Home page of JUM 204HF / MEJ 204HF Mathematics and Poetry

Professors Robert McCann (Mathematics) and Malcolm Woodland (English)

FUTURE MEETINGS:
18h10 Wednesday UC 163

WEEKLY Q & A SESSION (attendance optional):
17h45 Mondays in UC 87 with Brendan Pass (416) 946-4008

OFFICE HOURS:
Professor McCann 15h10 Friday in BA 6124;


Course information (mathematics)
Poetry syllabus
Further reading on mathematics and mathematicians:

Please be sure to justify your answers as completely as possible with logical reasoning, and write up your solutions as cleanly and neatly as you can. Late assignments will be graded only at the pleasure of the TA; if graded they will be penalized 5% per day late, except in case of written medical justification. Late assignments must be turned into the Professor or TA personally, or to the Mathematics office (BA 6290, open 9-5 pm) where they will be stamped with the date.

Math Assignment #1 (any 2 of the 3 problems; due Sept. 17, 2007)
Background reading on Pascal's triangle
**Math Assignment #2 (problems 1-3, due Sept. 24) ** ERRATA BELOW
Please bring SCISSORS and TAPE to class on Sept. 24!
Math Assignment #3 (First read my updated comments and then do problems 1-4, due Oct. 1)
Math Assignment #4 (problems 1-4, due Oct. 8);
Math Assignment #5: problems 1-2, due Oct. 15; (problem 3 will be a bonus problem on Assignment 6)
Math Assignment #6: problems 1-2, due Oct. 22; plus, as a bonus problem, question 3 from last week's CubeFace handout)
Math Assignment #7 (problems 2,4,5 and one more of your choice; due Oct. 29);
Math Assignment #8 (problems 1,2, and one more of your choice from 3-5, 7-8; due Nov 5; problems 6,9 will be due Nov 12 as part of Assignement #9);
Math Assignment #9 (problem 1 of today's handout, plus problems 6 and 9 from last week's handout; due Nov. 12);
Math Assignment #10 (problems 6, 7, 10, due Nov. 19) plus...
a one page summary of and your personal reaction to Thurston (1994) to be emailed to mccann(at)math.toronto.edu by Nov 19.
Math Assignment #11 (problems 1-3, due Nov. 26);
Math Assignment #12 (problem 1 and, as a bonus, problem 3; due Dec. 3).
Note problem 1(c) should refer to 52 cards, numbered 1 through 50 (instead of 1 through 52), plus two identical jokers.
Also, find a copy of the Darts referred to in the bonus problem 3 posted here.

MATH ASSIGNMENTS: Should be turned in during class (or tutorial), and failing that to the Math Department Receptionist open business hours (9 am - 5 pm) in room BA 6290, who will date stamp them and place them into my mailbox. If late, they will be subject to the usual 5% penalty per business day late, except in case of medical excuse documented by a doctor's note.

** ERRATA: please note typos in problem #1 of Assignment #2 where 20 should get identified as (6 choose 3) and not as (5 choose 3). Also note the typo on page 5 of Assignment #2 where (6 choose 3) = 15 was erroneously written instead of (6 choose 3) = 20. Thanks are due to the student who pointed these out.

* Most of these assignments are borrowed from a collection of problems called "In process" by Peter D. Taylor, which are used to teach a similar course (Interdisciplinary Studies 303) at Queen's University. They are posted with permission of the author.