Welcome to Modern Computational Math! For course info and policies, please see the syllabus. For grades, log into Moodle. If you need help, contact Prof. Wright.
Prof. Wright's office hours in RMS 405: Mon. 10:30–11:30, Tues. 1:30–2:30, Wed. 8:00–9:00, Thurs 10:15–11:00, Fri. 2:00–3:00, whenever the door is open, or by appointment
Help sessions: Wednesdays, 7–8pm, in RNS 204
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Do the following before next class:
- Complete the syllabus quiz.
- Watch the Hands-on Start to Mathematica video. Then look through the resources in the Fast Introduction for Math Students.
- Complete the assignment at the end of the Intro. Mathematica notebook. Upload your solutions to the three problem to Assignment 1 on Moodle.
Do the following before next class:
- Start the \(\pi\) Project. Implement two of the methods for approximating digits of \(\pi\).
- For an explanation of why the sum of reciprocals of squares converges to \(\pi^2/6\), watch this video. For an explanation of why the product formula from last time converges to \(\pi\), watch this video.
Do the following before next class:
- Finish the \(\pi\) Project.
Do the following before next class:
- Verify the identity \(F_n^2 - F_{n+r}F_{n-r} = (-1)^{n-r}F_r^2 \) for several values of \( r \) and lots of values of \( n \). Bring observations and questions to class on Monday.
Monday
February 18
February 18
Pell numbers
Do the following before next class:
- Verify the two Fibonacci identities from class. More details will be posted after class. Submit a Mathematica notebook containing your verifications to Assignment 2 on Moodle. (Note that this is an Assignment, not a Project.)
Wednesday
February 20
February 20
Pell numbers
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
February 22
February 22
Iterated functions
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
February 25
February 25
Iterated functions; Collatz conjecture
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
February 27
February 27
Iterated functions; Collatz fractals
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
March 1
March 1
Mean-median map
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
March 4
March 4
Mean-median map
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
March 6
March 6
Mean-median map
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
March 8
March 8
Primes
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
March 11
March 11
Prime sieves
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
March 13
March 13
Prime powers
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
March 15
March 15
Mathematics of RSA cryptography
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
March 18
March 18
Encrypting text with RSA cryptography
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
March 20
March 20
Prime patterns and the Riemann zeta function
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
March 22
March 22
Prime patterns and the Riemann zeta function
Have a great spring break! No class March 25 – 29.
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
April 1
April 1
Introduction to Python
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
April 3
April 3
Yahtzee in Mathematica and Python
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
April 5
April 5
Yahtzee in Mathematica and Python
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
April 8
April 8
Trouble simulation
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
April 10
April 10
Random walks
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
April 12
April 12
Random walks
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
April 15
April 15
Random Walks
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
April 17
April 17
Random walks
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
April 19
April 19
Random walks
TBA
- To be announced...
Monday
April 22
April 22
Markov chains
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
April 24
April 24
Markov chain inverse problem
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
April 26
April 26
Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
April 29
April 29
MCMC function minimization
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
May 1
May 1
Combinatorial optimization: simulated annealing
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
May 3
May 3
Magic squares
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
May 6
May 6
Traveling salesperson problem
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
May 8
May 8
Traveling salesperson problem
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Friday
May 10
May 10
Final projects
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Monday
May 13
May 13
Final projects
Do the following before next class:
- To be announced...
Wednesday
May 15
May 15
Final projects
TBA
Saturday
May 18
May 18
2–4pm: Final exam/presentations for Math 242 A
Tuesday
May 21
May 21
2–4pm: Final exam/presentations for Math 242 B
