Mathematics Seminar TODAY in 103 Cook

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department is hosting its last Mathematics Seminar of 2017-2018 today, Tuesday, April 17, 3:00-4:00 p.m. in 103 Cook.

Our speaker, former GRCC student and current GRCC tutor Jeff Powers, will discuss the mathematics and science of Archimedes.  For the title and abstract of Jeff’s talk, please see below.

The mathematical and scientific accomplishments of Archimedes are impressive in their scope, depth and detail, often anticipating the work of others by many centuries.  This seminar will be accessible to everyone, regardless of their background in mathematics, and should also be of interest to those who enjoy history, astronomy, physics and science in general.  All are welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

“Archimedes: The Sand Reckoner”

“There are some, King Gelon, who believe that the number of the sand is infinite in multitude…” begins The Sand Reckoner, a 3rd-century BCE manuscript by Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BCE). Limited by Greek numerals, Archimedes sought a new number system capable of expressing quantities larger than the amount of sand that could fill up the universe. Of course, to do this, he had to first determine the size of the universe. The Sand Reckoner is significant not only for the extraordinary mathematics it contains, but also for its profound insights into the history of science. It cites the earliest account we have of a heliocentric solar system, contains adjustments for solar parallax and the anatomy of a human eye, and is regarded as the world’s first research-expository paper. This seminar showcases Archimedes’ genius via a detailed analysis of The Sand Reckoner, demonstrating his place as the greatest mathematician of antiquity.

April Mathematics Seminar tomorrow

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department is hosting its last Mathematics Seminar of 2017-2018 tomorrow, Tuesday, April 17, 3-4 p.m. in 103 Cook.

Our speaker, former GRCC student and current GRCC tutor Jeff Powers, will discuss the mathematics and science of Archimedes.  For the title and abstract of Jeff’s talk, please see below.

The mathematical and scientific accomplishments of Archimedes are impressive in their scope, depth and detail, often anticipating the work of others by many centuries.  This seminar will be accessible to everyone, regardless of their background in mathematics, and should also be of interest to those who enjoy history, astronomy, physics and science in general.  All are welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

“Archimedes: The Sand Reckoner”

“There are some, King Gelon, who believe that the number of the sand is infinite in multitude…” begins The Sand Reckoner, a 3rd-century BCE manuscript by Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BCE). Limited by Greek numerals, Archimedes sought a new number system capable of expressing quantities larger than the amount of sand that could fill up the universe. Of course, to do this, he had to first determine the size of the universe. The Sand Reckoner is significant not only for the extraordinary mathematics it contains, but also for its profound insights into the history of science. It cites the earliest account we have of a heliocentric solar system, contains adjustments for solar parallax and the anatomy of a human eye, and is regarded as the world’s first research-expository paper. This seminar showcases Archimedes’ genius via a detailed analysis of The Sand Reckoner, demonstrating his place as the greatest mathematician of antiquity.

April Mathematics Seminar

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department is pleased to announce that it will host its last Mathematics Seminar of 2017-2018 on Tuesday, April 17, 3:00-4:00 PM in 103 Cook.

Our speaker, former GRCC student and current GRCC tutor Jeff Powers, will discuss the mathematics and science of Archimedes.  For the title and abstract of Jeff’s talk, please see below.

The mathematical and scientific accomplishments of Archimedes are impressive in their scope, depth and detail, often anticipating the work of others by many centuries.  This seminar will be accessible to everyone, regardless of their background in mathematics, and should also be of interest to those who enjoy history, astronomy, physics and science in general.  All are welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

“Archimedes: The Sand Reckoner”

“There are some, King Gelon, who believe that the number of the sand is infinite in multitude…” begins The Sand Reckoner, a 3rd-century BCE manuscript by Archimedes of Syracuse (287-212 BCE). Limited by Greek numerals, Archimedes sought a new number system capable of expressing quantities larger than the amount of sand that could fill up the universe. Of course, to do this, he had to first determine the size of the universe. The Sand Reckoner is significant not only for the extraordinary mathematics it contains, but also for its profound insights into the history of science. It cites the earliest account we have of a heliocentric solar system, contains adjustments for solar parallax and the anatomy of a human eye, and is regarded as the world’s first research-expository paper. This seminar showcases Archimedes’ genius via a detailed analysis of The Sand Reckoner, demonstrating his place as the greatest mathematician of antiquity.

