Undergraduate Mathematics Students
Maths to the rescue
Another excuse to use the British "maths", my second in one week! A teenager in the UK was awoken from a coma through the power of arithmetic, or rather, her love of arithmetic. Read all about it here.
Posted at 01:02PM Nov 06, 2009 by mafenn2 in General | Comments[0]
Volunteer Programs Abroad
International Student Volunteers is hosting information meetings about incredible opportunities this summer to volunteer in summer programs in Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica (Central America), Dominican Republic (Caribbean), Ecuador (South America), Thailand (South East Asia), Eastern Europe and South Africa!
Talley Student Center – Green Room
9am, 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm and 5pm!!!
Posted at 08:27PM Nov 04, 2009 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
Why you shouldn't rely on a calculator
Ever had a math class where you weren't allowed to use a calculator? A recent article gives some explanation about why calculating by hand is valuable: calculators won't always give you the right answer! Included are some flawed calculations to try for yourself and a few disaster stories resulting from these types of errors. The article, titled "Why computers suck at maths", can be found here.
Posted at 03:40PM Nov 02, 2009 by mafenn2 in General | Comments[0]
Great resource list
The American Mathematical Society has a great website with links to all sorts of good information for undergraduate math students. It includes links for summer programs, places to find information on graduate school, career information, and conferences.
http://ams.org/employment/undergrad.html
Posted at 04:39PM Sep 25, 2009 by mafenn2 in General | Comments[0]
Careers, jobs, etc
BYU has put together a good website regarding careers in math (and other resources).
Posted at 11:23AM Sep 25, 2009 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
SUM Series, Thursday, April 2: Why don't we (usually) faint when we stand up? Mette Olufsen
Come enjoy some PIZZA and listen to a great talk:
Why don't we (usually) faint when we stand up?
Mette Olufsen
Thursday, April 2, 2009
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
Basic physics suggests that when we stand up, the blood pressure in our brain should drop dramatically. Such a pressure drop should cause us to faint. But most of us don't faint when we stand up. In this talk I'll discuss a mathematical model that explains why most of us don't, and why some people do. The model is a compartmental model formulated as a system of ordinary differential equations. Another important question is: How do we make this model predict what is observed in a specific patient? Mathematically this relates to the question: How do we estimate a set of model parameters that allow the model to predict responses observed in data?
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
Posted at 10:46AM Apr 01, 2009 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
SUM Series, Thursday, March 19: Becoming President with less than 25% of the Vote, Chuck Wessell
Becoming President with less than 25% of the Vote
Chuck Wessell
Thursday, March 19, 2009
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
In 1961, George Pólya wrote a short paper in which he derived a
theoretical minimum percentage of the popular vote a U.S. presidential
candidate could receive and still win the electoral college. In this talk
we'll review Pólya's work, tweaking it slightly to account for the
twenty-third amendment, which granted the District of Columbia three
electoral votes and passed after Pólya's paper was published.
We will then use computers and data from the 2008 presidential election to
see how realistic Pólya's solution is. Some preliminary computed results
will be shared, and a programming challenge will be made to interested
students. If time allows, we'll have a brief discussion on how states that
can split their electoral votes (currently Maine and Nebraska) complicate this
problem.
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
Posted at 08:34AM Mar 17, 2009 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Gates Scholarship goes to Ryan Going
Ryan Going was one of 37 students awarded the Gates Scholarship. Ryan
will graduate in May with BS degrees in Applied Math and Electrical
Engineering.
The Sunday N&O article is a good read -->
www.newsobserver.com/news/tarheel/story/1414545.html
(Current students -- the Fellowship Advising Office is a good place to help identify opportunities like this, www.ncsu.edu)
Posted at 09:49AM Feb 23, 2009 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
SUM Series, Thursday, Feb. 26: Solving Nonlinear Equations, C. T. Kelley
Solving Nonlinear Equations
C. T. Kelley
Thursday, February 26, 2009
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
This talk is a short tutorial on numerical methods for systems of nonlinear equations. I'll begin with Newton's method for scalar equations (i.e. the one from intro calc) and show how the method for systems is essentially the same. I will review convergence theory, implementation alternatives, and a few of the problems one encounters when one solves equations for a living. Finally I will tell you why you should be a root-finder and discuss the career possibilities in this field.
