OFF ON A TANGENT
A Fortnightly Electronic Newsletter from the Hope College Department of Mathematics
October 8, 2003 Vol. 2, No. 3


Here's what is coming up in the next fortnight

Information about the following events and more appears in today's newsletter:
$100 for 100 digits colloquium to be presented

This week's colloquium is titled "What I (Re)-Learned From the 100-Digit Challenge."  It will be presented by Professor Aaron Cinzori on Thursday, October 9 at 4:00 p.m. in VWF 104.  In this colloquium, Prof. Cinzori will explain how he along with a team of mathematics and engineering faculty here at Hope could not resist a deal to earn $100 for solving 10 math problems in a competition with teams from all over the world in the 100-Dollar 100-Digit Challenge.  Most of the problems are stated simply and  involve integration, matrix calculations, minimization, probability, or geometry.  He will look at a few of the problems and their solutions as well as discuss problem solving in  general.  He will also give reasons why taking Numerical Analysis (offered next semester) can be useful. The colloquium is appropriate for students in Math 132 or higher.


Let's play Mathematical Jeopardy!     

It is the ratio of the circumference of any circle to its diameter.  The original streaker, he is famous for is running naked through the streets of Syracuse yelling Eureka! Eureka!  This is the reason that 6 is afraid of 7.  If you know the questions that go with these answers, then we have a colloquium for you.  The mathematics department will conduct a Mathematical Jeopardy competition on Thursday, October 16 at 4:00 p.m. in VWF 102.  All interested students are encouraged to participate.  Entry is free and there will be prizes for the winning team!  Sign-up on Professor Stephenson’s door (VWF 210) by Wednesday, October 15:
 The questions for the answers given at the beginning of this article are, of course,  What is pi?  Who is Archimedes? and What is because 7, 8, 9?  To see a revealing picture of a statue commemorating the "Streak of Archimedes" visit http://pmsa.courtauld.ac.uk/../images/nrpMR/MRMCR321.jpg.

Problem Solvers of the Fortnight

Well, the Cubbies have done it, defying the odds and years of futility and failure. They’ve not only won the division, but are now playing the Florida Marlins for the right to go to the World Series for the first time in 58 years.

So just what were those odds against the Cubs winning the division over the Astros?  While no completely correct solution was given, Vishnu Desaraju and Leticia Grandia both gave solutions within a fraction of a percent of the correct answer of 38.11%.  Congratulations to both students.  Prizes can be collected from Dr. Catalano in Vanderwerf 209.


The Problem of the Fortnight

A finite number of circles divide the plane into a number of regions and thus define a map in which the border of each country consists of a finite number of arcs of circles. How many colors are needed to color such a map?

Write your solution on the back two World Series tickets and deliver them to Dr. Pearson personally, or put it on paper and drop it in the Problem of the Fortnight slot outside Dr. Pearson's office (VWF 212) by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 17.


Fall break browsing

How time flies!  Fall Break is just around the corner, and soon you'll be wallowing in unscheduled time.  In between naps you might enjoy browsing some "recreational math" sites on the internet. Here are a couple recommendations:


Sign up for the Putnam Exam by this Friday

The William Lowell Putnam Mathematical Competition, administered by the Mathematical Association of America, is the most prestigious mathematical competition for undergraduates in the nation.  If you are interested in taking the 64th Annual Wm. Lowell Putnam Exam, you must SIGN UP by Friday, Oct. 10, 2003. (That's BEFORE you leave for fall break!) There is a sign up sheet on Prof. Stoughton's office door (VWF 215).  You may also e-mail him, but again it MUST be before Friday, Oct. 10.  The DATE of the exam is Saturday, December 6, 2003. There is both a morning and an afternoon session of this exam; lunch will be provided by the mathematics department during the break.  For more information about the Putnam Exam visit http://math.scu.edu/putnam/.  For questions and solutions from past exams visit http://www.kalva.demon.co.uk/putnam.html. 


This Friday is also the deadline to sign up for the Michigan Autumn Take Home Challenge

The 2003 Michigan Autumn Take Home Challenge (or MATH Challenge) will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 1 this year.  Teams of two or three students take a three-hour exam consisting of ten interesting problems dealing with topics and concepts found in the undergraduate mathematics curriculum.  Hope students take the exam here on campus under the supervision of a Prof. Cinzori.  Hope has finished third in the competition the last three years and finished first in 1997.  For more details about the competition visit http://www.mcs.alma.edu/mathchallenge/.

A practice session for the MATH Challenge will take place today, Wednesday, October 8 at 3:00 p.m. in VWF 203.  If you plan to participate, you need to sign up by this Friday, October 10.  You can do so by e-mailing Prof. Cinzori at cinzori@hope.edu. 


The Annual Undergraduate Research Celebration is coming

Hope's 3rd Annual Undergraduate Research Celebration is being held this year on Friday, October 17 (4:00 - 7:00 p.m.) in the new Science Center.  This is a great opportunity to see all the different types of research that are being done by Hope students.  If you are at all interested or curious about student research at Hope College, this event is a must see.


Going to graduate school?  Research fellowships are available

Applications for the 2004 competition of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program are now available.  Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based master's or doctoral degrees in the fields of science, mathematics, and engineering.  Stipend and allowances for this program are very generous and include: $27,500 stipend for twelve-month tenure; cost-of-education allowance of $10,500 per tenure year; and a one-time $1,000 International Research Travel Allowance.

All applications for the 2004 competition are required to apply electronically using NSF's FastLane process available at http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov. The Guidelines for submission of applications, which includes instructions and deadline information, are available electronically at the web site.  The website to get additional information and access the electronic application is: http://www.orau.org/nsf/nsffel.htm.  Application deadlines vary by the field of study, but all are during the first week of November.


Michigan Undergraduate Mathematics Conference coming this month

The Michigan Undergraduate Mathematics Conference will be held on Saturday, October 25 at the Grand Rapids campus of GVSU.  This is a great opportunity to hear student research talks and get information about jobs and graduate schools.  You will also get a chance to see Professors Andersen and Pennings, among other celebrity mathematicians, participate in a Hollywood Equilateral Rhombi game.  You can even be a contestant yourself!  For more information about this event or if you are interested in going, contact Professor Janet Andersen at jandersen@hope.edu.  For more details visit http://www.gvsu.edu/math/mumc.html.


Math Problems? Call 1-800-[(10x)(13i)2]-[sin(xy)/2.362x].