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Sessions
Morning Concurrent Sessions - 10:15-10:55 a.m. Curvature of Surfaces
It is impossible to press a large piece of orange peel flat on a table
without tearing it. This is because the surface of an orange is
“curved” whereas a table is flat. The curvature of a surface is a
quantity which describes what geometry is like for a bug living on
the surface. For example, if the bug draws a triangle, the sum of
its angles is not 180 degrees, and the difference can be computed
using the curvature. We will explain what curvature is, how you
can compute it, and describe the different types of geometry it
determines.
Mapmaking and vice versa
Lun-Yi Tsai, artist and mathematician, says, “In one way or another,
consciously or unconsciously, we are all constantly mapping reality
and projecting our maps back out.” Various aspects of mathematics are magnifications of some of our
intuitive habits and practiced skills. This talk will look at some
analogies between geometry and cartography, and in this context
introduce some somewhat recent ideas from algebraic geometry.
Mime-matics
In Mime-matics, Tim Chartier explores mathematical ideas through
the art of mime. Whether creating an illusion of an invisible wall,
wearing a mask covered with geometric shapes or pulling on an
invisible rope, Dr. Chartier delves into mathematical concepts such
as estimation, tiling, and infinity. Through Mime-matics, audiences
encounter math through the entertaining style of a performing artist
who has performed at local, national and international settings.
Neutrinos and Mass
Neutrinos are ghostly subatomic particles that travel through matter
almost as though matter were transparent. This talk will describe
some spectacular sources of neutrinos – the Big Bang, big crunches
(like the collapse of a massive star to form a neutron star or black
hole), and the sun – and we’ll count the number of neutrinos they
might produce. About a billion billion neutrinos pass through us
every day, and we will calculate why these neutrinos don’t harm
us. We will also figure out how close a starship could approach a
supernova explosion without worrying about the neutrinos, talk
about “dark matter,” and estimate how much of the universe’s
mass is in neutrinos compared to the amount of mass in all of the
visible stars.
Morning Concurrent Sessions - 11:15-11:55 a.m. Tricky Mathematics and Mathematical Tricks
Do you have to be a “math geek” to enjoy it? Did you ever wonder
why your grandmother spends hours solving Sudoku puzzles?
Mathematics is the study of numbers, shapes and patterns. As such,
even elementary mathematics provides many opportunities to create
fun puzzles, develop “tricks” and entertain everyone. Come join us
for some exploration of puzzles, games and math based card tricks.
Warped Spaces
What would the world look like if you lived in a strange place where
the sum of the angles in a triangle is not 180 degrees, and it’s not true
that a line has a unique parallel through a given point? The familiar
set of rules for lines and angles on a plane is just one possibility
for the geometry of a space. We’ll take a look at alternative, non-
Euclidean geometries, and the resulting “curved” spaces. Some
Escher prints show beautiful models of such worlds. In fact, modern
physics suggests that our own universe is non-Euclidean, despite our
intuition to the contrary.
Why Dogs Have Wet Noses and Other Mathematical Insights
We all know a good heart and healthy lungs are important to our
health, but how many know the value of “good” nasal geometry?
Which forms of animal locomotion are the most economical:
running, flying, or swimming? What can mathematical models,
health, and animals tell us about how the body works?
Afternoon Concurrent Sessions - 1:20-2 p.m.
Fibonacci Numbers and Chinese Nim
The sequence of Fibonacci numbers was developed originally
to study the breeding of rabbits but has since found an amazing
variety of applications to subjects as diverse as botany and Baroque
music. I will give yet another application, this time to a Chinese
variant of the ancient game of Nim. Along the way I will show that
in some sense every integer is a Fibonacci number.
How Are Weather Forecasts Made?
This talk will describe the basis of modern weather forecasting
– numerical weather prediction using fast supercomputers to
integrate the equations describing atmospheric motions and physics.
On Playing Golf with Two Balls, and Other (Mathematical)
Decision Problems
Everyone has encountered situations in which there is more than
one way to accomplish one task, and where some amount of
uncertainty is involved. For example, in trying to reach a friend,
one might fi rst try calling, and if the person doesn’t answer, text
message or e-mail them, and if the friend still doesn’t get back to
them, then maybe try the phone again, etc. In most such situations,
knowing the best possible move at each step allows one to behave
optimally, despite the (somewhat) random nature of the situation.
This talk will present a mathematical version of such a decisionmaking
situation, and explain how in the mathematical model,
one can determine the best move at each step, and thus behave
optimally. To describe in a somewhat simplified way the mathematical problem, imagine that you’re the only person playing
golf on a course. Suppose you are a terrible payer: you can take a
swing, but there’s no telling in which direction the ball will go. To
help you, someone has scattered a few balls around the course, and
you must try to get one of them into a hole, as soon as possible.
What’s the best strategy to use? Come and find out.
Math Day 2008 is presented by the UW Department of Mathematics in conjunction with the Departments of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Applied Math, Astronomy, Atmospheric Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Earth and Space Sciences, Genetics, Molecular Biotechnology, Oceanography, Physics, Statistics, Zoology, the UW Medical Center, Center for Digital Arts and Experimental Media and the Center for Advanced Research Technology in the Arts and Humanities. |
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