sarah.glaz@uconn.edux
(click on link and remove end x)
A historical study of the growth of the various fields of
mathematics.
Please purchase the two main textbooks (available new at UCONN
Bookstore and, both new and used, at amazon.com)
In addition, we will use the following online resource (browse to become familiar with the many biographies and mathematics topics available at this website):
Click on the link below for a short list of recommended (but not required) reading:
The course grade will be determined as follows:
The final version of each paper will be graded using the
following grading scheme: 40% content (writing style, depth and
elaboration of points, evidence of supporting research), 40%
structure (organization and focus), 20% mechanics (grammar and
citation style). For details see the Paper
Grading Rubric.
According to UCONN policies for W courses, you cannot pass this
course unless you receive a passing grade for its writing
component (papers 1, 2, and 3).
Individual and
Group-Work Assignments
Individual or group-work assignments, aimed at practicing mathematical concepts and writing techniques, will be given every week. Some of the assignments will be worked at during class-time; others will be given as homework. In all cases, assignments done in class (usually group-works) are due the same day, and assignments given as homework (usually individual) are due on the Tuesday after they were assigned. Each week's assignment will be graded on a scale of 0 to 10 (divided among the various components). For group-works: the group will submit one completed assignment and each member of the group will receive the grade awarded for this joint submission. Most group-works will be completed and collected during class, and absent students will not be able to receive credit for the group-work they missed, unless there is a serious reason for their absence for which proof is provided.
The Papers (1, 2 and 3)
Consult these links before starting to work on your first writing
assignment.
| Paper Schedule |
Paper Guidelines (an active link to each paper guidelines will appear in the week before each paper is assigned) |
| Paper 1 Draft and Draft Cover Letter due: Tuesday, September 11 Final Version and Final Version Cover Letter due: Tuesday, September 25 |
Paper 1 Guidelines Draft Cover Letter Template (Word file) Final Version Cover Letter Template (Word file) |
| Paper 2 Draft and Draft Cover Letter due: Tuesday, October 9 Final Version and Final Version Cover Letter due: Tuesday, October 23 |
Paper 2 Guidelines Draft Cover Letter Template (Word file) Final Version Cover Letter Template (Word file) |
| Paper 3 Draft and Draft Cover Letter due: Tuesday, November 13 Peer Review Forms due: Tuesday, November 27 Final Version and Final Version Cover Letter due: Tuesday, December 4 |
Paper 3 Guidelines Draft Cover Letter Template (Word file) Paper 3 Final Version Cover Letter Template (Word file) Guidelines for Peer Review Peer Review Form Template (Word file) Peer Review Groups |
I encourage you to come
to my office for help during office hours, and I will be happy to
find other times when we can meet if my office hours schedule does
not fit your schedule. Since part of the purpose of this course is
to help you learn how to write effectively, you may also wish to
consult the tutors at the UCONN Writing Center.
The actual pace of the course may be
slightly different than listed in the syllabus below. It will
depend on the students' response to the material. Individual
homework assignments and in- class group-work will be given
every week. Please check the
course's website for updates on a weekly basis.
Notes: * Below we will denote by: D = Journey
through Genius by W. Dunham, B&G = Math
through the Ages (Expanded 2nd Edition) by W. P.
Berlinghoff and F. Q. Gouvea, MTM = The
MacTutor History of Mathematics Archives.
| Week + Papers due dates |
Topic |
Reading for each week's
topic To be read before the Tuesday class of that week |
Homework and Classwork Homework is due on the Tuesday after they were assigned, classwork is collected the day they are done in class |
| Week 1:
Aug 28 |
*
Overviews
of the history of mathematics |
* Important
historical names, dates, and events * Mathematical Periods MTM: An overview of the history of mathematics B&G: Sketch 1(p 67-72); Sketch 3 (p 81-84) |
Individual Assignment: * Math Autobiography (Guidelines) * How to recognize plagiarism: Tutorial and test (complete test and hand in the signed, completed certificate) Group-Work 1: Ancient Numerals |
| Week 2:
Sep 4 |
* Babylonian mathematics * Egyptian mathematics |
MTM: An overview of Babylonian mathematics An overview of Egyptian mathematics The new Plimpton 322 controversy (Read for fun!) * Mystery of the Babylonian Clay Tablet, Plimpton 322 * Don't Fall for Babylonian Trigonometry Hype |
Individual Assignment: Paper 1 draft and draft cover letter (see guidelines in Papers section) Group-Work 2: Eliminating Wordiness (use Conciseness and Active versus passive voice) |
| Week 3:
Sep 11 Paper 1 draft: Due Tue, Sept 11 |
* Early Greek mathematics * Euclid's Elements: Geometry |
D: Chapter 1
(p 1-11) D: Chapter 2 (p 27- 53, may skip the proof of book I:15, 16, 26, 27, 32, 41) |
Group-Work 3: Pythagoras Theorem |
| Week 4:
Sep 18 Shorter class |
* Euclid's Elements:
Number theory |
D:
Chapter 3 (p 68-75 and 81-83) |
