Month: November 2018

Week 13 Assignments

Written work, due Tuesday, November 27th, in class:
Chapter 10 p167: 1, 2, 5, 10, 15**
WeBWorK – none
OpenLab – none

** NOTE: Because of the exam on 10/27, this assignment due date is postponed until the following Tuesday, 12/4

Project – Feedback on Initial Draft of paper will be sent by email over the Thanksgiving break.  Final Draft of paper due in class on Tuesday, 12/4.
Group Presentations on Tuesday, 12/4 and Thursday, 12/6.

 

Exam #3 Review is posted

Hi everyone,

The review sheet for Exam #3, taking place on Tuesday 11/27, is posted under Classroom Resources / Exam Reviews.  As always, if you have any questions or notice any errors please let me know (by email, in person, or here on the OpenLab).

Best,
Prof. Reitz

Recommended classes for Spring 2019 – MAT 3050 and MAT 3080

I highly recommend the following two courses being offered in the Spring Semester – they are awesome, and will put to use many of the skills you learned in this class:

MAT 3050 Geometry I

MAT 3080 Modern Algebra

They are both required for math ed majors – for others, feel free to ask me about whether they are part of your program.

NOTE: Some students are having trouble enrolling because of prerequisite issues – if you run into this problem, email Prof. Douglas adouglas@citytech.cuny.edu for assistance.

Best,
Prof. Reitz

Semester Project – Group Presentations: Description and Grading Criteria

The last significant group assignment for your semester project is a group presentation (there will be one more individual assignment, a reflection on the process).  I’ll put the details here, followed by an outline of the grading criteria (the presentation is worth 20 points total).

Semester Project – Group Presentation

This is your chance to share your group’s work with the rest of the class.  Each group will give a 5-8 minute presentation, including the following items:

  • State your conjecture (this should be written down, either on a slide or on the board).  Give an explanation, and an example to demonstrate your conjecture.
  • If you were able to prove your conjecture, give a proof.  If not, describe briefly some of the ideas you had and strategies you tried while trying to prove it.
  • Give the class at least one puzzle to work on on their own – a challenge!
  • Give the audience a chance to ask questions (either during the presentation, or after).

Keep in mind the following:

  • You must include some kind of slides (you may also put work on the board):  PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi.com, LaTeX Beamer, or other.
  • You may decide as a group how to divide up the work, but each group member must present something to class.
  • Be aware that you will be asked at a later time to describe your own specific contributions as well as those of each group member.
  • Presentations will be given at the beginning of class on Tuesday, 12/4 and Thursday, 12/4.  Your group must sign up for a presentation time before leaving class on 11/13.

 

Grading Criteria (20 points total)

_____ points (4 possible).  Basics.  Stay within time limits (5-8 minutes). All group members participate.

_____ points (6 possible).  Conjecture.  Conjecture is written down.  Explanation and example are provided.

_____ points (7 possible).  Proof of conjecture or proof process description.

_____ points (3 possible).  Challenge the class.  At least one puzzle is given for the class to work on on their own.

 

____ points TOTAL (20 possible)

 

Presentations on Tuesday, 12/4:

  • Group 1: Federico, Samantha, Yvan
  • Group 2: Jess, Rachel, Alex

Presentations on Thursday, 12/6:

  • Group 3: Danping, Franklin, Silvana, Jessie

Week 12 Assignments

Written work, due Tuesday, November 20th, in class:
Chapter 9 p152: 3, 4, 5
Chapter 10 p167: 1, 2, 5, 10, 15**
WeBWorK – none
OpenLab – none

Project – Initial Draft of paper due in class next Tuesday, 11/20 (feedback will be sent by email to group members).
Final Draft of paper due in class on Tuesday, 12/4.
Group Presentations on Tuesday, 12/4 and Thursday, 12/6.

**NOTE: Please work on Chapter 10 homework this week, BUT it will not be collected until the following Tuesday 11/27**

Group Process Paper – Grading Criteria

Hi everyone,

The group process paper will be worth 35 points towards your Project grade.  I will be filling out the sheet below for each paper submitted.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best,
Prof. Reitz

 

Semester Project – Group Process Paper
Grading Criteria

_____ points (3 possible).  Basics/formatting.  Length (1500 words required).  Group members names.  Semester/Date/Course.

_____ points (2 possible).  Puzzle description. Description given in own words, demonstrates understanding of puzzle mechanics.

_____ points (16 possible).  Proof process narrative.

_____ points (4 possible).  Shows progress across various stages of the project.  

_____ points (4 possible).  Includes all participating members of the group.  

_____ points (4 possible).  Includes objective facts (“what we did”) as well as experience (“how it felt, what it was like”).  

_____ points (4 possible).  Tells a story.

_____ points (5 possible).  Conjecture.

_____ points (3 possible).  State your group’s conjecture.

_____ points (2 possible).  Proof or disproof of conjecture. If no proof or disproof was obtained, these points can be earned by clear explanation of proof process in the preceding account.

_____ points (9 possible).  Images (3 points each).  Original or clearly attributed.  Includes caption.  Connection to puzzle/process is evident.  

 

____ points TOTAL (35 possible)

 

 

Semester Project – Group Process Paper

In his essay A Mathematician’s Lament, Paul Lockhart says “A good problem is something you don’t know how to solve.” This is quite different from most of the “problems” that appear in our mathematics education.  In the past weeks, you’ve all spent some time individually and in groups working on such problems, in the context of graph theory (“Bridges and Walking Tours”).

As a group, write an account of your experiences working on your puzzle/problem.  You should include the following elements:

  • Description of the Bridges and Walking Tours problem, in your own words.
  • An account of working on your problem as a group, from playing with the problem to formulating and perhaps proving a conjecture.  What did your group do/think/feel?  You can include examples of puzzles and solutions if you wish, as well as work by individual group members completed outside the group (both optional).  Your goal is not to go over every detail, but to tell a story that your readers will enjoy – “what was it like”?.
  • A statement of your group’s chosen conjecture, and a proof (or disproof) of the conjecture.
  • At least three images (more if you wish).  They can include images of puzzles you’ve created or solutions, but you can also be creative with images or photos related to your puzzle, your group or your story in some way.  Each image should have a caption describing.  NOTE: You may freely use your own drawings, images or photos.  If you wish to use photos from another source, they must be from a legal source (for example, Creative Commons licensed, with proper attribution – the library or your professor can help with this).
  • Basic details: the names of all group members, the date, course and section numbers, and your professor’s name.

I will be meeting with each group next Tuesday, November 13th, in class.  Please be in touch with your other group members before then!  Be prepared to discuss your progress so far – at the very least, you should be able to describe how you are dividing up the work of the paper among your group.

The first draft of this assignment is due in class on Tuesday, November 20.  Each group should submit one paper, of no less than 1500 words.  You may decide as a group how to divide up the work.  Be aware that you will be asked at a later time to describe your own specific contributions as well as those of each group member.

The final draft of this assignment is due in class on Tuesday, December 4.

REGARDING SEMESTER PROJECT:  As you may recall from the Course Description, the semester project is worth 10% of your overall grade.  The project consists of a number of interrelated activities (many of which have already been completed) – complete details can be found on the Project Overview & Deliverables page.  The group paper assigned here forms a significant portion of the project.

Week 11 Assignments

Written work – Due Tuesday, November 13, in class:
Chapter 8 p145: 3, 4, 7, 18, 19, 20
WeBWorK – none
OpenLab – none

Project – First draft of your group paper is due in class on Tuesday, 11/20.

EXAM #3 will take place on Tuesday, 11/27 (right after the Thanksgiving break).