Course Outline – Mat343 - Spring 2008

Course meetings, By Appointment

 Instructor:  Prof. Keen. 

Office: Room Gillet Room 137 D  Phone: 718 960 8867 

email: linda.keen@lehman.cuny.edu

Office hours:  Weds 11:00-12:30 and 1:30-3:00 or By appointment

 

 

 

Texts:
1 - “Journey through Genius”,  William Dunham, publ. Penguin.  Available on Amazon 
2 - “Episodes from Early Mathematics”,  Aaobe,  publ. MAA.  Available on their website
 
Other material will be posted here – keep looking

            

Outline:  We will  read through the Dunham book cover to cover and you must know the proofs of all the theorems as well as the history.  Some of the proofs are also in the other book.  Towards the end of the semester we will look at some 20th century mathematics.

 

First assignment:  Chapter 1 in “Journey” and Chapter 1 in “Episodes”.  Compare the discussion of Babylonian, Egyptian and Greek Mathematics and learn the “quadrature of the lune” theorem.  What is the importance of the theorems about quadrature?   Read Chapter two in both books.  We will talk about proofs of the Pythagorean theorem

 

First meeting Thursday  Feb 28 at 1:00 pm in my office

 

Second Assignment:  Read Chapter 3 in each of the above books.  Outline your reading.

Next meeting Weds Mar 5 at 11:00 am in my office

Next meeting – Weds Mar 12 10:45 -11 in my office.  Do the exercises in chapter   2 of Episodes.

Next meeting – Weds Mar 19 3pm in my office

Next meeting April 9