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
Posted at 11:56AM Feb 20, 2009 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
SUM Series, Thursday, Feb. 19: The Mathematics of Sports, John Griggs
The Mathematics of Sports
John Griggs
Thursday, February 19, 2009
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
Why not use the prevalence of sports in today's society to teach and learn mathematics? Sports statistics (greens in regulation, earned run average, on-base percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio, etc.), sports algorithms (quarterback passing efficiency, slugging percentage, etc.) and sports rankings (BCS, Sagarin, AP, etc.) all have interesting applied math connections. Let's examine some of these together.
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
Posted at 09:39AM Feb 16, 2009 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Thursday, February 5: Binomial coefficients and beyond
Come enjoy this week's SUM Series talk:
Binomial coefficients and beyond
Patricia Hersh
Thursday, February 5, 2009
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
If you multiply out the product (x+y)n, the coefficient of xkyn-k is known as a binomial coefficient.
For instance, (x+y)4 = x4 + 4x3y + 6x2y2 + 4xy3 + y4.
The coefficient of $xkyn-k counts subsets of {1,...,n} of size k, so for instance there are 6 subsets of {1,2,3,4} of size 2.
This coefficient also counts the paths from (0,0) to (2,2) in the plane comprised of steps (1,0) and (0,1).
But what if x and y don't commute?
What if yx = qxy? It turns out the coefficients now count paths in a more refined way, with the coefficient of qAxkyn-k counting paths from (0,0) to (k,n-k) having area A below the path.
I will discuss this result and some other interesting properties of this q-analogue of binomial coefficients that can be proven using a mixture of linear algebra and group theory or in an especially slick way using the representation theory of sl2.
A sad announcement: SUM Series pizza has become a casualty of the economic downturn. The pizza money is still in the SUM budget, but the State of NC says we're not allowed to spend it. (This is part of a statewide freeze on certain types of expenditures.) We're forced to test whether people are coming for the math or for the pizza!
A happier announcement: Our speaker, Patricia Hersh, has graciously offered to bring chocolate this Thursday, so we won't starve!
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 11:43AM Feb 02, 2009 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Thursday, January 22: The abc conjecture (and pizza!)
Come enjoy this week's SUM Series talk:
The abc conjecture
Alina Duca
Thursday, January 22, 2009
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
It is often the case in number theory, that a reasonable question is very easy to ask yet extremely difficult or even impossible to answer.
The most famous example, of course, is Fermat’s Last Theorem, the proof of which eluded mathematicians for more than 300 years.
In recent years a problem has arisen for which the search for a proof might turn out to be as turbulent as Fermat’s Last Theorem.
The abc conjecture was formulated in 1985 by J.Oesterle and D.Masser.
It is very easy to state, yet nonetheless has far-reaching implications throughout number theory; and it is probable that if a proof is found, it too will
have deep consequences beyond the conjecture itself.
In mathematics it is often possible to translate a problem from one area to another, in the hope that the resulting question is easier to tackle and offers insight for the original.
We will discuss first the abc conjecture for polynomials, then we will see how this theorem can be translated into the abc conjecture about ordinary integers.
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 10:15AM Jan 21, 2009 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Math + Pizza = SUM Series
Like math? Like pizza? How about math and pizza simultaneously?
Every Thursday from 3:00 to 3:50, you can listen to an informal, interesting talk about mathematics, while snacking on pizza. Just come to Harrelson Hall, room 330.
This week's talk:
Regular Polytopes and Tessellations
(Why life is more interesting in low dimension)
Nathan Reading
Thursday, January 15, 2009
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
Polytopes (known in dimensions zero through three as "points," "line segments," "polygons," and "polyhedra") have been objects of interest to mathematicians throughout the recorded history of mathematics.
