Summary report for the 2017/2018 school year
Math Circles 2017/2018 Year End Summary Report
Math Circles events at Dal during the 2017/2018 school year
Below is our schedule for the 2017/2018 school year. Events were held from 6:30-8:30pm in the Chase Building, Room 119 (Student Learning Centre) of Dalhousie University, with pizza served at each event.
September 27
Speaker: Asmita Sodhi
Topic: A Mathematical Mystery Tour
The priceless Golden Spiral artifact has been stolen from the Museum of Arithmetical Trinkets and Heirlooms! Detectives Ray and Marty are on the case. Can you help them solve puzzles, search for clues, and unravel the mystery?
October 18
Speaker: Svenja Huntemann
Topic: Combinatorial Game Theory
Want to spend your evening playing and learning about games? Combinatorial games are 2-player games with no hidden information and no chance elements, such as Chess, Checkers, or Go. I will introduce some of the techniques that are being used to study these games by taking a look at two specific ones: Nim and Domineering. If time allows, you can try out your new abilities on a few other games.
November 15
Speaker: Dr. Danielle Cox
Topic: Ready, SET, Go!
In this Math Circles we will explore the mathematics of the game of SET, as well as its connections to other areas of science.
December 13
Speaker: Dr. Dorette Pronk
Topic: A Mathematical Art Show
In this talk I will present art pieces inspired by mathematical principles and objects.
You will see how these pieces show the beauty of number theory, algebra and geometry.
I will discuss some of the math that is presented in the art works, and you will get the opportunity
to make some art of your own (and perhaps get some ideas to try out over the December holidays.)
January 31
Speaker: Dr. Richard Nowakowski
Topic: Mathemagic
Join us for an evening of magic at Dalhousie! Mind reading, x-ray vision, card tricks, and more! Come learn the math behind these tricks and you will be able to have 'magical' abilities too!
February 21
Speaker: Dr. David Wolfe
Topic: Top-Down Induction
Some of you may have seen the mathematical proof technique known as induction. If so, I'm sorry... you've been taught it all wrong! If you haven't seen it, all the better, because top-down induction is a more powerful, less error-prone, and more natural way of discovering inductive proofs than is usually taught in school. My apologies in advance if your current math teacher doesn't agree.
Along the way we'll see some beautiful theorems and a few elegant picture proofs.
March 21
Speaker: Dr. Robert Milson
Topic: Proportional Games and Magic Numbers
We will explore the golden ratio and the Fibonacci numbers by playing games and mastering astounding feats of mathematical magic.
April 11
Speaker: Marie B.Langlois and Ben Cameron
Topic: Radical Relay 2018
It's April, which means that it's time for a new Math Circles Relay! We will break into teams and answer challenging questions, earning points as you move from station to station. There will be a small element of pop culture and historical trivia so there will be questions for everyone! If you finish the race you will be rewarded with some bonus questions and prizes for the team with the most points. These problems are hand-picked to be challenging and fun, so come ready to think and work together! We have new problems awaiting you this year so that new and previous participants can enjoy the challenges!
May 16
Speaker: Erick Lee (HRSB)
Topic: Math Party!
It's a Math Party! In this session we'll explore Ramsey's Party Problem along with several other games, puzzles and problems with a party theme. Do you know the best way to cut a cake? What's the most efficient way to wrap a present? We'll learn about number theory and problem solving as we tackle these puzzles.
June 8
Speaker: Dr. Mayada Shahada
Topic: Algebra is a powerful tool!
G.H.Hardy (a famous 20th Century mathematician) wrote:
"Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics."
Let's face it - algebra can be hard and there will be a point for everyone when they find using algebra is difficult. But, believe it or not, algebra can be really beautiful and it is, in fact, a powerful tool! Algebra can give a great sense of achievement every time a problem is solved and it can, definitely, provide effective methods to break down and solve problems. Join us in this talk to feel such a satisfaction and to see how algebra allows you to take a situation and make it more general by examining nasty number tricks and devious divisibility.
Topic Ideas?
If you have a request for topics, please contact us. If you have a topic or idea that appeals to you, let us help you explore it! Email our team at mathcircles@dal.ca and we will work it into our repertoire.
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