Friday June 13, 2008 7:00 am Lethbridge, Alberta

It is +12 C with a high forecast of +21 C. Sunrise 5:23 Sunset 21:40 Hours of daylight: 16:17.
See current forecast here. See current news here.

This page last updated on: Saturday, June 14, 2008 8:56 PM

A. Morning Musings

We are expected to hit +21 C today - that is about average for this time of year. The warmth will feel good but we are still expecting some showers. The coulees are green and the land looks great but the rivers are all running very high.

We have a few activities scheduled for today and will meeting with some friends from Ontario for lunch. It should be a very enjoyable day.

Long Term Activities	Planned Activities for Today	Cumulative Total
Cull professional articles	Review Psychology articles	5 hr
Prepare pdf files of my papers	Digitize 3 professional papers	4 hr
Digitize slides	Digitize slide collection	10 hr
Put away stamps		0 hr

Learning Category	Planned Activities for Today	Time
Literature	Begin morning with a Rumi reading
Puzzles & Games	New York Times crossword puzzles	1 hr
Literature	Continue reading "If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things" by Jon McGregor	1 hr
Mathematics	Make a few notes on linear algebra (Hefferon Ch I, section 1)	1 hr
History	Continue reading "Ahtahkakoop" by Deanna Christensen	1 hr

B. Actual Learning Activities

10:20 am

Notes on Linear Algebra - 22

Dale Burnett

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
Linear Algebra

7:30 am

The goal for today is to work through about a dozen problems for this section.

Hefferon provides a timetable for a 14 week semester. When I was an undergraduate five courses/semester were (almost) my whole life. Now I have to find time to honor one. Make that two. I want to continue reading material on symmetry while working through linear systems, abstract algebra and group theory.

Hefferon, J. (2006). Linear Algebra.

Chapter 1 Linear Systems

I. Solving Linear Systems

1. Gauss's Method

math

I spent one hour completing the first 3 problems for this section. I am still a little rusty with my use of notation and clearly writing out all of the steps in my approach.

At the moment I am using Hefferon's notation of using the Greek letter rho to keep track of the equations but I now seem to recall using a system where I simply numbered the equations and then used parentheses to indicate that 2(3) + (1) to indicate 2 times equation 3 plus equation 1. There is not a lot to choose between the two systems, but having said that I think I prefer Hefferon's notation.

Tags: mathematics, linear systems

7:30 PM

We had a wonderful visit with friends from the Ottawa area. On the way back to Lethbridge we were able to miss two severe thunderstorms, one just west of us, the other east of the highway.

Arriving home, we found a package of 4 books had been left in our mailbox.

Adventures in Group Theory (2002). David Joyner.
- This was the book that Marcus du Sautoy recommended to a friend as an introduction to Group Theory. I have had a quick look at it and will soon begin reading it carfully.
Understanding Exposure. Revised Edition. (2004). Bryan Peterson.
- This book is highly recommended for anyone who wants to begin using the manual settings on their camera. That includes me.
Three Cups of Tea. (2006). Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin.
- This simply looks like an inspiring read of a climber who returned to Pakistan to open a series of schools for girls.
The Last Lecture. (2008). Randy Pausch.
- A second inspirational book about a professor who summed up what he believed in a hypothetical "last lecture". I am looking forward to reading this.

Books on the Go Today

Home

Journals 2008

Time Tables 2008