 

Mathematics Seminar today in Cook

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department is pleased to announce that it will host its October Mathematics Seminar today from 3-4 p.m. in 103 Cook.

This presentation will appeal to a wide range of students and faculty.  Much of it requires no understanding of mathematics beyond arithmetic.  All are welcome!

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 p.m.

Our speaker, GRCC Mathematics Instructor Andrea Hayes, will discuss division by zero in various forms of mathematics from basic arithmetic to higher-level mathematics.  For the title and abstract of Andrea’s talk, please see below:

Undefined

Division by zero is often confusing and misinterpreted.  Is (1/0) undefined or infinity?   The answer often depends on who you ask and can lead to lively discussions, even arguments.  The source of such discussions usually resides in the difference between actual division by 0 and what happens when the denominator approaches zero.  This talk will provide an in-depth look at the complexity of division by zero at various levels of mathematics.

 

 

 

October 18 Mathematics Seminar

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department is pleased to announce that it will host its October Mathematics Seminar this Wednesday, October 18, from 3-4 p.m. in 103 Cook.

This presentation will appeal to a wide range of students and faculty.  Much of it requires no understanding of mathematics beyond arithmetic.  All are welcome!

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 p.m.

Our speaker, GRCC Mathematics Instructor Andrea Hayes, will discuss division by zero in various forms of mathematics from basic arithmetic to higher-level mathematics.  For the title and abstract of Andrea’s talk, please see below:

Undefined

Division by zero is often confusing and misinterpreted.  Is (1/0) undefined or infinity?   The answer often depends on who you ask and can lead to lively discussions, even arguments.  The source of such discussions usually resides in the difference between actual division by 0 and what happens when the denominator approaches zero.  This talk will provide an in-depth look at the complexity of division by zero at various levels of mathematics.

 

 

 

October Mathematics Seminar

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department is pleased to announce that it will host its October Mathematics Seminar on Wednesday, October 18, from 3-4 p.m. in 103 Cook.

Our speaker, GRCC Mathematics Instructor Andrea Hayes, will discuss division by zero in various forms of mathematics from basic arithmetic to higher-level mathematics.  For the title and abstract of Andrea’s talk, please see below.

This presentation will appeal to a wide range of students and faculty.  Much of it requires no understanding of mathematics beyond arithmetic.  All are welcome!

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 p.m.

Undefined

Division by zero is often confusing and misinterpreted.  Is (1/0) undefined or infinity?   The answer often depends on who you ask and can lead to lively discussions, even arguments.  The source of such discussions usually resides in the difference between actual division by 0 and what happens when the denominator approaches zero.  This talk will provide an in-depth look at the complexity of division by zero at various levels of mathematics.

 

 

 

About ALEKS PPL, the new GRCC math assessment

This winter semester a new math placement policy will be in effect requiring students to take the Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces Placement, Preparation and Learning (ALEKS PPL) mathematics assessment prior to enrolling in a GRCC math course.

How it works

Current GRCC students who do not have a valid math prerequisite course and who scored 24 or lower on the SAT, 17 or lower on ACT, or had a high school cumulative grade point average below 2.0 will be required to take ALEKS PPL in a proctored environment. Students who do not have a valid math prerequisite course and scored higher than these levels may log into their Online Center and take ALEKS PPL on their own.

In addition to being a placement assessment, ALEKS PPL provides a free tutorial before the assessment begins, and free customized practice and learning modules to help students improve their math readiness levels if they choose to retest.

Once students take ALEKS PPL they will be provided an initial GRCC math course placement level and may enroll in that math course.

Retesting to place in a higher level course

From the time of the initial assessment, students have one year to improve their math readiness levels and change their placement – by working within the customized ALEKS PPL practice and learning modules and retaking the assessment (up to 4 additional times at no cost).

The exception

The only exception to this policy is if a student has already established a college level math course pre-requisite.  For example, if they have taken MA 131 – Precalculus as a dual enrollment student they are eligible to take MA 133 – Calculus with Analytical Geometry 1 without first taking ALEKS PPL.

