This schedule will be periodically updated as we go along. It is subject to change, so DO NOT download a hard copy! Check it frequently. For the syllabus, click here.
Lecture 1: Wed 8/29 (1) Results of survey (2) Discuss reasons for studying math (3) Go over syllabus (4) Discuss goals for course (5) Time permitting, discuss “What is a Number?”
Lecture 2: HW for 9/5: (1) Complete Survey 1 if not done so already. (2) Read discussion, What is Education For? and complete assignment R1 on it (Blackboard) (3) Complete assignment A1 (Blackboard).
Wed 9/5: (1) Discuss “What is Education For?” (2) Discuss “What is a Number?” (3) Complete problems on percentages in surveys S2 (solo) and S3 (group). These are similar to those in “Problem Solving” chapter of Math in Society (4) Handout: Godfather1 given out.
Lecture 3: HW for 9/10: (1) Read Godfather1 handout, at least up to Chapter 2 (page 15) (2) Answer questions on this – assignment R2 on Blackboard (3) Complete Survey S4 (Blackboard) (This is the complete list of HW due.)
Mon 9/10: (1) Answers to R1. (2) Discussion of Chapters 1 and 2 of Godfather1: Q1: Is math invented or discovered? Q2: Is creation of numbers true “Creatio ex Nihilo?” Q3: Other reactions (3) The percentage problem revisited. (5) Uses of sets as an abstract tool (Do a problem)
Lecture 4: HW for 9/12: (1) Watch video, The Big Bang of Numbers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAKUDnloQqo (2) Watch videos 1,2,3,4 on percents https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_PzRS-mVErH0c6u2QqXrTJ54xjijDCty Also, read pages 1-4 of http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/2.5/ProblemSolving.pdf (upto and including “Try it Now 2”) There will be a quiz on this material.
Wed 9/12: (1) Quiz (assignment A2) on percents – you will need to access Blackboard and will need a calculator (2) More on sets (3) Uses of sets to solve cat and dog problem (4) Russell’s Paradox
Lecture 5: HW for 9/17: (1) Read Godfather1 handout till end (2) Answer questions on this – assignment R3 on Blackboard
Mon 9/17: (1) Results of quiz on percentages (2) How to use ratios in such problems (problems 10, 12-15 of http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/2.5/ProblemSolving.pdf (3) Quick once-over of Assignment A4 on sets which is due Wed (4) Discussion of Chapters 3 and 4 of Godfather1 (5) Writing exercise A3 based on Godfather1 handout (6) What does it mean for a tweet to go “viral?”
Lecture 6: HW for 9/19:(1) Complete Survey S5 on Blackboard (2) Complete assignment A4 on Blackboard.
Wed 9/19: (1) Results of A4 and S5 (2) Experiments with “viral” propagation (3) Linear and exponential growth model (4) Linear growth: Refer to http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/2.5/GrowthModels.pdf
Lecture 7: HW for 9/24:(1) Read my response to survey S4 (emailed to you). (2) Read Page 173 to 177 (through example 2) of http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/2.5/GrowthModels.pdf (3) (Optional) Read Chapters 5-8 of Godfather (from excerpt Godfather2) You can find this excerpt under “course materials” on BBd. You will need to use the password MATH2gf! This is due for 9/26, but if you want to get a head start, it’s already available. Also, you will be able to access assignment R4 over the weekend.
Mon 9/24: (1) Weighted averages (2) Linear and exponential growth models: Refer to http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/2.5/GrowthModels.pdf
Lecture 8: HW for 9/26:(1) Read Chapters 5-8 of Godfather (from excerpt Godfather2) You can find this excerpt under “course materials” on BBd. You will need to use the password MATH2gf! (2) Complete assignment R4.
Wed 9/26: (1) Linear and exponential growth model. Refer to http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/2.5/GrowthModels.pdf (2) Keeling curve and its significance in terms of regression (4) Go over assignment A5 (5) Different types of polynomials (6) Number of “likes” possible in Facebook (7) Discussion of Chapters 5-8 of Godfather2
Lecture 9: HW for 10/1:(1)Assignment A5 due on Bbd.(2) (Optional) Read summaries of previous chapters of Godfather (look under “Godfather Excerpts” under “Course Materials”)
Mon 10/1: (1) Discuss article on carbon concentration prediction for 2100 (2) Exponential growth model. Refer to http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/2.5/GrowthModels.pdf (3) Was growth at start of AIDS epidemic exponential? (4) Practice quiz to prepare for quiz A6
Lecture 10: HW for 10/3: (1) Read rest of Godfather2 (chapters 9-10) (No reading assignment on this)
Wed 10/3: (1) Logarithms (2) Quiz A6
Lecture 11: HW for 10/8:(1) Extra Credit HW E1 (optional) – this has been posted under “Assignments”
Mon 10/8: (1) Quiz A6 results (2) Detecting fraud in ledger entries (3) Assignment A7, done in class (4) Discussion of Godfather2
Lecture 12: HW for 10/10: (1) Complete survey S6 on Bbd. (2) Complete HW A8 on growth rates
Wed 10/10: (1) Logistic growth (2) Assignment A9, done in class (3) Solution to Extra Credit
Lecture 13: HW for 10/15:(1) Read Godfather3 up to page 60 (password is MATH3gf!) (2) Complete assignment R5 on Bbd.
