Choose a Topic and Research How It Relates to Math
History of Math Project
Goal: Choose a topic and research how it relates to math. Be prepared to explain your topic in a 5 minute timed presentation to the class. You need to have a physical example to present to the class for your presentation. It can be a hand made item, poster-board, a recorded video/skit you can show to the class on the projector, rap/poem…etc.
Listed below are a few ideas you can choose from to do your presentation.
Possible ideas:
•How does Math pertain to Music
•The mystery of the slide rule
•The legend of the abacus
•Origami and paper folding
•Probability in gambling (lotto, keno, craps, blackjack, etc)
•The history of Pi - where it came from, how it is found, etc.
•Patterns, series and sequences in Pascal’s triangle
•Probability and Statistics in Medicine
•The 2000 election or the 2000 census and the problems with them
•Pythagoras and the Pythagorean theorem
•Leonhard Euler (Euler’s Method)
•Maria Agnesi (Differential Equations and Infinite Series)
•Pierre de Fermat (Tangency)
•Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (Limits)
•Sir Isaac Newton (most influential mathematician)
•Charles Richard Drew (Blood Transfusion)
•Georg Riemann (Riemann Sums)
•Bonaventura Cavalieri (Areas and Cross Sections)
•Augustin-Louis Cauchy (Hydrodynamics)
•Srinivasa Ramanujan (Infinite Series)
•Seki Kowa (Determinants)
•Golden ratio - in architecture (ancient Rome) or in art (DaVinci, Michelangelo, etc)
•Egyptian, Greek or Babylonian Mathematics
•Converting from decimal to binary, hexadecimal, or any other base and where this is used.
•Euclid
•non-Euclidean geometry
•Fibonacci, the golden section, the golden string and ties to music
•Fractals and Chaos
Abstract group conceptAbstract linear spaces
Arabic mathematics : forgotten brilliance?
Arabic numerals
Architecture and mathematics
Art and mathematics - perspective
Babylonian mathematics
Babylonian numerals
Babylonian Pythagoras's theorem
Bakhshali manuscript
Brachistochrone problem
Burnside problem
Cartography
Chinese mathematics
Chinese numerals
Chinese problems
Christianity and Mathematics
Chronology of Pi
Chrystal and the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Classical time
Cosmology
Cubic surfaces
Debating topics on mathematics
Doubling the cube
e
Egyptian mathematics
Egyptian numerals
Egyptian papyri
Elliptic functions
English attack on the Longitude Problem
Fermat's last theorem
Forgery and Chasles
Forgery and the Berlin Academy
Four colour theorem
Fundamental theorem of algebra
General relativity
Golden ratio
Gravitation
Greek Astronomy
Greek number systems
Greek mathematicians - sources
Greek mathematics - sources
Harriot's manuscripts
Hirst's diary comments
History of calculus
History of the number e
History of group theory
History of mathematics at St Andrews to 1700
History of Pi
History of Quantum mechanics
History of Set Theory
History of the Burnside problem
History of Time: Classical time
History of Time: 20th Century time
History of Zero
History of Topology /
How do we know about Greek mathematicians?
How do we know about Greek mathematics?
Inca mathematics
Indian mathematics
Indian numerals
Indian Sulbasutras
Infinity
Jaina mathematics
Ledermann's St Andrews interview
Light: Ancient Greece to Maxwell
Light: Relativity and quantum era
Longitude and the Académie Royale
Longitude Problem and the English attack
Mathematical discovery of planets
Mathematical games and recreations
Mathematics and architecture
Mathematics and the physical world
Matrices and determinants
Mayan mathematics
Measurement
Memory, mental arithmetic and mathematics
Newton's bucket
Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art
Non-Euclidean geometry
Orbits and gravitation
Overview of Babylonian mathematics
An overview of Chinese mathematics
Overview of Egyptian mathematics
Overview of the History of Mathematics
Overview of Indian mathematics
Pell's equation
Perfect numbers
Physical world and mathematics
Pi
Prime numbers
Quadratic, cubic and quartic equations
Quantum mechanics
Ring theory
Royal Society of Edinburgh and George Chrystal
St Andrews mathematics up to 1700
Scottish mathematical physics and Topology
The Scottish Book
Set Theory
Special relativity
Squaring the circle
Ten classics of Chinese mathematics
Thomas Harriot's manuscripts
Thomas Hirst's diary comments
Topology and Scottish mathematical physics
Topology
Trigonometric functions
Trisecting an angle
Twentieth Century time
Walter Ledermann's St Andrews interview
Visit to Maxwell's house
Voting
Zero
Questions that must be answered in your presentation
1) What is your topic and what does it mean?
2) Who discovered the relevance of your topic and how it related to math?
3) When did your topic come into existence or when was it discovered?
4) How does your topic relate to math? ***This is very important and the majority of your presentation should emphasize this point. ***
5) What can you teach us about your topic that we already didn’t know?
6) How would we benefit from knowing about your topic or using your topic in life?
7) How do you intend to show a physical example of your project to aide your presentation? Ie. Photographs, poster board, a created model or replica…
8) What interested you about this topic and why did you choose it to present to class.
9) What did you personally learn from researching this topic?
10) Are there any careers where people involve your topic in the real world work force?
Below is the Rubric on how the demonstrations will be graded
History of Math Project
Category / 20 / 15 / 10 / 5Quality of the
Explanation / Demonstration has a fantastic explanation so that you are convinced that the presenter has prepared for their project well and shows that they have acquired great knowledge of their topic. The person doing the presentation could answer any questions on the project well. / Demonstration has a good explanation and was well researched. Can answer questions from students but not quite confidently or completely. / An explanation was provided but not quite a convincing one. The presenter was not sure of them self or their work. They may need help answering any questions from students. / Unable to explain the connection between the topic chosen and the model chosen for the presentation.
Demonstration with a physical example / Presentation has a good physical example to model to the class from the outside world. The example helped students to gain a new understanding of the topic. It will help students to remember topic for a long time. / Presentation has a good physical example to model to the class from the outside world. However, maybe a clear connection couldn't be made for clarification of the topic / An example was used but not a physical one that can be seen, or touched, outside the math classroom. The example given couldn't help for a different way of looking at topic / No example or a non-physical one that was shown already by teacher. There was no sense of learning something that students haven't already learned in class.
Flow of presentation / The flow of the explanation to the demonstration was very smooth. There were no gaps in time for someone's mind to wander. They kept your attention and new what was supposed to happen and when it was going to happen. / There were a few moments where there was a pause in the action but really didn't deter from the presentation. / Presenter is somewhat unprepared but still seemed to get the message across to the audience. / Totally unprepared for presentation or student didn't know what was supposed to happen next at a certain part of their presentation.
Academic Value / Audience learned something new about the topic and helped them as a Math student. They now look at the topic differently. / Presentation helped audience to get an understanding of the topic. Students can relate to the presentation. / Helped the students to retain what they already know but didn't get much out of presentation. / Left students confused and unsure of topic after presentation.
Physical presentation example
(Counts twice) / What was presented was appeasing to the eye and easy to read. Creative. Various colors, backgrounds, animations, and pictures were applied to enrich presentation. / Some color, backgrounds, and pictures were applied to enrich presentation. / Not very many additional things were added to the presentation. Mainly text/reading in presentation. Missing about a quarter of required info. / Not very many additional things were added to the presentation. Only text in presentation.
-Missing 50% or more of the required information
Layout for Powerpoint Slide Presentation