Individual Assignment: Paper 1 final version and final version cover letter (see guidelines in Papers section) |
| Week 5:
Sep 25 Paper 1 final version: Due Tue, Sept 25 |
* Archimedes
and the circular area * The history of π |
* Archimedes
Cattle Problem * TED Talk: Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes * The Mountains of Pi by Richard Preston (Not required. Check them all for fun!) D: Chapter 4 (p 84-112, you may skip the proofs) B&G: Sketch 7 (p 109-112) |
Group-Work 4: Comma Usage (use Rules for using commas) |
| Week 6:
Oct 2 |
* Greek
mathematics after Archimedes * Non-Euclidean geometries |
D: Chapter 2 (p 53-60, you
may skip the proof of Theorem AAA) D: Chapter 5 (p 113-132, you may skip the proofs) B&G: Sketch 19 (p 195-200) * Non-Euclidean art: Daina Taimina crocheted hyperbolic planes Dick Termes painted termespheres |
Individual Assignment: Paper 2 draft and draft cover letter (see guidelines in Papers section) Group-Work 5: Late Greek Mathematics |
| Week 7: Oct 9 Paper 2 draft: Due Tue, Oct 9 |
*
Arabic mathematics * The cossic art |
MTM: An
overview of Arabic mathematics * Earliest Uses of Various Mathematical Symbols (Not required. Check for fun!) B&G: Sketch 8 (p 115-120) |
Group-Work 6: Organization and Focus (use: Structure of a general expository essay) |
| Week 8:
Oct 16 |
* Renaissance: solutions to cubic and quartic equations * The quintic equation and group theory: Abel and Galois |
B&G:
Sketch 11 (p 135-138) D: Chapter 6 (p 133-154) MTM: A biography of Abel A biography of Galois |
Individual Assignment: Paper 2 final version and final version cover letter (see guidelines in Papers section) Group-Work 7: Cubic Equations |
| Week 9:
Oct 23 Paper 2 final version: Due: Tue, Oct 23 |
* Descartes, Fermat and a
gem from Isaac Newton * Fermat's last theorem |
D: Chapter 7 (p 155-174 and
177-183) * The enigmatic number e (Not required. Read for fun!) * BBC-Horizon-1996: Fermat's Last Theorem (Not required. Watch for fun this amazing 50 minute documentary directed by Simon Singh) |
Group-Work 8: Common Mistakes |
| Week 10:
Oct 30 |
* Calculus: Newton, Leibniz, and the Bernoulli brothers |
D: Chapter 8
(p 184-206) B&G: Sketch 30 (p279-284) |
Individual Assignment: Paper 3 draft and draft cover letter (see guidelines in Papers section) Group-Work 9: Some Series of Newton and Leibniz |
| Week 11:
Nov 6 |
* Euler and
his legacy |
D: Chapter 9 (p 207-222) Chapter 10 (p223-235,You may skip the proofs) * An evening with Leonhard Euler, by William Dunham (Not required. Watch for fun!) |
Group-Work 10: Euler's 7 Bridges of
Konigsberg |
| Week 12:
Nov 13 Paper 3 draft: Due Tue, Nov 13 |
* From Gauss to Cantor * Overview of 19 century mathematics |
MTM: A
biography of Gauss B&G: Sketch 6 (p 103-106) D: Chapter 11 (p 245-266) * Weierstrass' continuous and nowhere differentiable function (Fun animation!) |
Individual Assignment: Paper 3 Peer Review Forms (see guidelines and the list of peer review groups in Papers section) Group-Work 11: Gauss' Congruent Integers |
| Thanksgiving Recess Nov 18 - 24 |
Enjoy and have
fun! |
||
| Week 13:
Nov 27 Peer Review Forms: Due Tue, Nov 27 |
* The foundations of
mathematics: Cantor, Hilbert, Russell, Goedel * Mandatory Attendance: Peer-Review Workshop for Paper 3 (Counts as a Group-Work) |
* Hilbert's
Problems * Goedel and the limits of logic D: Chapter 12 (p 267-283) B&G: Sketch 25 (p 239-244) B&G: Sketch 29 (p271-276) |
Individual Assignment: Paper 3 final version and final version cover letter (see guidelines in Papers section) Group-Work 12: Peer-Review Workshop for Paper 3 |
| Week 14: Dec 4 Paper 3 final version: Due Tue, Dec 4 |
* A brief look at today's mathematics. |
Recommended reading (not required): * Poetry Inspired by Mathematics: A brief journey through history * List of Unsolved Problems in Mathematics * Watch fractal art in action! B&G: Sketch 23 (p225-230) |
Group-Work 13: Map Coloring |
| Final Exams Dec 10 - 16 |
Good Luck with all
your finals! |
No final Exam in this course. |
A fundamental tenet of all educational institutions is academic
honesty; academic work depends upon respect for and acknowledgment
of the research and ideas of others. Misrepresenting someone
else's work as one's own is a serious offense in any academic
setting and it will not be condoned. Academic misconduct includes,
but is not limited to, providing or receiving assistance in a
manner not authorized by the instructor in the creation of work to
be submitted for academic evaluation (e.g. papers, projects, and
examinations); any attempt to influence improperly (e.g. bribery,
threats)any member of the faculty, staff, or administration of the
University in any matter pertaining to academics or research;
presenting, as one's own,the ideas or words of another for
academic evaluation; doing unauthorized academic work for which
another person will receive credit or be evaluated; and presenting
the same or substantially the same papers or projects in two or
more courses without the explicit permission of the instructors
involved. A student who knowingly assists another student in
committing an act of academic misconduct shall be equally
accountable for the violation, and shall be subject to the
sanctions and other remedies described in The Student Code.
Student Support Services
This page is maintained by Sarah Glaz
Last modified: Fall 2018