorpion: Walter O’Brien, Walter O'Brien

The STEAM Journal

An interview with Walter O'Brien (hacker handle: "Scorpion"), known as a businessman, information technologist, executive producer, and media personality who is the founder and CEO of Scorpion Computer Services, Inc. O'Brien is also the inspiration for and executive producer of the CBS television series, Scorpion.

The Art And Science Of Light Painting, Reid Godshaw

The STEAM Journal

A short overview of the making of light painting portraits explained by the artist.

Newton’S Third Law In Karmic Warfare, Kazmier Maślanka

The STEAM Journal

A work entitled "Newton's Third Law in Karmic Warfare" is a mathematical visual poem which is a perfect example of a technique, that I call The Paradigm Poem. This piece makes a direct connection with the concept of karma and Newton’s Third Law of motion. I will introduce the concept of “The Mathematical Paradigm Poem” to illuminate an example of how metaphor is used in mathematical visual poetry. I will also discuss much of the process in making this aesthetic expression.

Gathering Steam In Health Care: A Student History, Michael J. Leach

The STEAM Journal

In this reflection, I demonstrate STEAM in health care by outlining my 15 years as a university student engaged in formal education, extracurricular learning, research, and employment.

Museum 4.0 As The Future Of Steam In Museums, Mark Walhimer

The STEAM Journal

Informal STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities (programs) and exhibits are common in science centers, children’s museums and natural history museums. As museums change to Museum 4.0 models (1), the STEAM exhibits and programs in museums also change. Museums 4.0 is the transformation of museums from a monolithic fixed location institution to a nimble community driven event driven organization. The Museum 4.0 becomes personalized to the visitor without fixed outcomes and without the physical restrictions of a single fixed location. As museums evolve to a Museum 4.0 model with visitor lead activities, STEAM activities within museums also change …

Teaching Differential Equations Through A Modeling First Approach, Brian Winkel

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Menger Sponge, E Laura Golberg

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Quantitative Literacy, Thomas L. Moore

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

The Greatest Integer Function, Alanna Rae

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Book Review: A New Index For Predicting Catastrophes: Poems By Madhur Anand, Joanne Growney

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This review explores Madhur Anand’s recent poetry collection from several points of view. One involves consideration of mathematical concepts and imagery in her poems. A second viewpoint takes into consideration Anand’s own field – she is a professor of environmental science with a focus on ecology. A third view considers the poems as art objects – words building pictures that offer to readers both insights and pleasures.

Fuzzy Logic In Health Care Settings: Moral Math For Value-Laden Choices, Sarah Voss

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This essay is intended as an example of “moral math”, i.e., ideas culled from mathematics which can positively impact social behavior. Specifically, it combines fuzzy logic with the ethical decisions which hospital staff and others are sometimes forced to make about health care (e.g., euthanasia issues following Hurricane Katrina). The assumption is that such decisions involve value-laden choices which lend themselves to “fuzzy” or “smart” protocols. The article discusses the history of fuzzy logic – what it is, how it is used, and how it might be even better-used as a support basis for making difficult choices …

Al-Khwarizmı And The Hermeneutic Circle: Reflections On A Trip To Samarkand, Asuman G. Aksoy

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper we discuss al-Khwarzmi's life and aspects of his work and suggest a possible hermeneutic avenue into his contribution to mathematics.

Combinatorics Of The Sonnet, Terry S. Griggs

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Using a definition of a sonnet, the number of basic rhyming schemes is enumerated. This is then used to discuss the 86 sonnets which appear in John Clare's The Rural Muse.

Connections, Mark Huber, Gizem Karaali

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Front Matter

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Rethinking La's Nature Through German Eyes, Char Miller

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

Los Angeles might be more than 5700 miles from Berlin as a crow (or Luftansa) flies, but German culture—and most notably its varied perceptions of nature—have strongly influenced how those living in the Southland experience their environs.

Oft in the negative, to judge from the enduring legacy of Bertold Brecht’s sharp commentary about the City of Angeles in which he sheltered during the ravages of World War II. “They have nature here,” he jotted down in his diary in August 1941, and as “everything is so artificial, they even have an exaggerated feeling for nature, which becomes alienated.”

Rethinking: Wind, Wende, Wandel, Friederike Von Schwerin-High

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Umdenken: Von Der Natur Lernen (Rethinking: Learning From Nature): Some Personal Thoughts On The Goethe Institute Traveling Exhibition, Hans J. Rindisbacher

Pomona Faculty Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Pythagoras Plays His Lyre, Sarah Glaz

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A poem about the Pythagoreans' beliefs and way of life.

Dramathizing Functions: Building Connections Between Mathematics And Arts, Gunhan Caglayan

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This article focuses on connections between mathematics and performance arts (drama). More specifically we offer an exposition of a segment of college algebra mathematics (an introduction to functions), with an approach primarily emphasizing the aesthetic aspects of mathematical learning, teaching, and performing.

A Meeting Of Minds: An Alternate Humor For Teaching Mathematics To Non-Stem Majors, Paul H. Grawe

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

John Allen Paulos argued essentially for three forms of humor dear to mathematics: Incongruity, Gotcha, and Word Play. Unfortunately, these three are often combative forms and easily drive non-STEM majors out of mathematics and statistics.

William Dunham in The Mathematical Universe shows how a fine mathematician can use humor to draw non-specialists in. Central to Dunham’s success is his use of Sympathetic Pain humor, which creates softer synthetic Reconciler, Consoler, or Bridgebuilder humor styles.

What If?: Mathematics, Creative Writing, And Play, Emily Clader

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Mathematics can inform creative writing by suggesting structures for it to follow, as well as by providing the imaginative impetus for common rules to be broken. In a workshop co-taught by the author, a class of sixth-grade students explored this interplay as they produced fractal-inspired poetry and geometry-inspired fiction. This article describes the form and results of the workshop in the context of a broader discussion of the influence of mathematics upon literature.

The Role Of Sequence In The Experience Of Mathematical Beauty, Leslie Dietiker

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this article, I analyze the aesthetic dimensions of a sequence of mathematical events found in an unusual first grade lesson in order to demonstrate how sequencing may affect an individual’s experience of mathematical beauty. By approaching aesthetic as a sense or felt quality of an experience in context (Sinclair, 2001, 2011), this analysis explains how sequence can affect the way mathematical objects or actions are experienced by an individual. Thus, rather than questioning whether or in what ways a set of mathematical objects are beautiful or not, this paper addresses under what conditions is the mathematics in play beautiful. …

A Beautiful Proof By Induction, Lars-Daniel Öhman

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The purpose of this note is to present an example of a proof by induction that in the opinion of the present author has great aesthetic value. The proof in question is Thomassen's proof that planar graphs are 5-choosable. I give a self-contained presentation of this result and its proof, and a personal account of why I think this proof is beautiful.

A secondary purpose is to more widely publicize this gem, and hopefully make it part of a standard set of examples for examining characteristics of proofs by induction.