The Robinson Center for Young Scholars is delighted to continue our very successful Extreme
Math! Saturday Series. This spring, we will offer a number of classes for various age groups: 2nd-
3rd graders, 4th-5th graders, and 8th-12th graders. The goal of this program is simple: to provide
students in the Puget Sound region with an inspirational, challenging, and unique math
experience.
Beyond age/grade specifications, there are no criteria for admission, though some classes have
prerequisites in order for students to make the most of the class. The only absolute requirement is
that the student is interested and WANTS to do this.
Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis, and full tuition is required within five days of
registration; students’ places in class will not be finalized without full payment. Checks are to be
made out to the University of Washington. Unfortunately, at this time we cannot accept credit
cards for this program. Register online at our website starting Monday March 7 at 8 a.m.
Classes will be held at the Robinson Center on the University of Washington campus: Guthrie
Annex 2. (See http://depts.washington.edu/cscy/about-us/contact-us/ and
http://washington.edu/maps for directions.)
We are offering several classes:
Math Games for Creative Play (2nd-3rd grade)
Mathematicians love games, and in this group we will see that playing games can be one of the
most fun and effective ways to encourage solid mathematical thinking. We will learn a wide
assortment of games, puzzles, and activities, and by playing them, will build toward deep
mathematical questions and concepts. We will also develop variations on games and even invent
our own!
The goal of this class is to introduce kids to the real substance of mathematical thinking in all its
elegant glory, and to provide a pathway through games for students to discover what there is to
love in mathematics. Parents are welcome to attend if they wish.
Time: 12:30-1:20 Saturdays, 4/2/11 – 5/28/11
Cost: $250 (check payable to UW)
Supplies: Bring a notebook and pencil
Zeno, Fractions within Fractions, and Unending Numbers (4th-5th grade)
Twenty-five hundred years ago, Zeno made a stunning observation: when an arrow is shot at a
tree, it has to travel halfway to the tree before it hits it, then half the remaining distance, then half
the remaining distance, and so on for infinity. But how can infinitely many parts fit inside a finite
distance? Zeno’s paradox remained a thorn in the side of philosophers and mathematicians for
centuries to come.
In this class we will resolve this paradox. We will learn how to work with fractions, then
fractions of fractions, and then infinite nestings of fractions. In some cases, we will see that it is
possible to tame these “unending numbers,” and resolve Zeno’s paradox.
Prerequisites: Students should have exposure to multiplication, division, and fractions.
Time: 1:30 – 2:20 Saturdays, 4/2/11 – 5/28/11
Cost: $250 (check payable to UW)
Supplies: Bring a notebook and pencil
Big Bang to Black Holes: Astrophysics & the Mathematics of Scale
(4th-5th grade)
What is the speed of light, why does it matter, and how do we know about it? What would the
world look like if you travelled on the back of a light beam? Why do scientists believe that the
universe began with a big bang? How did they predict that black holes existed before evidence
of them was ever found? How can we even fathom how big the universe is, and how do we
calculate when the scale is so enormous? In this class, we’ll use our own curiosity to guide us on
a tour of the universe as we know it. To help us along, we’ll develop tools for the mathematics
of scale.
Time: 12:30 -1:20 Saturdays, 4/2/11 – 5/28/11
Cost: $250 (check payable to UW)
Supplies: Bring a notebook and pencil
The Social Network: Graph Theory, Randomness, and Their Applications
(8th – 12 grade)
What do revolutions, rumors, epidemics, and forest fires have in common? They all travel in
networks, and can all be modeled using graphs – sets of nodes and the connections between
them. Graph theory is one of the hottest areas in research mathematics today, with applications
in psychology, sociology, epidemiology, and more.
In this course we will develop a grounding in graph theory and explore classic problems and
constructions. From there, we’ll visit ideas of randomness, applied to graphs, and see how this
gives us a powerful tool to model real-world phenomena. The class will cultivate strong
mathematical skills—asking questions, making conjectures, generalizing and simplifying—as we
explore this elegant and surprising realm of mathematics.
Prerequisite: Algebra
Time: 2:30-4:30 Saturdays, 4/2/11 – 5/28/11
Cost: $450 (check payable to UW)
Supplies: Bring a notebook and pencil
Instructors:
Dan Finkel is a passionate mathematician and experienced math instructor, with a Ph.D. in
Mathematics from the University of Washington, where he received an Excellence in Teaching
Award in 2005. He has taught math to a wide variety of students, from 4th-12th graders in
Brooklyn to UW undergraduates here in Seattle. He has also taught in the Robinson Center’s
Summer Stretch Program. Check out his website: http://mathforlove.com/.
Katherine Cook has been teaching math for years, to students ranging in ages from 5 to 55. A
joyful mathematician who values curiosity and the art of asking good questions, she taught
mathematics and physics at The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington, and
has worked extensively in the Seattle area with K-5 public schools developing math curriculum.
She is currently co-director of Math for Love: http://mathforlove.com/.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Dr. Maren Halvorsen, Associate Director
maren@uw.edu (206) 543-4160