Math 499 - Fall 2010
Independent Study in the History of Math
Course Goals:
To develop a set of learning modules (appropriate to a secondary level) that:
- present the lives of 7 key mathematicians and some of their critical contributions to mathematics and culture
- provide students with level-appropriate learning materials so that they can apply some of the mathematics developed by the selected mathematicians
- create a web-resource that students/teachers can access and which shares the modules with a wider group of potential users
Evaluation:
Web-site development presentation of resources |
30% |
7 learning packages |
70% |
Recommended Resources:
- A History of Mathematics. Carl Boyer. John Wiley and Sons 1991
- Men of Mathematics. Eric Temple Bell. Penguin 1953.
- From Five Fingers to Infinity: A Journey Through the History of Mathematics. Frank Swetz. Open Court Publishing 1994.
Course Format:
- weekly, 1-hour seminar in which we explore the major contributions of the mathematician as well as how this could be related to teaching in the high school curriculum.
Selected Mathematicians and Approximate Time Line:
Week(s) beginning |
Mathematicians |
Sept 1-13 |
Al Khwarizmi |
Sept 20-27 |
Zhu Shijie |
Oct 4 - 11 |
Pascal |
Oct 18 - 25 |
Descartes |
Nov 1 - 8 |
Newton |
Nov 15 - 22 |
Euler |
Nov 29 - Dec 6 |
Galois, Cantor |