The Math Major

CSU Fresno Mathematics Department

October 14, 1996

Vol 1. No. 4

Editor: Dr. Larry Cusick.

Have You Thought About Being an Actuary?

(From Dr. Helmers) The actuarial profession "deals with applications of mathematics, statistics and the principles of finance to the construction and management of insurance and pension systems" (from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, home page for actuarial science). You might work for an insurance company, an accounting firm, a financial institution, a governmental agency or a consulting firm. Actuaries achieve professional status, first as Associates, then as Fellows, by passing a series of examinations. The entire process takes five to eight years. Usually, you must pass at least the first two exams, one in calculus and linear algebra, the other in probability and statistics, to be considered for employment. Generally, for the remaining exams, an employer will provide time off for study and will pay for exam fees, courses and study materials. Often pay raises are awarded for each exam passed. Beginning salaries are around $30,000 depending on the number of exams passed. Job satisfaction rates very highly.

Exam 100 (Calculus and Linear Algebra) and Exam 110 (Probability and Statistics) will be given November 5, 1996; February 11, 1997; and May 13, 1997. The deadline for registration is at least two months prior to the exam date. Each exam costs $40.00 (non-refundable). The nearest exam locations are Sacramento, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

Application forms and information are available from Dr. Helmers in Peters 353. The Society of Actuaries has a home page on the Internet: http://www.SOA.org.

Each exam is a three-hour multiple-choice exam with 50 to 60 questions. Exam 100 covers Math 75-77 level material plus elementary linear algebra. Exam 110 covers Math 107-108 level material. Calculators are allowed but must be purchased from the Society of Actuaries. In May, 1996, nationwide, 557 of 2219 passed Exam 100 and 662 of 1977 passed Exam 110.

Job Search

Math Club News

The math club is an active group of students who are interested in math and education. Math major Tina Attasian has been in contact with several local high schools to set up visitations by math majors to school sites to talk to high school math students. If you are interested, contact Tina at 435-9356 or e-mail: ta100@csufresno.edu.

Another Mathematician in the News

Did you know that William J. Perry, the United States Secretary of Defense, has an earned Ph.D. in Mathematics? Dr. Perry received his doctorate from Penn State, with a dissertation on partial differential equations. You can read more about him in the current issue of Math Horizons. (There are copies in PB 428 or see Dr.Tuska.)

Math Department Colloquium Schedule

Dr. Katherine St. John, from the University of Pennsylvania department of mathematics, will give two colloquia (see below). All undergraduate, and graduate, math students are encouraged to attend.

Calculus Help

If you are taking Math 6, 70, 71, 72, 75, 76, 77 or 81 and are looking for help, try the Math Department Tutorial lab located in EE 167. Tutors will be Another source for help is the University Learning Resource Center at LS 137. Math tutors are available there at the following times:

Problem Corner

Problem 1.3 Among all triangles whose three vertices lie on a circle of unit radius, find the maximum value of

(1): (a + b + c)/(Sin A + Sin B + Sin C)

where a, b and c are the respective side lengths and A, B, C are the internal angle measures of the triangle.

Solution to Problem 1.3: The law of sines says that

(2): a/Sin(A) = b/Sin(B) = c/Sin(C).

and that the common value is twice the circumradius, which is 2. Use (2) to solve for b and cin terms of a, and plug these into (1). The fraction (1) simplifies to the value of 2. Thus, the fraction is constantly 2, and so its maximum value is 2. The only correct and complete solution to problem 1.3 was submitted by Anar Ahmedov.

New Problem

Problem 1.4 Suppose X = {x1, x2, ..., xn} is a set of distinct positive integers. The weight of X is defined to be the product w(X) = x1 x2... xn. A partition of X is defined to be a collection of mutually disjoint subsets of X whose union is X. If X1, ..., Xk is a partition of X, then we define the weight of the partition as the sum w(X1, ..., Xk) = w(X1) + ... w(Xk). Which partition of a set of positive integers X has minimum weight?

Solutions may be delivered to the math department office (for Dr. Cusick) or by e-mail at larry_cusick@csufresno.edu. no later than Thursday October 24, 3pm. There is a $75 dollar first prize and a $50 second prize to be awarded at the end of the semester to the student(s) who submit the most correct solutions.

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