Weekly Writing Assignments
Time to write your resume! The Princeton University undergraduate resume guide has many good tips, especially if you have never written a resume before. The draft you submit should be typed and ready to send out to a prospective employer/graduate program/summer internship (you choose). Please refer to the Princeton guide for font size, margins and format.
Be sure to upload a pdf of your draft resume on canvas and also bring a hard copy to class. This paper copy will be given to a classmate who will critique your resume.
Critique of your classmate's resume. Carefully read your classmate's resume. Please indicate corrections and missing items. Also, give feedback regarding what you liked about the resume, anything you found confusing, and any suggestions you have to improve it.
Be sure to upload a pdf of your comments on canvas and also bring your annotated hard copy to class to return.
Assignment 3 (due Wednesday, February 5, 2025)
Revise the resume you submitted two weeks ago incorporating the comments of your classmate. Be sure to also address comments/concerns/suggestions Prof. Readdy indicated on the original and the rubric.
Be sure to upload a pdf of your polished resume on canvas and also bring a hard copy to class.
I will use the following resume rubric as a guideline for my grading.
Assignment 4 (due Wednesday, February 12, 2025)
Get a partner from class. Select a magic trick from chapter 1 of Martin Gardner's Mathematics, Magic and Mystery. Your group should sign up here.
Be ready to perform the trick for the class (and explain how it works!) the week of February 12th. Assignment 5 (due Wednesday, February 26, 2025: Note extension of date)
This week you will be learning about how to use LaTeX, a document preparation system for writing mathematics.
The writing assignment is to describe the magic trick you performed in class. This should include a description of the trick itself (materials needed, what the audience sees), and then an explanation of the mathematics behind the trick.
Also give a reference to your illusion in the Gardner book. If you used any other outside references, please also include them in the bibliography section.
If you worked with a partner(s), you may discuss the assignment with them. However, the document you submit should be your own work.
Here is a sample latex file named a.tex to run latex. The output will look like this pdf file: a.pdf
You will first need to download latex. See here for details: The LaTeX Project.
Detextify, for finding math symbols. Free and fun!
On canvas, please submit your latex file. It should be a working file, that is, when I latex it, it should produce a beautiful pdf file!
Sign on to your UK library account and look at the most recent issues of The Mathematical Intelligencer. (For example, Volume 46 consists of the March 2024, June 2024 and September 2023 issues.) Select an article and write one page about it.
If there are two articles you would like to write about, that is okay, too.
As usual, please use latex. Submit the pdf online this week.
Assignment 7 (due Wednesday, March 24, 2025)
This week's writing assignment involves coin tossing.
First please watch Should you catch a tossed coin? and How random is a coin toss?
Then perform the following two experiments:
Experiment 1: Spin an unbeveled coin on its edge. Record whether it lands heads or tails. Do this a total of 100 times. Repeat this experiment with a different unbeveled coin. How do your results compare with the theory that Persi Diaconis described?
Experiment 2: Flip a coin by dropping it on a hard floor. Record whether it lands heads or tails. Do this a total of 100 times. Next, flip a coin and catch it in your hand. Before flipping the coin, be sure it is heads up. Record whether it lands heads or tails. Do this a total of 100 times. How your results compare with the theory that Persi Diaconis described in his video.
Your write-up should include: an introduction to coin flipping, description of the two experiments, tables recording and summarizing your experimental data, descriptions of your results and how they relate to the Diaconis' theory, and references (remember, there are two videos!).
For the online videos, use the format
First name Last name, {\em Title}. Youtube.
Year. {\sc URL:} {\tt youtube link}.
As usual, please use latex. Submit the pdf online this week.
Assignment 8 (due Wednesday, April 2, 205)
This week's writing assignment is to submit the final revised version of your Mini Math Magic Week essay (Assignment 5). It should incorporate all of the comments Prof. Readdy provided on your first draft.
As usual, please use latex. Submit the pdf online.
It is time to begin planning Math Magic Week. This will occur beginning Monday, April 21st.
During the next week you should propose:
Below I have listed some references.
Submit a final version of your write up describing
one of the magic tricks you performed during Final Math Magic Week.
The writing
assignment is to describe
one of the magic tricks you performed in class
during Final Math Magic Week.
This should include a description of the trick itself (materials
needed, what the audience sees), and then an explanation of the
mathematics behind the trick.
Also give specific reference(s) to your illusion.
If you worked with a partner(s), you may discuss the assignment
with them. However, the document you submit should be your own work.
I will be grading this assignment using the same
rubric
as I used during Mini Math Magic Week.
Past columns
Newer columns
More columns (some repeats)
Assignment 10 (due Wednesday, May 7, 2025)
Last updated: Monday, April 7, 2025.
© 2000 Margaret A. Readdy