Department of Mathematics

Math 410 - Topics in History of Mathematics for Secondary and Middle School Teacher

Spring 2018

Line #:55941

Meets: W 1-1:50pm, 302 Snow Hall

Instructor: 

        Dr. Jila Niknejad

        Office:  637 Snow Hall

            Email:   jila@ku.edu

Office hours:  MF noon-1 pm  and TR 2-2:50 pm (Either in my office or in Snow 651)

                                 Also by appointment.

Web Page: Syllabus: http://people.ku.edu/~jila/Math410Syllabus.html

Textbook: Notes by Professor Jeremy Martin posted to your blackboard.

Topics will include:

• Ancient Egyptian geometry (1/17/18)
• Some Greek math: Thales and Pythagoras (1/24/18)
• Prime numbers (2/31/18)
• Measuring the circumference of the earth (2/7/16)
• The three classic problems of geometry (2/14/18)
• Conic sections (2/21/18)
• Infinity I: Bijections (3/7/18)
• Infinity II: Cantor's diagonal argument (3/28/18)
• The origins of graph theory (4/4/18)
• The Four-Color Theorem (4/11/18)
• Samples from the history of probability and statistics (4/18/18)
• The birthday problem (4/25/18)

Prerequisite: MATH 122 or MATH 126 or MATH 142 or MATH 146. Students enrolled in MATH 410 must concurrently enroll in MATH 409. 

Changes: Please note that everything on the syllabus and associated web pages are subject to change.

Material required:

• Bring at least a blue, a black and  a red pen/pencil to class everyday.
• Bring a straight edge and compass to class everyday.
• All students should download a copy of the software Geogebra 5.
•  If possible, install Geogebra  on your laptop or tablet and bring it to class every day.
• Create a geogebra account at https://accounts.geogebra.org/user/create.

Grading:

Grading Scale: It is expected that grades will be awarded on a percentage basis with 90% and above an A; 80% - 89% a B; 70% - 79% a C; 60% - 69% a D, 0% - 59% an F.

Important Dates:

Exams: If you have a valid reason for missing an in-class exam, you should discuss alternate arrangements with me before the exam. If you miss an exam due to an emergency, contact me as soon as possible.

Homework, Quizzes and Worksheets: Doing homework is an important part of learning mathematics. 2 assignments will generally be due every week . Online quizzes and homework assignments will be posted on blackboard. I encourage you to work with each other, but you must hand in your own work. Some of the work will be group projects and can be turned in as a group. Online quizzes and homework assignments are due at the beginning of class. Geogebra work has to be uploaded to your blackboard and paper assignments can be uploaded to blackboard. Out of fairness to other students and the grader, I don't accept late work. I will drop the lowest grade for homework assignments/ online quizzes before calculating the final grade.

1. Homework assignments: should be submitted to blackboard.  If an assignment  requires a drawing, it has to be done using straight edge, compass, blue/black/red pencil and then submitted in class or on blackboard.
2. Online quizzes: Some of the proofs and lectures will have a pre-quiz that will lead you through the process.

In class work,  presentations and group assignments: In-class quizzes and worksheets will be held as announced in class or on the homework page.The presentations are over the lecture material and you will have a chance to choose the topics.

Here are the rubrics for presentations:

• 20% of the grade: your presentation, neatness, use of the board and etc.
• 20% of the grade: correctness of your material.
• 20% of the grade: ability to answer the questions correctly.
• 20% of the grade: ability to engage others, iClicker type questions and etc.
• 20% of the grade: signing up for one, working with your group and showing up in class on the day you signed up.

Attendance: You're expected to be in class every day, with your textbook and required material. You are responsible for all material covered and any announcements made each day in class, whether you are present or not. In-class question  points are rewarded to those who attend the class only. Students who attend class regularly tend to do better than those who don't.

Grade Dispute: Graded exams are returned during class to the student. If a student wishes to discuss the exam grade, it must be done within two weeks following the date of the exam. Under some circumstances you may be asked to explain your complaint in writing.

Drop Policy: The University Drop Policy can be found at http://www.registrar.ku.edu/adddrop-class

Computer and Email Access: All students will need internet access to get to the assignments and read course announcements on blackboard. KU will provide you with an account and there are labs on campus with computers available. Class related materials will be updated regularly. You also need to have an email address registered with the University so that you can receive course information. At the very least, you will be receiving important reminders and updates about the Gateway Exam at your registered email address. Register an email address or check to see that your registered one is one that you check regularly by visiting https://technology.ku.edu/services.

Students With Disabilities: The Office of Disability Resources (DR), 22 Strong Hall, 785-864-2620 (v/tty), coordinates accommodations and services for KU students with disabilities. If you have a disability for which you may request accommodation in KU classes and have not contacted Disability Resources, please do so as soon as possible. Please also contact the coordinator privately in regard to the common exams. It is your responsibility to request accommodations in a timely manner well before needing them.

Religious Holidays: Any student in this course who plans to observe a religious holiday which conflicts in any way with the course schedule or requirements should contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to discuss alternative accommodations.

Academic Misconduct: According to University Senate Rules and Regulations, Section 6: "2.6.1 Academic misconduct by a student shall include, but not be limited to, disruption of classes; threatening an instructor or fellow student in an academic setting; giving or receiving of unauthorized aid on examinations or in the preparation of notebooks, themes, reports or other assignments; knowingly misrepresenting the source of any academic work; unauthorized changing of grades; unauthorized use of University approvals or forging of signatures; falsification of research results; plagiarizing of another's work; violation of regulations or ethical codes for the treatment of human and animal subjects; or otherwise acting dishonestly in research."

Homework Assignments, Working in Groups, Tutors: Students may discuss the homework problems in groups, but each student is responsible for doing his/her own work and in turning in his/her individual solutions. When a student works with a tutor, it is the responsibility of both the student and the tutor to ensure that it is the student who works to arrive at the solutions of the problems. Tutors should not do students' homework for them or provide them the solutions for their instructors' assignments.

Intellectual Property: Course materials prepared by the instructors, together with the content of all lectures and review sessions presented by the instructors are the property of the instructors. Video and audio recording of lectures and review sessions without the consent of the instructor is prohibited. Permission to make such recordings may be granted by the instructor on a case by case basis, on the condition that these recordings are used only as a study aid by the individual making the recording. Unless explicit permission is obtained from the instructor, recordings of lectures and review sessions may not be modified and must not be transferred or transmitted to any other person, whether or not that individual is enrolled in the course.

Flu Threat: Please familiarize yourself with the KU Pandemic Response Plan and the Personal Guide to Protect Against Flu. In the event of a pandemic requiring institutional measures, announcements concerning departmental and course-specific responses will be available at KU Math Department Web Page and the homework page.