The course will consist of a basic overview of the history of mathematics, from ancient times to more modern developments. We will attempt to cover the entirety of Katz' book, although not all of it will be covered deeply.
The course will involve heavy class participation. I will assign history questions and mathematical problems daily to individuals or small groups, who will present their findings at the next class meeting. There will also be a lot of reading, but I will try to split up the burden a bit among the class, and we'll teach each other.
There will be two exams - a midterm on July 1 and a non-cumulative final exam on August 6, from 10-12 in the usual room. Two papers are also required (due July 8 and August 5). The grading will be 200 points from the exams, 150 points from the papers, and 150 points for classroom participation (i.e., completing the assigned tasks from the book). The grading scale is a standard straight scale with grades lower than 60% counted as failing.
| Date | Material covered (click to get homework) | Some answers |
|---|---|---|
| 6/10 | Ch. 1 | Answers |
| 6/12 | Ch. 2 | HW2 answers & Pythagorean proof |
| 6/15 | Ch. 3 | Answers |
| 6/17 | Ch. 4 | Answers |
| 6/19 | Ch. 5-6 | |
| 6/22 | Ch. 7 | Answers |
| 6/24 | Ch. 8 | Some answers |
| 6/26 | Ch. 9 | Some answers |
| 6/29 | Study guide | A quick review |
| 7/1 | Exam. | |
| 7/6 | Ch. 10 | Some answers |
| 7/8 | Ch. 12 | |
| 7/10 | Ch. 13-14 | Some answers |
| 7/13 | Ch. 15 | |
| 7/15 | Ch. 16-17 | |
| 7/17 | Ch. 18,23 | |
| 7/20 | Ch. 19,21 | |
| 7/22 | Ch. 20 | |
| 7/27 | Ch. 24 | |
| 7/29 | Ch. 22 | |
| 7/31 | Ch. 25 | |
| 8/3 | Review Guide | |
| 8/5 | Final exam |