SSI2 163 B

Stories From the Early History of Mathematics

Schedule of Lectures, Readings, and Assignments

Spring 2014

This is a work in progress.  Dates and topics should be regarded as tentative.  The pages This Week and Next Week should be consulted for details on the next two weeks, and I intend that this document be updated on a regular basis.

Following (roughly) midterm, we will still have the occasional lecture as questions arise, but this will generally be at the request of students.  Otherwise, time will be spent in discussion and student presentation.  Class attendance and thoughtful participation is expected.

Week 1:  Monday, January 20

• Topics: 
  • Introduction to the course
  • Mathematics in ancient Mesopotamia
• Reading: 
• Aaboe, chapter 1
• Struik, chapters 1 - 2
• Other Notes
• Monday is Martin Luther King day:  no classes or office hours.
• Tuesday, January 21 is the first day of class
• Office hours resume next week.

Week 2:  Monday, January 27

• Topics: 
  • Mathematics in Mesopotamia.
  • Mathematics in China
  • The Greek tradition before Euclid
  • Thales
  • Pythagoras
  • Eudoxus
• Reading: 
  • Aaboe, chapter 2
  • Struik, chapter 3
• Other Notes
• Office hours resume this week
• Next Monday, February 3, is the last day to drop without record.
• First essay assigned (January 30, due February 13)
• Discussion of first paper

Week 3:  Monday, February 3

• Topics: 
  • The precursors to Euclid
  • The city of Alexandria
  • Euclid
  • Discussion of first research paper
• Reading: 
  • Aaboe, chapter 2
• Other Notes
• Monday is the last day to drop without record

Week 4 :  Monday, February 10

• Topics: 
  • The Platonic Solids
  • Alexandria
• Reading: 
  • Aaboe, chapter 2
• Other Notes
• Topic and thesis statement due for first paper
• Student presentations:  Thesis statements
• First essay due (February 13)

Week 5:  Monday, February 17

• Topics: 
  • Euclid and the Elements
• Reading: 
  • Aaboe, chapter 3
• Other Notes
• Annotated bibliography for first paper due (changed to Thursday, February 27).

Week 6:  Monday, February 24

• Topics:
• Euclid and the elements
• Classical problems of antiquity
• Reading: 
  • Aaboe, chapter 4
• Other Notes
• Next Monday, March 3, is the last day to drop with an automatic 'W'
• Annotated bibliography for first paper due (changed from February 27)
• Outline for first paper due Thursday (changed to Thursday, March 6)

Week 7 :  Monday, March 3

• Topics: 
  • Apollonius and the conics
  • Archimedes
  • Theon and Hypatia
• Reading: 
  • Aaboe Chapter 3
• Other Notes
• Monday is the last day to drop with an automatic 'W'
• Outline of first paper due (changed from Thursday, February 27)
• Discussion of major term paper.

Week 8:  Monday, March 10

• Topics: 
  • Ptolemy and the cosmological model
  • The pending storm:  The parallel postulate
  • How the Islamic world saved geometry, and the return of geometry to Europe
• Reading: 
  • TBA
• Other Notes
• Mid-term is Friday, March 14 (not an exam date for us)
• First research paper draft due (changed from Thursday, March 6)
• Topic and thesis statement for term paper due.

Week 9:  Monday, March 17

• Topics:  Spring Break!  (No classes or office hours)
• Reading
• TBA
• Other Notes

Week 10:  Monday, March 24

• Topics: 
  • The story of the book:  Transmission of the Elements from Alexandria, through the Arabic world, and its arrival in England.
  • Non-Euclidean geometry and the rise of uncertainty

• Reading: 
  • Struik, Chapter 8
• Other Notes
• Annotated bibliography for term paper due.
• First research paper due.  Student presentations
• Student presentations:  Thesis statement

Week 11:  Monday, March 31

• Topics: 
  • Student status reports and discussion
  • Individual meetings with students
• Reading: 
  • TBA
• Other Notes
• Outline for first paper due.

Week 12:  Monday, April 7

• Topics: 
  • Student status reports and discussion
  • Individual meetings with students
• Reading: 
  • TBA
• Other Notes

Week 13:  Monday, April 14

• Topics: 
  • Student status reports and discussion
  • Individual meetings with students
• Reading: 
  • TBA
• Other Notes
• Thesis paper draft due.

Week 14:  Monday, April 21

• Topics: 
  • Student status reports and discussion
  • Individual meetings with students
• Reading
  • TBA
• Other Notes

Week 15:  Monday, April 28

• Topics: 
  • Student presentations
• Reading: 
  • TBA
• Other Notes

Week 16:  Monday, May 5

• Topics: 
• Student presentations
• Other Notes
• Wednesday, May 7, is the last day of classes. Except for the final paper / project, no work will be accepted after class time on Tuesday, May 6.

Week 17:  Monday, May 12

• The term paper is due Tuesday, May 13, at 2:00.