Matthew L. Wright
Associate Professor, St. Olaf College

Modern Computational Math

Math 242 ⋅ Spring 2024

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Challenge Problems Earn a Token
Do the following before the first class:
  • Complete the Introductory Survey.
  • Install Mathematica on your computer. If you've already installed Mathematica, open it up and check that your license key is still active. You might be prompted to upgrade to the most recent version. For assistance, see this IT Help Desk page.
Do the following before next class:
Friday
February 9
Do the following before next class:
Monday
February 12
Madhava series for \(\pi\)

MSCS Colloquium: Are you CURIous about Summer Research? Monday, Feb. 12, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 310

Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
February 14
Inverse tangent formulas for \(\pi\)
Do the following before next class:
Friday
February 16
Formulas for \(\pi\) by Ramanujan and others

MSCS Presentation: Paul Tveite '07, "Working at Google" — Friday, Feb. 16, 3:00–4:00pm in RNS 310

Do the following before next class:
Monday
February 19
Probabilistic approaches for \(\pi\)
Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
February 21
Do the following before next class:
Friday
February 23
Fibonacci implementations
Do the following before next class:
  • Read Section 2.3, up to the "Further Generalizations" heading on page 64, in Computational Mathematics. Focus on the process of discovering Cassini's identity and the methods presented for verifying the identity for lots of indexes \(n\).
  • Complete the Computing Fibonacci practice problems and upload your solutions to the Computing Fibonacci assignment on Moodle.
  • Optionally, begin revising your \(\pi\) Project. Talk with the professor if you have questions about how to do this. Revisions are due next Friday, March 1. You may submit your revisions to the same project link on Moodle.
Monday
February 26
Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
February 28
Fibonacci polynomial identities
Do the following before next class:
Friday
March 1
Generalized Fibonacci numbers
\(\pi\) Project
revisions due

STEM Alumni Panel: UNSCRIPTED, Friday, March 1, 5–7pm, Buntrock 142

Do the following before next class:
Monday
March 4
Generalized Fibonacci numbers
Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
March 6
Iterated functions; Collatz trajectories
Do the following before next class:
Friday
March 8
Heights of Collatz trajectories

Physics & Math Colloquium: Colin Scheibner '17, Spiking at the Edge: Excitability at interfaces in reaction-diffusion systems" Friday, March 8, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 210

Do the following before next class:
Monday
March 11

MSCS Colloquium: Lara Pudwell, "Patterns in Permutations," Monday, March 11, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 310; video of essentially the same talk at MAA MathFest 2023

Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
March 13
Do the following before next class:
Friday
March 15

MSCS Research Seminar: Francesca Gandini, "Invariants Three Ways," Friday, March 15, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 210 (this talk requires Abstract Algebra)

Do the following before next class:
Monday
March 18

MSCS Colloquium: Janet Page, "Gorenstein rings and the Chicken McNugget Problem," Monday, March 18, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 310; video

Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
March 20
Logistic map bifurcation diagrams
Do the following before next class:
Friday
March 22
The Feigenbaum Constant
Optional things you could do during spring break:
Have a great spring break! No class March 25–April 1.
Wednesday
April 3
Introduction to Python

MSCS Research Seminar: Sunrose Shrestha, "Cylinders on the Mucube," Thursday, April 4, 11:30–12:30am in RNS 210

MSCS Recital: Thursday, April 4, 7pm, Ytterboe Lounge

Do the following before next class:
Friday
April 5
Prime Numbers
Do the following before next class:
Monday
April 8
Prime numbers: Sieve of Eratosthenes
Do the following before next class:
  • Read Section 4.1 in Computational Mathematics.
  • Finish implementing your sieve of Eratosthenes function from class. (This will not be collected.)
  • Take a look at the Primes Project, due next Wednesday, April 17.
Wednesday
April 10
Properties of prime numbers
Do the following before next class:
Friday
April 12
Do the following before next class:
Monday
April 15
Counting Primes and the Riemann Zeta Function

Math Across the Cannon: Moon Duchin, "Design for Democracy," April 15, 7–8pm in Carleton College Olin Hall 149; "The Accidental Arboretum," April 16, 3:30–4:30pm in Regents 150

Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
April 17
Counting Primes and the Riemann Zeta Function

Kleber-Gery Lecture: Aleszu Bajak, "Telling Your Story with Data," Thursday, April 18, 7–8pm in Tomson 280

Do the following before next class:
Friday
April 19

MSCS Colloquium: Aleszu Bajak, "Stats in the Newsroom," Friday, April 19, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 310

Do the following before next class:
Monday
April 22

MSCS Colloquium: Lisa Tonder, "A Day in the Life of a Statistician at Medtronic," Monday, April 22, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 310

Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
April 24
Probabilistic simulation
Do the following before next class:
  • Read Sections 5.2 and 5.3 (pages 209–224) in Computational Mathematics, Chapter 5.
  • Complete the Simulation practice problems and submit your Colab notebook to the Simulation assignment on Moodle. Note that our text also has a brief discussion of the coupon collector problem on page 227.
  • Take a look at the Final Project Info. Start thinking about which topics interest you and who you would like to work with.
  • Optionally, revise your Primes Project or work on a challenge problem.

BRIDGES: Common Ground Friday, April 26, 3–5pm, RNS 356

MSCS Research Seminar: Jacob Laubacher, "Classifying Prime Character Degree Graphs," Friday, April 26, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 210

Do the following before next class:
Monday
April 29
Primes Project
revisions due

MSCS Colloquium: Lori Ziegelmeier, "On the Data of Images," Monday, April 29, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 310

Do the following before next class:
Wednesday
May 1
Do the following before next class:

MSCS Research Seminar: Corey Brooke, "Two Vignettes on Pythagorean Triples," Friday, May 3, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 210

Do the following before next class:

MSCS Colloquium: Getiria Onsongo, "Computational Techniques and Tools to Improve Genetic Testing in the Clinic," Monday, May 6, 3:30–4:30pm in RNS 310

Do the following before next class:
  • Finish reading Section 5.5 in Computational Mathematics.
  • Optionally, revise your Random Walk Project.
  • Optionally, work on a challenge problem. All challenge problems are due Monday, May 13.
  • Work on your final project. Identify what mathematical questions you would like to investigate. Start planning and writing code.
Wednesday
May 8
Final projects
Do the following before next class:
  • Work on your final project.
  • Optionally, revise your Random Walk project or do a challenge problem. The last day to turn in project revisions and challenge problems is Monday, May 13.
Friday
May 10
Final projects
Do the following before next class:
  • Work on your final project.
  • Optionally, revise your Random Walk project or do a challenge problem. The last day to turn in project revisions and challenge problems is Monday, May 13.
Monday
May 13
Final projects
We've made it to the end of the semester! A few last things to do:
  • Finish your final project. Organize your computations and results into a single notebook that demonstrates what you have accomplished in this project. Prepare your presentation— a 10-minute overview of what you investigated and discovered.
  • Submit your final project files/links to the Final Project assignment on Moodle.
  • Complete the Final Project: Self and Peer Evaluation. This is a short, required form regarding your own contributions and your group members' contributions to the project. Each person must complete this survey.
  • Recommended: schedule a practice presentation with the professor (see Google calendar appointment link in your email).
Thursday
May 16
Final Presentations 1:00–3:00pm