Most notably, the five Platonic solids were probably known at least a thousand years before Plato.
Regular polytopes are "as symmetric as possible" in a sense that I'll make precise in the talk.
Regular tessellations are tilings of space which are symmetric in an analogous sense.
I will discuss the proof that the symmetry groups of regular polytopes and tessellations are generated by reflections and discuss how that leads to a complete classification of regular polytopes and tessellations (via the theory of reflection groups). This will explain why there are so few regular polytopes and tessellations in high dimensions.
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 09:06AM Jan 09, 2009 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
A Study-break with Donald Duck (and pizza!)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Math Movie Nite (in the afternoon)Thursday, December 4, 2008
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 107
**Not the usual location**
Need a break from studying? Come enjoy a Math Movie Nite sponsored by the NCSU Society for Undergraduate Mathematics. We’ll start out with a few classic film clips of mathematical manipulations by the experts. Experts in comedy, not mathematics. Then on to our feature:
Donald in Mathmagic Land (Walt Disney Productions, 1959).
This film is a true classic. Some of us are old enough to remember seeing this in Middle School. If, instead of relaxing, you’d rather keep your mind active in preparation for finals, you can look for all the mathematical mistakes that Disney made in the movie.Pizza provided as always!
The SUM Series will continue on Thursdays 3:00-3:50 in the Spring Semester of 2009. Check out the SUM Series website for more information.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 10:40AM Dec 03, 2008 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Can you say something about solutions without finding them? (and pizza!)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Can you say something about solutions without finding them?Hoon Hong
Thursday, November 20, 2008
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
One of main activities in math is "solving" equations. But, why do we solve equations? In most cases, it is because we want to know something (properties) about the solutions.
Of course, the usual way is to find the solutions first (which is usually very hard) and then inspect them to read off the desired properties (which is usually very easy). But this procedure is sort of "wasteful" since the explicit solutions contain much more additional (and undesired) information. As an analogy, suppose that you just want to get a memory card. Would you buy an expensive laptop computer first and then take out a memory card from it and throw away the laptop?!
Naturally a question arises: Can we determine desired properties of solutions without finding the solutions?
This kind of question has been asked and is being asked by great mathematicians of the past and the present (and will be asked... by you). In this talk, we will go over a few beautiful results due to great mathematicians of the past such as Sylvester, Sturm, Hermite, Bezout, Cayley, Macaulay, Hilbert, etc. as time allows.
Pizza provided as always!
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 02:51PM Nov 14, 2008 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Sports Ranking and Game Prediction, Google style (and pizza!)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Sports Ranking and Game Prediction, Google styleAnjela Govan
Thursday, November 13, 2008
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
NCAA football does not a have a playoff system. Instead the teams are ranked throughout the season based on their performance. At the end of the year the two top-ranked teams play each other for the National Championship. The ranking formula used is complicated and takes numerous criteria into account.
Organized sport is the most fun example of a ranking problem, but ranking problems are everywhere and often form the basis for very important decisions. So how should we make the ranking? The best and most consistent approach is to use mathematics, and more specifically, matrix analysis. One of the extremely successful ranking algorithms is PageRank, developed by the founders of the internet search engine Google. PageRank is used to rank the relative importance of web pages.
Google's idea of web page ranking can be used in other applications, including organized sport. I'll describe experiments I did using PageRank to rank teams and predict game results for NFL football, NCAA basketball and NCAA football. The talk will be broadly accessible to undergraduates.
Pizza provided as always!
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 08:38AM Nov 07, 2008 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Buffon's noodle and the Monte Carlo Method (and pizza!)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Buffon's noodle and the Monte Carlo MethodDrew Armstrong (University of Minnesota)
Thursday, November 6, 2008
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
Suppose you have a shape cut out of cardboard and you want to know its perimeter---but you don't have any measuring equipment. There is an amazing way to measure the perimeter simply by throwing your shape on a hardwood floor. Here's how it works: suppose your shape has perimeter L and the cracks in the floor are distance D apart. Now throw your shape on the floor. Under "optimal conditions," the probability that your shape will touch a crack is exactly L/(pi D). It's true!
