MATH2916 Working Seminar A (Special Studies Program)
General Information
This page contains information on the Intermediate Unit of Study MATH2916: Working Seminar A (Special Studies Program).
This unit is offered in Semester 1.
The lecturer for this unit of study is Emma Carberry.
For further information on Intermediate Mathematics and Statistics, refer to the Intermediate Handbook.
You may also view the Faculty Handbook entry for MATH2916 from the central units of study database.
- Credit point value: 3CP.
- Classes per week: One hour-length seminar.
- Prerequisites: Entry into this unit of study is by invitation only, and is restricted to students with a High Distinction average over 12 cp of Advanced Junior Mathematics.
The main aim of this unit is to develop the students' written and oral presentation skills. The material will consist of a series of connected topics relevant to modern mathematics and statistics. The topics are chosen to suit the students' background and interests, and are not covered by other mathematics or statistics units. The first session will be an introduction on the principles of written and oral presentation of mathematics. Under the supervision and advice of the lecturer(s) in charge, the students present the topics to the other students and the lecturer in a seminar series and a written essay in a manner that reflects the practice of research in mathematics and statistics.
Location and Lecture Time
Lectures will be on Thursdays, 5-6 PM in Carslaw 454. For further details, please consult the MATH2916 outline.Assessment
50 minute presentation (40% by lecturers, 10% by peers). and an essay of 10-15 pages on the topic presented (40% by lecturers, 10% by peers). For more detailed information regarding criteria, you can download the peer presentation assessment, peer essay assessment and lecturer overall assessment documents.Essay
Advice on writing and presenting mathematics is found in- Terry Tao, Advice on Writing Papers
- N.J. Higham, Handbook of writing for the mathematical sciences, SIAM, 1998.
- P. Halmos, How to Write Mathematics, most of which is available via http://www.stat.rice.edu/~riedi/Halmos.html
- S. Krantz,A Primer on Mathematical Writing
- Norman E. Steenrod, Paul Halmos ,M. Schiffer , A. Dieudonne ,How to Write Mathematics which includes Halmos's classic essay along with essays by these other famous mathematicians.
Presentations
| Name | Topic |
| Derek Feng | Straightedge and Compass Constructions |
| John Nakhoul | Some Consequences of Euclid's Approach |
| Iggy Ridley-Smith | Euclid's 5th Postulate |
| Dan Barter | Algebraic Criterion for Constructability |
| Andrew Tulloch | Isometries of the Euclidean Plane |
| Jimmy Kiely | The Real Projective Plane |
| Sean Gomes | Spherical Geometry |
| Ross Ogilvie | Linear Fractional Functions and the Cross Ratio |
| Vinoth Nandakumar | Hyperbolic (Half-Plane |
| Gary Bosnjak | Models of Hyperbolic Geometry |
| Robert Hannah | Area of Hyperbolic and Spherical Triangles, Euler's Theorem |
| Alice Morstyn | Curvature of Polyhedra and Descartes' Theorem |