| Due date | Read | Section/Problems | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/22/09 (Thurs) | Ch. 1.1 | Write your math bio in complete sentences; e-mail with subject "math 436" | |
| 1/27/09 (Tues) | Ch. 1.2
about YBC 7289 and Plimpton 322 |
Express the modern numbers 640, 436, 2009, 3010279, 5/9, 6/9, 7/9
in both Egytian hieroglyphs and Babylonian cuneiform |
|
| 2/3/09 (Tues) | Ch. 2.1-2.2 | Katz, ch.1 #16, 19, 25, 29 (about Bullseye, square root algorithm, false position and quadratic formula) | |
| 2/10/09 (Tues) | Euclid's Elements | Katz, ch.2 #15, 18, 29; Write proofs of Euclid III-32, VII-30 and X-9 in modern language | |
| 2/17/09 (Tues) | Ch. 3.1-3.3 | Write 1-1/2 pages about the differences between Euclid's presentation and what you saw in school. | |
| 2/24/09 (Tues) | Ch. 5 | Katz, ch.5 #1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 16, 25 ("Discuss" means write 1/2 page about #25) | |
| 3/3/09 (Tues) | Ch. 6 | Katz, ch.6 #1, 4 (Sulbasutra); #9, 15 (Brahmagupta); #20 (Mahavira), 25 (Bhaskara I) | |
| 3/10/09 (Tues) | Ch. 7 | Katz, ch.7
#4, 8, 11, 13, 19, 23; how did al-Kwarizmi's text differ from its Babylonian sources? |
|
| 3/12/09 (Thurs) | Ch. 1-7 | Midterm Exam | |
| 3/24/09 (Tues) | Term paper + sources | Outline of term paper due, with sources | |
| 3/31/09 | Ch. 8 and 9.1 | Katz, ch. 8 #3, 15; ch. 9 #4, 5, 11, 17, 19 | |
| 4/7/09 | rest of ch.9, 10.1-2 | Katz, ch.9 #21, 24, 33 (R=10,000,000), 35, 41 and 43, 46 (1-paragraph each) | |
| 4/14/09 | Ch. 11 (Calculus) | Katz, ch.11 #6a, 20, 27, 33, 41. Also first & last paragraphs of term paper | |
| 4/21/09 | Ch. 12 & 13 | Katz, ch.10 #17; ch.12 #10, 27, 35, 36; ch.13 #7, 16 | |
| 4/28/09 | Ch. 14, 16, 18 | Katz, ch.14 #2, 11, 13; ch.16 #6, 27, 31; ch.18 #1 | |
| 5/5/09 (Tues) | no class | Term paper due | |
| 5/8 (Fri.) | Final Exam | (12-3 PM) in SERC 211 | |
Essay lengths: All page lengths assume 12 point, single-spaced
pages. There are 500-700 words per page.
Assignments should be
interpreted in terms of number of words in case of doubt.
Term paper: This is to be at least 4,000 words. (This is about 8 single-spaced pages, or 16 double-spaced pages.) You are expected to select a branch of mathematics, approved by the professor, and write about how it has evolved over the course of history. An outline of your paper will be due Tuesday March 24th.
Note: Extra Reading material is located on the main course page.