Mathematics USEM - Fall 2017

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:25 am - 10:15 am, 114 O'Shaughnessy Hall
Course website: nd.edu/~smapes1/mathUSEM.html

Instructor:

Sonja Mapes
Email: smapes1 (at) nd.edu
Office: 228 (Hayes-Healey)
Tel: (574) 631-7586

Office hours:

TBA
Or by appointment.

Textbooks:

Groups and Symmetry by David W. Farmer, and
The Equation that Couldn't Be Solved: How Mathematical Genius Discovered the Language of Symmetry by Mario Livio.

Grading:

Homework 15%; Midterms 30% (15% each); Weekly Reflections 10%; Term Paper 20%; Final 25%

Midterms:

There will be two midterm exams. The first will be in class on Friday Oct. 6. The second will be Friday Nov. 17.

Final:

The projected final exam date is TBA .

Homework:

Each week I will post a set of questions for you to work on. Homework will be collected on Wednesdays each week. The lowest homework score will be dropped.

Reflections:

We will read the book by Mario Livio over the course of the semester, and you will be asked to write refelections on the readings of about one to two pages. These will be due on the Mondays specified below in class, and should be typed.

Term Paper:

You will be expected to write a term paper of about 10-15 pages over the course of the semester. This paper can be more mathematical in nature or it can explore some of the history associated with these topics. A list of proposed term paper topics will be handed out in class and posted on Sakai, but if you have an idea for a paper which is not listed please discuss it with me. Per the guidelines for the University Seminars, we will have a revision process for this paper. Specifically I will require that you make an appointment at the Notre Dame Writng Center to have your paper looked over before you turn in a first draft to me (i.e. the first draft you give me will actually be a second draft).

The following deadlines will be important to note:
  • Choose topic - Monday September 11
  • Outline of paper - Monday October 9
  • First Draft Due - Monday November 13
  • Final Draft Due - Monday December 4

    Honesty:

    This class follows the binding Code of Honor at Notre Dame. The graded work you do in this class must be your own. In the case where you collaborate on homework with other students make sure to fairly attribute their contribution to your project. For more information on the honor code see www.honorcode.nd.edu .

    Syllabus

    This is a tentative syllabus and it is likely to change as the course progresses.

    Date Reading - sections in textbook Homework/Reflections
    Aug. 23, 25 Squares and Hexagons
    sec. 1.1, 1.2     		Homework 1 - due 8/30
    Aug. 28, 30, Sept 1 Triangles and Putting it all together
    sec. 1.3, 1.4     		Homework 2
    due 9/6 in class
    Livio Ch 1 - due 9/4
    Sept. 4,6,8 Translation and rotation.
    sec. 2.1,2.2     		Homework 3
    due 9/13 in class
    Livio Ch 2 - due 9/11
    Sept. 11,13,15 Mirror and Glide reflections, and combining rigid motions.
    sec. 2.3, 2.4, 2.5     		Homework 4
    due 9/20 in class
    Livio Ch 3 - due 9/18
    Sept. 18,20,22 Symmetry.
    sec. 3.1, 3.2     		Homework 5
    due 9/27 in class
    Livio Ch 4 - due 9/25
    Sept. 25,27,29 Multipication, Inverses, and finite symmetry types.
    sec. 3.3, 3.4, 3.5     		Homework 6
    due 10/4 in class
    Livio Ch 5 - due 10/2
    Oct. 2,4,6 Strip Patterns. Midterm 1
    sec. 4.1,4.2     		Homework 7
    due 10/11 in class
    Oct. 9,11,13 Rotation symmetry, mirrors and glides.
    sec. 5.1,5.2    		 Homework 8
    due 10/25 in class
    Livio Ch 6 - due 10/23
    Oct. 16,18,20 Fall break.
    Oct. 23,25,27 Classifying wallpatterns and basic units.
    sec. 5.3, 5.4    		 Homework 9
    due 11/1 in class
    Livio Ch 7 - due 10/30
    Oct. 30, Nov. 1,3 Groups, finite figures.
    sec. 5.5,6.1     		Homework 10
    due 11/8 in class
    Livio Ch 8 - due 11/6
    Nov. 6,8,10 Addition, Multipication.
    sec. 6.2,6.3, 6.4     		Homework 11
    due 11/15 in class
    Livio Ch 9 - due 11/13
    Nov. 13,15,17 Rearrangements and Permutations. Midterm 2
    sec. 6.5,6.6     		Homework 11
    due 11/27 in class (note this is a Monday)
    Nov. 20, (22,24) Generators. Thanksgiving (no class on 22rd or 24th).
    sec. 7.1     		Homework 12
    due 11/29 in class
    Nov. 27, 29, Dec. 1 Rearranging basic units, strip patterns, wallpatterns.
    sec. 7.2,7.3,7.4     		Homework 13
    due 12/6 in class
    Dec. 4, 6 Symmetry in the Real World
    chapter 8