For Minerva Senior Studies Institute (Macewan University)
Courses prepared by Lyudmyla (Lucy) Kozeratska
for Minerva Senior Studies Institute (MacEwan University)
Fall 2010
Math to Improve Your Brain
SISS 0009 (552)
Recent studies show that those who engage in puzzles, board games, etc., can reduce the risk of dementia and memory loss as they age. Just as the body benefits from physical activities the brain builds its muscles through a variety of mental activities. The students will be introduced to the world of recreational mathematics and, in particular Sudoku, Go, Rubik cube, card games and so called mathematical magic tricks.
The Origins of the Universe
SISS 0009 (553)
Join us to see how mathematics, science and logic merge with the fantastic (or sci-fi) and religion. Simple mathematical explanations will be provided concerning the origins of the universe, existence of parallel worlds, Bermuda Triangle and possibility to travel to the past and future.
Winter 2011
Tips for Stimulating the Mind
SISS 0009 (565)
Would you like to give your brain a good work-out? Would you like to memorise things more easily and be able to think faster? Recent discoveries in neuroscience show that regular brain fitness through “mind games” can help to recover, improve and maintain mental health. Join our health to maintain a healthy mind through the joy of mathematics. We will play Sudoku, Game of Go, solve mathematical puzzles and more.
The Origins of the Universe II – in Quest of Time and Infinity
SISS 0009 (566)
Infinity has baffled and astounded minds for centuries. Join us as once again we will discuss the fate of our universe, dimensions of time and space, string theory, infinite and infinitesimal properties of our world, mathematics of dark energy and time travel.
Spring 2011
Top Mathematical Ideas and How They Changed our Understanding of the World
SISS 0009 (571)
Join us to see how mathematical thought influences our everyday life and astounds our mind. Notions and ideas of infinity, n-dimensional space, duality, etc., have a remarkable impact on human knowledge and beliefs.
Probability in Games and Gambling
SISS 0009 (572)
Probability, the study of chance, was conceived in the 16th century by the mathematician and gambler Girolamo Cardano. It gives us a language to describe, how likely it is that we will hit the jackpot, how the coin will land and where the spinning reels will stop. Today it is also widely used to predict many things such as inflation, unemployment, averages of the stock market, insurance rates, demographic data, weather prediction, etc. Join u to learn more about probability.
Fall 2011
Multiple Universes and Chaos
SISS 0009 (OP03)
We are going to discuss the fate of our universe, this time, from the point of view of G. W. von Leibniz’s Monadology, B. Mandelbrot’s Fractal Geometry and E. Lorenz’s Chaos Theory. What does Chaos Theory have to do with fractals, multiple universes, time travel and the fate of our world? Does our consciousness have any influence on the universe? Join our course if you would like to find out how prominent mathematicians answer these questions. Mathematical knowledge required for this course is minimal.
Winter 2012
Mystical Powers of Mathematics
SISS 0009 (OP06)
We will explore mysterious relations between numbers, mathematical formulae and the fate of our universe and find parallels between ancient mysticism and modern science. We will learn how mathematical ideas of all times, from Pythagorean “all is number” to Tegmark’s mathematical universe and Talbot’s holographic universe, fill our life with the excitement of mystery and beauty. This course is especially designed to awaken interest in mathematics in “I-hate-math” audience. It is also for those who love sci-fi and mathematics hidden in it.
Spring 2012
A Mathematician’s Approach to Time, Consciousness and Matter
SISS 0009 (OP15)
Materialistic approach to reality dominated scientific method since ancient times. With development of quantum physics in 1920’s, scientists, to their embarrassment, found that a conscious observer needs to be taken into account in order to understand our world. Another ghostly variable has been haunting scientists and philosophers for ages: time. In this course we will try to answer how enigma of time, matter and consciousness reveals itself to mathematical mind. Knowledge of mathematics required for this course is minimal.