The idea of doing a random experiment to perform a scientific computation is called the Monte Carlo method. Mr. Buffon accidentally invented this method in the 18th century by throwing things on the floor.
The talk will be accessible to everyone --- including you.
Pizza provided as always!
Noodles will not be provided.
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
Upcoming topics include:
Ranking sports teams with Google's PageRank.
Math movie nite (afternoon)
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 03:10PM Oct 31, 2008 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
SUM Series: Mathematics and Pizza!
Come enjoy pizza while you listen to this week's SUM Series talk!
Computational Engineering and Science at the US Army Corps of Engineers
Owen Eslinger (US Army Engineer Research and Development Center)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
Dr. Owen Eslinger majored in math and minored in physics at NC State.
He got his Ph.D. in computational and applied mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin.
He then worked with the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program before moving to the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center.
Dr. Eslinger will speak about large scale computational science and engineering, with a focus on applications to hydrology and heat transfer.
He will also share a 5-10 min video about the work at ERDC and describe employment opportunities with the Army Corps of Engineers, which is
actively hiring mathematicians, scientists and engineers.
His talk will be interesting and accessible to undergraduates in mathematics, science and engineering.
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
Upcoming topics include:
Ranking sports teams with Google's PageRank.
The mathematics of voting.
Math movie nite (afternoon)
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 02:55PM Oct 08, 2008 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Adding a major in Management
The College of Management is continuing it's information sessions for prospective
on-campus transfer students. We will discuss requirements for
admission, how students can be more competitive for admission,
alternatives to the College of Management, and our minors. We will
also answer any questions the students have. We are asking that
students attend a session prior to making an individual appointment
with us.
In an effort to accommodate more students, we will try to vary the times each month. For October, the sessions will be on Thursdays from 12-1pm in Nelson Hall room 2210. There is no need to sign up ahead of time. I am attaching a flyer for posting/distribution to your students. Contact if you have any questions--
Academic Advisor/Lecturer
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-8614
Phone: (919) 515-5565
Fax: (919) 515-5564
Posted at 12:51PM Sep 27, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
SUM Series: Mathematics and Pizza!
Come enjoy pizza while you listen to this week's SUM Series talk!
Financial risk in the "real" world
Albert Hopping (Progress Energy)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
Value at Risk (VaR) is a benchmark for financial risk, but what does it mean and how do we find it? We?ll discuss commodities and their financial risk with a focus on energy markets. We?ll also look at the practical issues behind calculating VaR for multiple commodities. Depending on audience questions, topics discussed may include forward markets, futures markets, options, implied volatility, Black-Scholes model, Delta, the energy industry in general, GBM, correlations, credit risk, margin accounts, MATLAB, Excel, and statistical distributions.
Check out the SUM Series website for more information on the SUM Series.
Upcoming topics include:
Ranking sports teams with Google's PageRank.
Making the grad school decision.
The mathematics of voting.
An ancient algorithm for settling debts.
Math movie nite (afternoon)
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 09:21AM Sep 12, 2008 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
If you aspire to major in the College of Management...
Browse to the comment for more information.
Posted at 10:20AM Sep 08, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[1]
SUM Series: Math and pizza!
Come enjoy pizza while you listen to this week's SUM Series talk!
Tiling the Aztec diamond with dominoes
Nathan Reading
Thursday, September 11, 2008
3:00--3:50 p.m.
Harrelson 330
The study of domino tilings goes back to early 20th century physicists, who used domino tilings in a statistical-mechanical model of diatomic molecules on a surface. A domino is a 2-by-1 rectangle. Tiling a region in the plane by dominoes means completely covering the region with non-overlapping dominoes. Consider the following simple question: How many ways can a given region of the plane be tiled by dominoes? For example, there are two domino tilings of a 2-by-2 square. For a general rectangular region, the formula looks strange and is difficult to prove. For a different planar region called the Aztec diamond, the formula is quite simple. We'll discuss and illustrate a beautiful proof of the formula due to Elkies, Kuperberg, Larsen, and Propp. Time permitting, we'll also see what domino tilings have to do with the Arctic Circle.
