The Math Major Vol. 3, No. 10
The Math Major
CSU Fresno Mathematics Department
Vol 3. No. 10 (March 3, 1999)
Editor: Dr. Larry Cusick.
The math department's annual Mathematics Field Day will be held Saturday April 17. This event
invites high school students from Central California for a day of mathematical competitions.
There is a need for student volunteers to help make this event possible. Any student interested
should contact Amy Peterson (email or you can leave a note in her
mailbox in the math department office).
Colloquium
Mark Thursday March 25, 2:10pm, on your calendars for a special colloquium talk. Professor Don
Chakerian, from UC Davis, will speak on some elementary properties of ellipses
that are not well know and perhaps deserve wider publicity. Dr. Chakerian has won national
distinguished teaching awards and is
known for excellent exposition. His wide body of mathematical research on
convex geometry includes many simple, elegant solutions to classical problems. The room location
for the talk will be in the next issue of the Math Major.
Job Opportunities
- Visalia Unified School district for 7-8 grade math teacher this semester. Contact Patty
Marsh 730-7514.
- Tutors are needed for the College Readiness Program and Precollegiate
Academic Development Program. Earn from $7.40$-8.40 per hour, depending upon experience.
Apply at the
Joyal Administration Building University Outreach Services Office,
Room 250. For More Information contact Renee Harris at 278-2048.
- Sylvan Learning Center. Contact Arthur Epstein 298-3224.
Summer Opportunities for Students
There are several exciting summer research and/or study opportunities in mathematics for students.
For a particulars, visit maa web site . Opportunities include Research Experience for Undergraduates, the NASA
Academy and Internships and Research Opportunities in National Facilities and Laboratories.
Graduate Study at CSU Fresno
If you are graduating with a Bachelor degree in mathematics this year, you are probably eligible
to enroll in the Master of Arts in mathematics program at CSU Fresno. For more information,
contact Dr. Hugo Sun in the mathematics department.
A Mathematical Quote
"The discovery in 1846 of the planet Neptune was a dramatic and spectacular achievement of
mathematical astronomy. The very existence of this new member of the solar system, and its exact
location, were demonstrated with pencil and paper; there was left
to observers only the routine task of pointing their telescopes at the spot
the mathematicians had marked."
--James R. Newman
(The location of Neptune was determined by Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier (1811-1877).)
Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier
Problem Corner
Problem 3.9: A child on a pogo stick jumps 1 foot on the
first jump, 2 feet on the second jump, 4 feet on the third jump, ..., 2n-1 on the nth
jump. Can the child get back to the starting position by a judicious choice of directions?
Solution to Problem 3.9: No. The child will always "overshoot" the starting point, because
after n jumps the distance for the starting point to the child's location is at most 1 + 2 +
4 + ... + 2n-1 = 2n - 1 feet. Since the (n+1)st jump is 2n feet, it can never
return the child exactly to the starting point.
There was only one solution submitted, but it was not correct.
New Problem
Problem 3.10: (Due Thursday March 11, 3 p.m.) Let C be a circle with center O and Q a
point inside C different from O. Where should the point P be located on the circumference
of C to maximize the measure of angle OPQ?
Solutions may be delivered to the
math department office (for Dr. Cusick) or by e-mail.
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