The benefit

Although this is a significant change in our placement policy, we are excited to provide ALEKS PPL for our students because of the significantly improved math curriculum student success rates at GRCC that can be attributed to ALEKS PPL.

Successful students not only stay on track to graduation, but save money by bypassing lower level math courses, or avoiding retaking advanced math courses to earn a passing grade.

Celebrate Pi Day!

Saturday will be Pi Day of the century: 3/14/15 9:26:53 represents the first ten digits of pi. Happy Pi Day!

Math seminar is today

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department will host its next Mathematics Seminar on Thursday, February 26, 3:00-4:30 PM in 103 Cook. Our speaker will be long-time GRCC Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Radu Teodorescu. The title and abstract for Radu’s talk may be found below.

This seminar will focus on everyone’s favorite math topic – word problems! Long the staple of introductory algebra courses, they are, in truth, frequently unpopular with students and instructors alike. But did you know that they may often be solved without recourse to algebra? Come to the seminar and learn how to do many of these problems using nothing but arithmetic! As always, everyone is welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

EQUATIONS!?! WHAT EQUATIONS?

or

ARITHMETICAL METHODS of SOLVING WORD PROBLEMS

Word problems are “le raison d’être” of beginning Mathematics, often one of its most important parts. Usually at this level, word problems are solved using equations or systems of equations. After writing an equation/system for a given word problem we solve it and – voilà! – the solution appears. This is a direct and effective method, but what we gain in simplicity, we lose in depth of understanding of intricate connections among elements of our problem.

By contrast, Arithmetical Methods of solving word problems may appear to be more difficult. A particular kind of problem may need a specific approach, which in turn requires mental gymnastics, but in the end surprising internal links may be revealed. Arithmetical Methods teach us not only to think in non-standard ways, but also to write and display ideas in non-conformist manners. The speaker will present specific Arithmetical techniques, and some of the most important methods (known to him ☺!!), for example, the Method of Reduction to Unit, the Method of Comparison, the Method of Additional Assumption, the Method of Inverse Route, etc.

 

Math seminar looks at word problems

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department will host its next Mathematics Seminar on Thursday, February 26, 3:00-4:30 PM in 103 Cook. Our speaker will be long-time GRCC Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Radu Teodorescu. The title and abstract for Radu’s talk may be found below.

This seminar will focus on everyone’s favorite math topic – word problems! Long the staple of introductory algebra courses, they are, in truth, frequently unpopular with students and instructors alike. But did you know that they may often be solved without recourse to algebra? Come to the seminar and learn how to do many of these problems using nothing but arithmetic! As always, everyone is welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

EQUATIONS!?! WHAT EQUATIONS?

or

ARITHMETICAL METHODS of SOLVING WORD PROBLEMS

Word problems are “le raison d’être” of beginning Mathematics, often one of its most important parts. Usually at this level, word problems are solved using equations or systems of equations. After writing an equation/system for a given word problem we solve it and – voilà! – the solution appears. This is a direct and effective method, but what we gain in simplicity, we lose in depth of understanding of intricate connections among elements of our problem.

By contrast, Arithmetical Methods of solving word problems may appear to be more difficult. A particular kind of problem may need a specific approach, which in turn requires mental gymnastics, but in the end surprising internal links may be revealed. Arithmetical Methods teach us not only to think in non-standard ways, but also to write and display ideas in non-conformist manners. The speaker will present specific Arithmetical techniques, and some of the most important methods (known to him ☺!!), for example, the Method of Reduction to Unit, the Method of Comparison, the Method of Additional Assumption, the Method of Inverse Route, etc.

 

Math seminar set for February 26

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department will host its next Mathematics Seminar on Thursday, February 26, 3:00-4:30 PM in 103 Cook. Our speaker will be long-time GRCC Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Radu Teodorescu. The title and abstract for Radu’s talk may be found below.