Mon 10/15: (1) Logistic growth and chaos, limits (also in terms of irrational numbers) (2) Discuss Godfather3 and The Library of Babel (3) Study guide and sample test given out for mid-term test on 10/22 (4) Results of Survey and revision of logarithms
Lecture 14: HW for 10/17: Watch short video on irrationals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WbwBXifex0
Wed 10/17: Review for test.
Lecture 15: HW for 10/22:(1) Prepare for test
Mon 10/22: test
Lecture 16: HW for 10/24: None
Wed 10/24: (1) Growth rate for taxes (2) In class A10 assignment
Lecture 17: HW for 10/29: None, but you could get a head start on reading for Wed 10/31.
Mon 10/29: (1) Test results and mid-term reflections (2) A little more on taxes (3) Intro to Probability theory
Lecture 18: HW for 10/31: Read final part of Godfather3 (page 61 through 69) (2) Complete assignment R6 on Bbd
Wed 10/31: (1) Intro to probability: excerpt from “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” (2) Calculating the probability of throwing a 7 with two dice (use online program: https://www.random.org/dice/) (3) Discussion of Godfather3 (4) Complex number arithmetic (5) In class assignment A11.
Lecture 19: HW for 11/5: (1) Complete assignment A11 and turn it in.
Mon 11/5: (1) More on probability, including problem from medical diagnoses. (2) probability of intersection, union, complement, conditional probability
Lecture 20: HW for 11/7: (1) Read Washington Post article on probabilities in diagnosis (also available under “course materials” in PDF form) You may also want to read Pages 290-291 of our textbook, http://www.opentextbookstore.com/mathinsociety/2.5/Probability.pdf (2) Answer R7 on it on Bbd.
Wed 11/7: (1) Expectation and the lottery. (2) Online Monty Hall problem https://www.mathwarehouse.com/monty-hall-simulation-online/ (3) Galton Board for normal distribution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m4bxse2JEQ
Lecture 21: HW for 11/12: None
Mon 11/12: (1) Normal Distributions (2) Class work A12
Lecture 22: HW for 11/14: None
Wed 11/14: (1) Normal Distributions (2) Class work A13
Lecture 23: HW for 11/19: (1) Read Introduction (pages 1 through 13) of “Weapons of Math Destruction” under course reserves: https://www.umbc.edu/ereserves/pdffall18/math120/e1.pdf Use username: math120fa18 and password: chile (we will try to get to this on Mon 11/19. If not, we will be discussing both this and Chapter 1 on 11/26).
Mon 11/19: (1) Confidence Intervals (2) Explanation of correlation and relation to linear regression https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-natural-resources-biometrics/chapter/chapter-7-correlation-and-simple-linear-regression/ (3) Difference between correlation and causation (4) We will probably do classwork exercise A14.
Wed 11/21: NO CLASS (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Lecture 24: HW for 11/26: (1) Read Introduction and Chapter 1 of “Weapons of Math Destruction” under course reserves: https://www.umbc.edu/ereserves/pdffall18/math120/e1.pdf Use username: math120fa18 and password: chile
Mon 11/26: (1) Important info on project (2) Discussion of “Weapons of Math Destruction” (3) Short intro to machine learning (4) HW R8
Lecture 25: HW for 11/28: (1) Try to do Project, Part I on a piece of paper.
Wed 11/28: (1) Wason Selection task experiment (2) Logic rules (3) A14 introduced
Lecture 26: HW for 12/3:(1) Enter Project, Part I answers on Bbd (2) A14 (on Blackboard) (3) Read my explanation of Wason selection task: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/opinion/sunday/math-logic-smarter.html (also available in PDF form under “Course Materials” for Lecture 25)
Mon 12/3: (1) Discussion of Project, Part 2 (2) Student presentations (3) More on logic
Lecture 27: HW for 12/5: (1) Enter Project, Part 1 REDO. Submissions accepted through 11:59 on 12/7.
Wed 12/5: (1) A14Team done in class (2) Project presentations
Lecture 28: HW for 12/10:(1) Project, Part 2 due. (2) Surveys due (no grade otherwise!)
Mon 12/10: (1) Follow-ups to project presentations. (2) Final discussions on course and grade.