Core Math project
CMTH 101: Final Project -- Spring 2020 Proposal due date: Thursday 3/12/2020, 11:59PM Project due date: Tuesday 4/7/2020, by end of class time to Alpha 205D Both the proposal and the final project must be submitted on Blackboard as well. Objective: The main goal of the final project is to provide an opportunity for you to do something creative and inspired with the ideas we have learned this semester; this final project can relate the mathematics we’ve learned to your other areas of interest. Format: Your final project can be either ● a paper (approximately 4-6 double spaced pages), or ● a video, piece of artwork, poem, etc., accompanied with a short paper (approximately 2-3 double spaced pages) Your final project should be inspired by or related to specific topics that we learn in the course, extend what was learned in class, and connect to goodness, truth or beauty. (You can use a topic from the book not covered in class with approval from your professor.) . If you choose to do a paper, your paper could still take on one of many different formats: a short story, a newspaper column, magazine article, a biography of a mathematician, etc. If you choose to do a creative piece, the accompanying paper needs to highlight the mathematical concepts and relate your work to the topics to goodness, truth or beauty. Project proposal A graded project proposal will be collected on Thursday 3/12. The project proposal should be typed (at most half a page). The proposal should include: ● the CMTH mathematical topic that inspired the project and how you will extend it or a topic from Coincidence, Chaos and All That Math Jazz which was not covered in class ● the format you plan to use for the project ● a brief description of how the project connects to goodness, truth or beauty Submitting your project ● The final project will be due on Tuesday 4/7 during class time. ● The written portion of the project should be submitted through SafeAssign on Blackboard. ● Any physical portions of your project (artwork etc.) should be brought to my office (Alpha 205D). Digital formats other than writing (video etc.) may be submitted via email to your instructor. (For large files, I recommend uploading them to your Eagles Google Drive and sending a link.) You must include a reference page (referencing any works used, including the course book, websites, other books, etc.) Project grading Your project must either: ● Draw strong connections to a CMTH topic or an idea that we have covered in class and extend what was presented in class, or ● Be based on another topic from Coincidences, Chaos and All That Math Jazz which was not covered this semester in class. The score for each project will be based on content, depth, significance, creativity, effort and aesthetic quality. (Significance means that you will need to produce something beyond what we have done in class or what was assigned in the homework.) A paper that mentions or uses mathematics in a vague way without any concrete connection to specific topics/ideas that we have covered in class will not receive high marks. Project proposal The proposal is submitted on time, clearly states the topic that inspires the project or paper, connection to goodness/truth/beauty, and describes a clear plan ____/15 Project tutorial The student attends and actively participates in the project tutorial (see semester calendar for tutorial week dates) ____/10 TUTORIAL TOTAL ____/25 Grammar & Mechanics The paper is written with correct grammar, punctuation, formatting and follows conventions of SWE (standard written English). ____/10 For both types of papers: The paper is well-written. The project or paper shows creativity, quality and depth of understanding. For long paper There is a clear focus/thesis and ideas are well-motivated and well-developed. For short paper + project The paper is well-written: The paper clearly explains how the project is inspired by a mathematical topic/idea covered in class. ____/45 For both types of papers: The paper includes a clear explanation of the chosen mathematical topic and clearly connects to goodness, truth or beauty. The project has mathematical content and draws clear connections to a CMTH topic, and shows creativity, uniqueness and depth. ____/45 TOTAL _____/100 CMTH Project Ideas These are only suggestions if you are stuck! They are not intended to be the only topics available nor are they an extensive list of ideas from our class discussions. (Some of these are upcoming in class which may be why you haven’t heard of them before now.) Be sure whatever you pick has connections to our class discussions, is an extension of what was discussed in class and can be connected to goodness, truth or beauty. Logic puzzles Sudoku Puzzles KenKen puzzles Phyllotaxis plant growth Axioms & Declaration of Independence Global Positioning System (GPS) MC Escher (Artist) Bernhard Riemann (Mathematician) Janos Bolyai (Mathematician) Circumnavigating the Earth Zeno of Elea (Philosopher) Georg Cantor (Mathematician) Fractals Leonardo da Vinci (Artist) Isaac Newton (Scientist) Nikolai Lobachevsky (Mathematician) Albert Einstein (Scientist) Abraham Lincoln (President) Rene Descartes (Mathematician) Logical Paradoxes Bertrand Russell (Philosopher) Kurt Gödel (Logician) Philosophy connections Platonic solids Benoît Mandlebrot Salvador Dali Paul Cohen Charles Dodgeson Lewis Carroll Figurate Numbers