This seminar will focus on everyone’s favorite math topic – word problems! Long the staple of introductory algebra courses, they are, in truth, frequently unpopular with students and instructors alike. But did you know that they may often be solved without recourse to algebra? Come to the seminar and learn how to do many of these problems using nothing but arithmetic! As always, everyone is welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

EQUATIONS!?! WHAT EQUATIONS?

or

ARITHMETICAL METHODS of SOLVING WORD PROBLEMS

Word problems are “le raison d’être” of beginning Mathematics, often one of its most important parts. Usually at this level, word problems are solved using equations or systems of equations. After writing an equation/system for a given word problem we solve it and – voilà! – the solution appears. This is a direct and effective method, but what we gain in simplicity, we lose in depth of understanding of intricate connections among elements of our problem.

By contrast, Arithmetical Methods of solving word problems may appear to be more difficult. A particular kind of problem may need a specific approach, which in turn requires mental gymnastics, but in the end surprising internal links may be revealed. Arithmetical Methods teach us not only to think in non-standard ways, but also to write and display ideas in non-conformist manners. The speaker will present specific Arithmetical techniques, and some of the most important methods (known to him ☺!!), for example, the Method of Reduction to Unit, the Method of Comparison, the Method of Additional Assumption, the Method of Inverse Route, etc.

 

Math Seminar is today

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department will host its first Mathematics Seminar of Winter, 2015 on Thursday, January 29, 3:00-4:00 PM in 103 Cook. Our speaker will be former GRCC student and current GRCC Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Brian Hadley. The title and abstract for Brian’s talk may be found below.

This seminar features a result from mathematics that is both beautiful and functional: How do we most efficiently assign people/machines to perform tasks? Its solution involves combinatorics and optimization, and will be accessible to those with good algebra skills.   As is always the case with GRCC’s Mathematics Seminars, all are welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

The Hungarian Algorithm: A Solution to the Assignment Problem

In this talk we will discuss the Assignment Problem: How do we optimize the assignment of employees to work tasks? The problem of assigning “individuals” to perform specific “tasks” has special characteristics and structure, which were cleverly exploited by Harold Kuhn in 1955 to produce an efficient method that generated an optimal solution. We will work out examples of the “Hungarian Algorithm,” work together to solve the Assignment Problem, and examine Kuhn’s paper describing his remarkable method.

Mathematics Seminar to look at Hungarian Algorithm

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department will host its first Mathematics Seminar of Winter, 2015 on Thursday, January 29, 3:00-4:00 PM in 103 Cook. Our speaker will be former GRCC student and current GRCC Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Brian Hadley. The title and abstract for Brian’s talk may be found below.

This seminar features a result from mathematics that is both beautiful and functional: How do we most efficiently assign people/machines to perform tasks? Its solution involves combinatorics and optimization, and will be accessible to those with good algebra skills.   As is always the case with GRCC’s Mathematics Seminars, all are welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

The Hungarian Algorithm: A Solution to the Assignment Problem

In this talk we will discuss the Assignment Problem: How do we optimize the assignment of employees to work tasks? The problem of assigning “individuals” to perform specific “tasks” has special characteristics and structure, which were cleverly exploited by Harold Kuhn in 1955 to produce an efficient method that generated an optimal solution. We will work out examples of the “Hungarian Algorithm,” work together to solve the Assignment Problem, and examine Kuhn’s paper describing his remarkable method.

Mathematics Seminar set for January 29

The Grand Rapids Community College Mathematics Department will host its first Mathematics Seminar of Winter, 2015 on Thursday, January 29, 3:00-4:00 PM in 103 Cook. Our speaker will be former GRCC student and current GRCC Adjunct Mathematics Instructor Brian Hadley. The title and abstract for Brian’s talk may be found below.

This seminar features a result from mathematics that is both beautiful and functional: How do we most efficiently assign people/machines to perform tasks? Its solution involves combinatorics and optimization, and will be accessible to those with good algebra skills.   As is always the case with GRCC’s Mathematics Seminars, all are welcome.

Pop and cookies will be served at 2:45 PM.

The Hungarian Algorithm: A Solution to the Assignment Problem

In this talk we will discuss the Assignment Problem: How do we optimize the assignment of employees to work tasks? The problem of assigning “individuals” to perform specific “tasks” has special characteristics and structure, which were cleverly exploited by Harold Kuhn in 1955 to produce an efficient method that generated an optimal solution. We will work out examples of the “Hungarian Algorithm,” work together to solve the Assignment Problem, and examine Kuhn’s paper describing his remarkable method.

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