Professor Bradley's MTP 656 Page, Fall 2011

Math Teachers Program 656 - History of Mathematics
Fall 2011

Professor: Robert Bradley
Office: Post Hall, room 201. Phone: 516-877-4496
E-mail: bradley AT adelphi DOT edu. Web: www.ProfBradley.com
Office hours: T 11-12 and 3-6; W 10-11; Th 11-12; or by appointment.

Textbooks

Math Through The Ages, expanded edition, Berlinghoff & Gouvea, 2004, Mathematical Assoc. of America, ISBN 0-88385-736-7.
Journey Through Genius, Dunham, 1991, Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14014-739-X.

Course Objectives

To acquire the necessary background for incorporating the history of mathematics into the middle school and high school mathematics curriculum.
To learn about the lives and accomplishments of important people who contributed to the development of mathematics.
To gain understanding of the contributions of pre-modern and non-European mathematics in forming the modern western mathematical tradition.
To examine and appreciate the accomplishments of classical Greek geometry.
To understand the evolution of algebra from its origins in medieval Islamic societies to early modern Europe.
To review the birth and evolution of calculus, and discuss the search for its foundations.
To examine trends in 19th century mathematics.

Projects

Biography Project: Students will research the life and accomplishments of a matheamtician of the past. The general outline of the project can be found in Project #1 on p. 61 of Berlinghoff. Students will give a brief presentation on their historical figure and also write a short mathematical biography. A list of possible biography subjectw will be provided early in the semester and students will choose their subject from that roster.
Pedagogy Project: Students will choose a historical topic from the book Mathematical Time Capsules, on reserve in Swirbul Library. They will present the content of the chapter to the class and discuss how the material could be presented to a high school or community college class.

Homework Assignments

Solving homework problems is an essential part of any mathematics course, including this one. It is difficult to succeed in mathematics if you don't do homework regularly. Some homework problems will be collected for grading. Most assigned problems will not be collected, but you should still spend the appropriate time on these assignments, as they will form part of the basis for the midterm and final exams.

Tentative Lecture Schedule

Date	Topic
Sept. 6	Survey of Ancient Systems of Arithmetic
Sept. 13	Mathematics Before Euclid
Sept. 20	Euclid's Elements
Sept. 27	Greek Geometry and Number Theory
Oct. 4	The Helenistic World
Oct. 11	Medieval Mathematics
Oct. 18	The Rise of Algebra
Oct. 25	Midterm Exam
Nov. 1	The Time of Newton and Leibniz
Nov. 8	The Birth of Calculus
Nov. 15	Analysis and Infinite Series
Nov. 22	The Time of Leonhard Euler
Nov. 29	More Number Theory
Dec. 6	To Infinity and Beyond
Dec. 13	No Class
Dec. 20	Final Exam

Assessment

20% - Biography project - prsentation to class
20% - Biography project - essay
20% - Time Capsules Project
20% - Midterm exam: Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 6:30 pm.
20% - Final exam: Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 6:30 pm.

Attendance Policy

Classes are an opportunity to learn from your fellow students, as well as from the readings and lectures. Consequently, your attendance and participation are important components of this course. Becuase we meet only once a week, each class represents almost 7% of our time together. Therefore, only one unexcused abscence is permitted. Beyond that, the Attendance and participation portion of your grade will be significantly affected.

Last update: September 6, 2011.