After two great seasons, the MATH HOUR at University of Washington for middle and junior high school students is starting again in the Spring. Our first talk will be given by Professor Jon Brundan from the University of Oregon. You can find the abstract for the talk and other information on the UW’s website.
Seattle-area middle- and junior high-school students are invited to participate in the Monthly Math Hour on the University of Washington’s beautiful campus during the Spring of 2012. The Monthly Math Hour at the UW is a series of talks that will take place from 1-2pm on Sunday afternoons to introduce students to the beautiful and exciting world of mathematics. The lectures are given completely FREE of charge in Savery Hall.
Well-behaved parents, coaches, and teachers are also welcome to attend with the permission of their children. Siblings are free to join in, too.
There will be time for questions and further discussion after the talk.
Upcoming Events
March 11, 2012
Location: Room 260, Savery Hall
Speaker: Professor Jonathan Brundan from the University of Oregon Department of Mathematics
Title: “Domino Tilings and Determinants”
Abstract: There are two ways to tile a 2×2 board with 2×1 tiles (= or ||). There are thirty six ways to tile a 4×4 board with 2×1 tiles (you can check this by listing all the possibilities!).
Question: How many ways are there to tile an 8×8 board with 2×1 tiles?
I’ll explain a neat way to work this out using some techniques from graph theory and linear algebra — though no knowledge of that will be assumed in advance. If there’s time I’ll talk about some other related combinatorial/counting problems.
April 15, 2012
Location: Room 260, Savery Hall
Speaker: Steven Klee from the UC Davis Department of Mathematics
Title: “The Mathemagic of Magic Squares”
Abstract: TBA
May 13, 2012
Location: Room 260, Savery Hall
Speaker: Eric Brechner, Principal Development Manager, Xbox Engineering Fundamentals
Title: “Rainbow Mathematics”
Abstract: What time of day is best to see a rainbow? Why is a rainbow shaped like an arch? Which color is on top? Are there ever two rainbows at once? Rainbows are uncommonly beautiful. Most people have seen them, especially here in Seattle. Yet, most people don’t know a rainbow’s secrets. A little optics, some math, and your imagination are all you need to unlock rainbows and reveal things few people know. You’ll uncover them all for yourself in this engaging talk that turns Snell’s law, water, sunlight, and reflection into a beautiful sight.
June 10, 2012
Location: Room 260, Savery Hall
Math Hour Olympiad
The Math Olympiad is also free but requires a pre-registration. We’ve been very fortunate to get volunteer help from many professional mathematicians to run the Olympiad but we need to know how many kids are coming to plan accordingly. The link to the registration form will be posted on our website on April 16.
Please contact Julia Pevtsova directly if you have any questions.