MA153 Instructor Notes '08 (new threads)

Good luck on the TEE

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:10:35 +0000

Study hard, and have a Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

TEE Information & Review Sheets

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:13:32 +0000

The TEE is scheduled for Tuesday, 16-Dec from 0735-1105 in the following locations:

Section A1: Bartlett Hall 309
Section B1: Bartlett Hall 310

You are authorized 5 handwritten note sheets for the exam (front/back). Calculators are not permitted.

A review session will be held on Saturday, 13-Dec from 0830-1100 in Thayer Hall 342.

Here are the checklists from the first for blocks:

WPR Drop

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:24:29 +0000

The lowest WPR score has been dropped in AMS. Some of you should see your grades go up quite a bit!

Remember that there are still roughly 1/3 of the course points to be assigned, between the Project and the TEE!

Optional Lecture

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:02:19 +0000

When/where: I'll be speaking on November 20, in Thayer Hall 344 from 1355-1450. See abstract below.

Dynamic Mathematics and Pursuit/Evasion Games
Dr. Elisha Peterson
Assistant Professor/Davies Fellow, USMA

Abstract: Pursuit/Evasion Games are simple games in which the primary objective is either to chase down the opposing team, or to avoid capture by the opposing team. These games are played out all around us. Think of football, ultimate frisbee, and capture-the-flag… and what would Hollywood do without car chases? Exact solutions can be found for simple versions of these games using differential equations. However, this talk focuses on visualizations of these games when there are two or more teams and lots of players involved. Several scenarios will be illustrated using a Java platform that automatically updates solutions whenever parameters are changed. This visual approach is one example showing how making mathematics "dynamic" can lead to additional insights into the underlying situation.

Guest Lecture 4

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:58:17 +0000

When/where: This Friday we will have a guest lecture in Thayer Hall 144 during Dean's Hour. See abstract below.

Mathematics and the "Age of Biology"
Dr. Ben Cole
Technical Director of Research, NSA

Abstract: I will address what I feel will become the most significant new technical challenges that lie ahead of us - specifically the manner in which humans will join with the information network - thereby highlighting both the promise and the peril of human enhancement. I will attempt to show why computer science, engineering, physics and mathematics are the basic disciplines that will lead the way in forcing new biological understandings of what it means to be human. I will mention a new effort that has just begun at NSA to understand the place of neuroscience in computation and communication, then conclude with a look at some of the new things that you can get this Christmas which will allow you, yourself to become an actual "player" in the Age of Biology that is dawning.

More Vector Field Applets

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:46:38 +0000

Here are some more links to vector field applets that you may find useful:

Project 2

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:43:52 +0000

The second project has been posted and is available at http://usmasvdzdeanext/departments/math/courses/ma153/Projects/Project%202/P2RoadRunner.pdf. The topics include material from the early part of chapter 16. As with the first project, this project will be completed in groups, and will be due the Thursday after Thanksgiving break.

The idea behind the first problem is reflected somewhat in the applet at http://www.myphysicslab.com/RollerSpring.html… if you're struggling to figure out what's going on it may be worth checking out.

Guest Lecture 3: Dr Chris Volinsky and the Netflix Challenge

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:28:31 +0000

When/where: This Friday we will have a guest lecture in the Mahan Hall Auditorium during Dean's Hour. See abstract below.

Recommender Systems for Fun and Profit
Dr. Chris Volinsky
Director of Statistics Research, AT&T Research, Florham Park, NJ

Abstract: In October 2006, Netflix released 100 million movie ratings as part of a $1M prize for any team that could improve their movie recommendation system by more than 10%. This landmark data set generated intense interest from the statistics and machine learning communities, and attracted entries from over 3000 teams from academia and industry. In this talk, I will review AT&T's experience analyzing this data using collaborative filtering techniques, leading to our winning a $50,000 progress prize, as well as a subsequent project applying the methodology to television viewing data.

Pi in the Ski

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:23:47 +0000

Here's a fun pic from the Kenyon College math department website:

Does your birthday appear in pi??? Check out http://www.facade.com/legacy/amiinpi/ to see.

POTW #8

Sat, 01 Nov 2008 11:10:58 +0000

Another chance for bonus points and some fun: POTW is here. Have a good weekend!

2D Vector Fields Applet

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:19:27 +0000

I have posted an applet for visualizing 2D vector fields at http://www.dean.usma.edu/departments/math/people/peterson/blaise/vectorfield.html. This has some advantages over mathematica… you can adjust the boundaries of the plot with the mouse and also play around with the flowlines.

Project Grading Done

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:09:43 +0000

Both WPR III and Project I are now graded. You should be able to see your project grades, but the WPR grades will not be available until later. The projects will be returned tomorrow (Wednesday), and the WPR's either Wednesday or Thursday.

POTW #7 and 15.6.34

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:32:12 +0000

For some more help visualizing the regions in problem 15.6.34, I've posted a notebook (courses:ma153/15-6-34.nb).
The next problem of the week is here! Have fun!

Visualizing volumes for double and triple integrals

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 19:45:23 +0000

See this notebook for some tricks for visualizing volumes of integrations. (Right-click to save to your computer.)

POTW #6

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:55:40 +0000

Here's the 6th POTW. This should be a fun counting challenge, and its very accessible!

Guest Lecture 2 on Monday (Dept. Physics)

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 10:53:54 +0000

When/where: On Monday we'll have our second guest lecture in Bartlett Hall 211 during Dean's Hour. CPT Jim Trimble from the Physics Department will speak on opportunities in Physics at USMA.

The Department of Physics at the U.S. Military Academy
CPT Jim Trimble
Instructor of Physics

Please check in with the section marchers before seating (CDT Weisz for A Hour, CDT Junta for B hour).

Project & POTW #5

Sat, 11 Oct 2008 20:22:52 +0000

POTW #5 is now available here. Looks like a fun counting problem. Shouldn't be too hard to get some of this completed for anyone looking for bonus points!!!

Also, as a reminder I will be responding to emails this weekend and anytime before the project is due if you have any questions. Just let me know! If you would like to come in on Monday or Tuesday, Dr. Braunstein has offered to be available for project help. You can contact her directly.

Finally, I will be responding to project rough drafts submitted later this evening.

Problem of the Week #4

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:32:41 +0000

The fourth D/Math POTW is here. Give it a try! As a reminder, you'll earn 1-2 bonus points for each problem you submit a solution for.

I have awarded bonus points for those who participated in the first 3 problems… if you participated and are not listed on the scoreboard let me know.

Lagrange Multipliers with Mathematica

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:46:06 +0000

See this post on the AI page for another approach to solving Lagrange multiplier problems in mathematica.

As a reminder, you'll get bonus points for contributing to the Top Mathematica Tips post.

Project IPR/Draft

Tue, 30 Sep 2008 17:21:59 +0000

IPR (intermediate project review) on Thursday or Friday (see /courses:ma153/ipr-signup.pdf)
- Expect “90% Completion” of the Math
- Counts for 30 Instructor Points, based on how much you have completed
Rough Draft: send an electronic copy of your draft to me by classtime on Monday.
You may receive up to 10 bonus points if your project contains something that is truly exceptional.
Homework 4 is due at 1700 on Friday.
- AI available Wed during class time, Thursday afternoon