Monday June 9, 2008 5:15 am Lethbridge, Alberta

Date Mathematics History 500 BCE Pythagorus   399 BCE Thaetetus classifies the 5 regular Platonic solids in 3 dimensions: tetrahedron, cube, octahedron, dodecahedron, icosahedron.   1048 - 1131 Omar Khayyam finds geometric method for solving cubic equations.   1200 Leonardo Fibonacci wtote the first original book on mathematics published in Europe. It introduced Hindu-Arabic numerals and place-value notation.   1439   Gutenberg invents the printing press 1452 - 1519   Leonardo da Vinci 1492   Columbus discovers America early 1500s del Ferro, Tartaglia, Cardano, Ferrari solve cubic & quartic equations   1564 - 1642 Galileo   1642 - 1727 Isaac Newton   1775 - 1783   American War of Independence 1777 - 1855 Carl Friedrich Gauss   1789 - 1799   French Revolution 1802 - 1829 Niels Henrik Abel proves that no formula exists for equations of degree 5.   1832 Evariste Galois dies at age 20.   1842 - 1899 Sophus Lie: Norwegian group theorist           1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23                             Symmetry                                                                           Fearless Symmetry                                                                           Algebra                                                                           Abstract Algebra                                                                           Creating Escher-type Drawings                                                                           Handbook of Regular Patterns                                                                           Symmetry & the Monster                                                                           The Celtic Design Book                                                                           A Transition to Advanced Mathematics                                                                           Modern Abstract Algebra                                                                           Indra's Pearls

5:40 am

I want to continue making my flash cards of important terms and concepts. I also want to include cards that describe certain procedures such as computing a determinant, or solving simultaneous equations using matrices. Another pedagogical technique that I want to incorporate is "In your own words" describe ... (I first saw this in the textbook "The Nature of Mathematics" Tenth Edition (2004). by Karl J. Smith.).

Here is a sample of the first two flash cards. The idea is to look at the card on the left side (the front of the card) and then see if I can write or say something that is very close to what is on the right side (the flip side of the card). I then begin each day with a brief review of some of these cards. If I am not able to come up with the appropriate response, then I need to review that material.

 

Some flash cards require me to "do" something rather than remember a term or definition. Such cards are written in red ink instead of blue.

 

I recall computing determinants and calculating the inverses of matrices 40 years ago. It felt good to be able to do this again. However it took me 4 tries before I was able to complete the steps for calculating the inverse of a 3 x 3 matrix! This was a nice diversion from the mainstream activity of learning some linear algebra (Appendix E) from the Goodman text.

Tags: mathematics, symmetry

Having just finished this story, I remain ambivalent about it. On one hand it is an in-depth portrayal of a woman growing up in India just after the Partition between Pakistan and India. On the other hand the portrayal did not quite work for me - I was having difficulty relating to her and her obsession with her young son.

I was disappointed with the descriptions of various important events in India's political past - there was not enough detail to actually feel that I was there at the time. The story is better as a psychological study of the way one person lived her life, but even there, I felt a definite lack of involvement in her plight.

I would only rate this story as 3 out of 5.

Tags: novel, India