Visualizing and Writing Mathematics
A project supported by the National Science Foundation
Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program
Awarded to Smith College, #DUE-9651091
Project Summary
While computers have revolutionized introductory mathematics and statistics courses, students often find that more advanced courses do not take full advantage of the new approaches and training they have received. However, powerful and user-friendly software for visualizing complex geometric relations and for typesetting mathematical documents is now available to be used effectively in middle- and upper-level undergraduate courses.
The objective of this project is to prepare mathematics majors to address large problems---such as understanding the motion of a drum---using computers. Computer graphics help students visualize a problem and mathematical typesetting tools allow them to synthesize their understanding by writing documents that incorporate text, graphics, and mathematical formulations. This project concentrates on intermediate and advanced level courses in the calculus sequence and in statistics. We will develop modules for class discussion and exploration using computers and disseminate them through the Web site and the FTP site maintained by the Smith College mathematics department, as well as through presentations to professional meetings.
Principal Investigators
Equipment
This grant was used to equip two classrooms with Pentium computers (150 MHz processors with 32 MB RAM) running Mathematica, S-Plus, and Scientific Workplace. The classrooms are used intensively for calculus and other introductory courses, and also for several middle- and upper-level mathematics courses described below.
Courses