|
Back
For this paper you will research the historical
development of an important problem in the history of mathematics. The topic
must be approved by the professor, by October 26th. The first draft will be
due November 9th. Keep in mind that you will be giving a 20 minute presentation on
this topic at the end of the semester during the final slot for the course.
So, pick your topics carefully.
Students are expected to select a branch of mathematics, and describe how it
has evolved over the course of history. Ideas can be found online, such as
Rutgers,
TAMU, or places like
Please give to me a typed proposal for the topic you
plan to cover. Not only a topic name, but a discussion of what you plan to
do with the topic, resources you plan to use, etc. It is not sufficient to
use Wikipedia or some physics blogs. Go to the library, check out some
of the above links and browse the library shelves around QA21-30. [See
call-numbers
for specific topics.]
You will be expected to submit a sufficient amount of
content and connection to the course in order to warrant a decent grade for
this portion of the course. You need to demonstrate that you spent some time
researching the mathematics, the history, and digesting your topic. It should
not be a regurgitation of Wikipedia or other Internet sites. References
should also include books and articles from journals. This work must be
yours. See formatting below.
You should pick a topic in
the history of mathematics that we have not covered in class. This is a
learning experience for you and you want to bring what you have learned to
the rest of the class (in your talk) by introducing new topics, mathematics,
stories that you have learned. Why did you select the topic? Motivate it.
Who were the main players? How did it fit into the larger history of
mathematics? What was interesting about the people? Were there key theorems,
methods, results? Your presentation will be based on this paper, so be
prepared to present the mathematics at a level your peers would understand.
Be prepared to use pictures, plot, derivations, etc.
-
Draft paper -
Nov 9th This should be more than half (at
least 3000 words) of
the proposed paper with an abstract, introduction to topic, some
historical background, a main body with mathematics demonstrations and
proofs, and references. It should include properly formatted figures and equations.
-
Final paper -
Nov 30th The final paper should have equations formatted, numbered, and referenced
properly. All figures should be numbered, have descriptive captions, and
be referenced in the paper and not just inserted to produce volume. Attention should be give to any suggestions made in the corrections of
the draft paper.
As part of these requirements, there will be a term paper
consisting of at least 4,000 words. (This is roughly 8 single-spaced pages, or
16 double-spaced pages, depending upon the layout and 12 pt font.) See more
below.
All work should be typed with double-spacing and 12 pt
font. (You can use LaTeX,
but the page count might depend on the format you have chosen.) You will be expected to use correct English grammar and
punctuation. This is a report and thus you will use proper sentence and
paragraph formatting. Your work should also be supported with properly labeled and embedded
plots and equations. References should include articles and books with
little use of Wikipedia. Any references used should be cited in the body
of the paper as well. This
paper will count towards the project component of your grade.
Note, you will be graded on the how well you have
followed directions as well as evidence of work, mathematics detail and
understanding, proper exposition and neatness, and effort as noted by
appropriate length and depth presented.
Presentation Rubric
-
Organization.
-
Introduction, clear flow,
conclusion. Make objectives clear. Adhere to time.
-
Well prepared slides, readable,
consistent font size and type, on message.
-
Delivery of main points and logical
transitions between topics.
-
Consideration of the audience.
-
Maintain eye contact, include
everyone in the audience. Do not read to the audience.
-
Aim for audience understanding.
What will they take away from your talk?
-
Respond appropriately to questions
during the question and answer period.
-
Understanding of the mathematical
content.
-
Communicate key ideas accurately.
-
Include appropriate examples to
illustrate the content.
-
Demonstrate understanding of
definitions, propositions, connection to history.
-
Use mathematics software
appropriately to reproduce results or examples.
-
Deliver a clear and professional talk.
-
It is crucial that the audience
understand the main points of the presentation.
-
Easily read from any place in the
classroom;
-
Simple, uncluttered and designed to
help communicate, review and relate main points.
-
Good grammar, word usage, standard
notation, layout, and style.
-
References/Citations
Top
|