I am inviting all undergraduates in Math 205 or 206 to participate in a combined Honors Seminar/independent study course in the winter quarter 2006. The course will aim for a fun, informal atmosphere eager to bite into some serious mathematics. You are eligible to participate even if you are not a student in the Honor Program.
The course will be graded on participation. Students will be expected to keep up with the reading and actively participate in discussions. Students in the Honors Program will be expected to complete an honors thesis.
We will read two books:
The first is called "The Pleasures of Counting", by T.W. Korner. This book is a discussion of many interesting mathematical situations, from figuring out how to fight the cholera epidemic in the 1830's to detecting submarines and breaking codes in World War II, to the puzzles of infinity. The book is pitched to people who know undergraduate mathematics and wonderful reading for people who want to engage intellectual topics mathematically and also be able to tell their friends what mathematicians do.
The other book is "Conjecture and Proof" by M. Lasczkovich. This book is used by the celebrated Hungarian school to train their mathematicians. It is a rigorous book, set at an undergraduate level, but proceeding in a manner similar to real mathematical research. The emphasis is on problem solving, and understanding the real numbers and its relation to Euclidean Geometry. It has problems that will challenge everyone in the class.
The course will be scheduled at a convenient time for all participants. If you have questions, drop by my office hours (MSTB 256, MWF 10-11), call me 824-5424 or E-mail me.
Matt Foreman
Professor of Mathematics.