Get ready for some fun math this fall with our new, expanded Saturday Math program at the Robinson Center for Young Scholars, University of Washington. This is a program for anybody who likes math and wants to explore the world of math in a way that is both deep and creative.

THIS QUARTER WE ARE OFFERING:

Shape Shifters: Topological Games and Puzzles (Grades 2-3)

Mathematicians love games, and in this class we will see that playing games and working on puzzles can be one of the most fun and effective ways to encourage solid mathematical thinking.  Section A 1:30-2:20 pm; Section B 2:30-3:20 pm

The Rubber Universe Survival Guide (Grades 4-5)

Imagine a rubber universe, inhabited by stretchy shapes that can be deformed, distorted, elongated, but not torn. It turns out this strange universe has some mathematical reason and rhyme behind it. In this class, we’ll explore this mathematics–known as topology–and the rubber universe it describes.  12:30-1:20 pm

The Fourth Dimension (Grades 4-5)

The topic of this course is dimension:  what it is, how to understand it, and how to study shapes in two, three four or more dimensions.  We’ll count the number of corners and edges of a hypercube, find the 4-dimensional volumes of shapes (as well as their surface volumes), see how to multiply shapes together, and learn how to understand four dimensional space, even if we can’t visualize it.  1:30-2:20 pm

The Shape of Space (Grades 6-7)

This class is an exploration of topology, the mathematics of shape.  The rules of topology allow shapes to be deformed in certain ways: for example, cubes and spheres are considered to be the “same” as each other, since one can be molded into the other.  Using this new set of rules allows the more fundamental properties of shape and space to become apparent.  In fact, it is the mathematics of topology that allows us to imagine what shape our own universe might have.  2:30 – 3:20 pm

The Nth Dimension (Grades 6-7)

We live in three (or is it four?) dimensions; is it possible to imagine what it would have been like to live in two, or five, or eleven dimensions?  In this course, we will build tools to understand aspects of any dimension, from the first to the millionth and beyond.  3:30 – 4:20 pm

Learn more about the classes, instructors, and tuition here.

Click here to register online starting Monday, September 26 at 8 am. (The application will not work until September 26, 8 am).

Classes are from October 8 – December 10th, 2011

Questions? Contact Dr. Maren Halvorsen.

Robinson Center for Young Scholars
University of Washington
Guthrie Annex 2, Box 351630, Seattle, WA 98195