The talk will be accessible to all undergraduates. No prior knowledge of tilings will be assumed.
Check out http://www4.ncsu.edu/~nreadin/sum for more information on the SUM Series.
Upcoming topics include:
Ranking sports teams with Google's PageRank.
Making the grad school decision.
The mathematics of financial risk.
The mathematics of voting.
An ancient algorithm for settling debts.
Math movie nite (afternoon)
TELL YOUR FRIENDS!
Posted at 11:14AM Sep 05, 2008 by nreadin in General | Comments[0]
Financing Your Graduate Education
Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid will be the speakers.
Program Director of AGEP at alison_albaati@ncsu.edu or (919) 513.0005. E-mail and voice messages
should INCLUDE your name, email address, phone number, and
department.
Alison Al-Baati
AGEP Director
The Graduate School
North Carolina State University
Box 7102
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7102
Email: alison_albaati@ncsu.edu
Phone: 919.513.0005
Fax: 919.513.0570
http://www.ncsu.edu/grad/agep
Posted at 11:12PM Sep 04, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
Pre-law advising
If interested in going to law school, visiting the NCSU adviser is an excellent idea
Mary A.Tetro,
University Coordinator of Pre-Law Services and Advising
Office of Advising Support, Information and Services (OASIS)
Division of Undergraduate Academic Programs
Direct: 919.513.0912
Main & Appt:919.513.1723
Fax: 919.513.7542
209 Ricks Box 7577/1 Lampe Drive
NC State University
Raleigh NC 27695-7577
Pre Law Website:
www.ncsu.edu/prelaw
Posted at 11:02PM Sep 04, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
The SUM Series: Mathematics and pizza!
Announcing the SUM Series, sponsored by the NC State Society for Undergraduate Mathematics.
The SUM Series features informal, interesting talks on mathematical topics or issues of interest to math undergrads. Pizza is provided. Talks are Thursdays from 3:00 to 3:50 in Harrelson 330.
The first talk is "Avalanches and the Brazil Nut Effect" by Michael Shearer. Sept. 4, 3:00-3:50. The topic is granular materials (like snow or a can of nuts), and the talk will include movies of simulations and exact solutions.
Other topics for the semester include:
Ranking sports teams with Google's PageRank.
Making the grad school decision.
The mathematics of financial risk.
Domino tilings.
The mathematics of voting.
An ancient algorithm for settling debts.
Math movie nite (afternoon)
Check out the details on Dr. Shearer's talk or the schedule for the rest of the semester.
Posted at 11:16AM Sep 01, 2008 by nreadin in General |
MAA Southeastern Section Meeting, Spring 2009
Mark your calendar!
The
MAA Southeastern Section Spring 2009 meeting will be held at
http://www.maa.org/sections/schedule.html
Posted at 01:07PM Aug 07, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
Cha Cha Days -- Conference
Posted at 09:32AM Aug 07, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
New Student Orientation
Welcome new students! Our orientation will be July 24 & 25 -- let me know if thee are specific questions/issues you would like to have discussed, either as a group, or individually with me.
-Prof. Scroggs-
Posted at 10:06AM Jun 24, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
3-D Design Elective in Summer School
A+D is opening another ADN 112 - 3d Design for non-design
majors, 1st summer session. Students can enroll next week when the
course number is in place with registration.
Posted at 02:37PM Apr 18, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]
Math Horizons Contest
An alum of this program, Derek Smith, is one of the editors for the Problem Section from Math Horizons:
http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~smithder/ProblemSectionMHFeb2008.pdfenjoy!
Posted at 03:40PM Apr 14, 2008 by scroggs in General | Comments[0]