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Math 5: Numb3rs in Lett3rs & Fi1ms

(Mathematics in Literature and Cinema)

Instructor: Mark Kozek, email: mark.r.kozek {at} dartmouth.edu.

COURSE

SYLLABUS: (updated 11/1)

UNIT ONE: Mathematical Plots

Week 1: Creative problem solving.

· Film: Fermat’s Room (2007).

#1, Sep. 16: Course introduction and first problem.

#2, Sep. 18: Puzzles and Logic.

#2x, Sep. 19: Viewing: Fermat’s Room (part 1).

#3, Sep. 20: Viewing: Fermat’s Room (part 2).

Week 2: Borges and mathematics.

· Book: The Oxford Murders, by Guillermo Martínez.

#4, Sep. 23: Discussion #1: Fermat’s Room.

#5, Sep. 25: GUEST LECTURE: Prof. Rafael Chabrán – Introduction, interdisciplinarity and Borges.

#5x, Sep. 26: GUEST LECTURE: Prof. Rafael Chabrán – Borges and mathematics.

#6, Sep. 27: GUEST LECTURE: Prof. Rafael Chabrán – On Mist by Miguel de Unamuno and on Martínez’s writings on Borges.

EXTRA, Sep 27: @ 1:45 pm in Kemeny 004: “Mathematics and Art” by Tristan Perich, visiting artist in Music.

Week 3: Logic and infinity.

· Book: Logicomix, by Aposotolos Doxiades and Christos Papadimitriou.

#7, Sep. 30: Discussion #2: Oxford Murders (Michelle and Zoe).

#8, Oct. 2: Math: Sets.

EXTRA, Oct 2: @ 7:00pm in Life Sciences Auditorium: “A Flight of Curiosity: A Mathematician’s Tale” by Bill Taber, Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

#8x, Oct. 3: Math. Relations, inverse relations and functions.

#9, Oct. 4: Discussion #3: Logicomix (Lucy and Prof. Kozek) and Math: Functions.

Week 4: Codes and code-breaking.

· Film: Stranger than Fiction (2006).

#10, Oct 7: Math: Countably infinite sets.

VIEWING: Oct 8 @ 4:00 in Kemeny 006: Stranger than Fiction.

#11, Oct 9: Discussion #4: Stranger than Fiction (Gabby, Troup and Marina) and QUIZ (on math).

#11x, Oct 10: Uncountably infinite sets.

#12, Oct 11: Code-breaking.

Week 5:

#13: Oct 14: Math: mathematical codes.

#14, Oct 16: No class.

#15, Oct 18: EXAM.

UNIT TWO: Mathematical Characters

Week 6: Fictional and non-fictional mathematicians

· Play: Arcadia, by Tom Stoppard (Guest lecture).

· Book: Uncle Petros and Goldbach’s Conjecture, by Apostolos Doxiades.

#16, Oct 21: GUEST LECTURE: Prof. Steve Abbott and Prof. Cheryl Faraone – Math in Theatre and Arcadia.

#17, Oct 23: Women in Math.

#18, Oct 25: No class.

Week 7: Stereotypes of mathematicians

· Film: Pi (1998).

#19, Oct 28: Discussion #5: Uncle Petros and Goldbach’s Conjecture (Eli and Gordon) and Math.

VIEWING: Oct 29 @ 4:00 in Kemeny 006: Pi.

#20, Oct 30: Math: Pi.

#21, Nov. 1: Discussion #6: Pi (Jeremy, Michael and Veronica) and Math.

UNIT THREE: Mathematical Settings

Week 8: Dimensions and Geometries.

· Book: Flatland by Edwin Abbot with Notes and Commentary by William Lindgren and Thomas Banchoff.

#22, Nov 4: Math: Geometry

#23, Nov 6: Discussion #7: Flatland (Adam, Amy and Eliza) and Math.

#24: Nov 8: Exploring the 4^th Dimension.

Week 9: Non-orientable surfaces.

· Film: Pleasantville (1998).

#25, Nov 11: Math: Non-orientable geometry.

VIEWING: Nov 12 @ 4:00 in Kemeny 006: Pleasantville.

#26, Nov 13: Discussion #8: Pleasantville (Bronson, Cassie and Jessica).

#26x, Nov 14: EXAM.

#27, Nov 15: Moebius strips.

Week 10:

#28, Nov 18: Conclusions and evaluations.

Final, Nov 22: Final paper due at noon.

INSTRUCTOR: Mark Kozek, Kemeny 311, email: mark.r.kozek {at} dartmouth.edu.