The Instructor. Dr. John Emert. My
office is on the north side of the fourth floor at RB 472. My office hours
are scheduled for 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
and 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. Other hours are available by
appointment. My office phone is 285-8657, the departmental phone is 285-8640,
and my home phone is 289-0068. My URL is
http://www.cs.bsu.edu/~emert/. I regularly check my email and encourage
you to use it; my vax address is 00jwemert.
You can also reach me at emert@math.bsu.edu.
The Course.
Most recreational games have fundamental mathematical roots in their
design or analysis. This colloquium will look at some of the
mathematics behind various games such as billiards, poker, tennis, Rubik's Cube,
and Set. Mathematics motivated by games often have other practical
applications in today's world; I intend to also include a few such examples. Honors colloquia provide an arena in which people from
diverse disciplines combine their perspectives through discussions
and explorations. It is my hope that this course will provide a richer
view of the interplay of mathematics in our society.
During the first 10 weeks of the term I will lead us through five modules, each motivated by a game. During each day of the final 5 weeks, a pair of students will present their project. The pair will introduce a game, examine some of the mathematics in its design or
analysis, and possibly identify another application of the underlying mathematics.
Resources
There is no textbook for this course. Instead, we will assemble a
collection of articles and responses throughout the term. I ask that
you assemble and maintain a notebook of these items.
Performance Evaluations
Daily Work will include written reaction paragraphs, a few
homework questions to explore and present (orally or in written form),
and participation in class discussions. This work will represent 2/3 of
the course grade.
The Project will represent the remaining 1/3 of the course
grade. Each pair of students will choose a "game", identify and distribute one or two
articles (or other references, print or electronic) which will support
the discussion, identify a couple of homework questions or activities to
support the discussion, and create a brief report of the class
discussion and activities for distribution to the class following the
presentation. Pairs can form themselves, and should talk to me about
their ideas. Days can be reserved, first come, first served, starting
Wednesday, September 3. See the
schedule for the latest information. For ideas, consult the
references.
Attendance Policy. As the success of
a colloquium
is highly dependent on each person, daily attendance and
participation is expected.
Cheating. You are encouraged to study
and work together in this course. However, you should reference your
sources and clearly identify any jointly-produced work which you
submit.
All instances of cheating will result in failure,
in accordance with university policy.
Grades. Some degree of subjective grading
is inevitable in any course. An excellent quality course performance will
assure a grade of A; work of good quality a assure the grade of B;
work of adequate quality will assure a grade of C; and weak but acceptable
quality will assure a grade of D. I intend to use plus/minus notations
when appropriate.
Ball State University Disabled Student Development
Statement. "If you need course adaptations or accommodations because
of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with
me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated,
please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. My office location
and hours are listed above."
