Math for Love is delighted to offer two innovative math classes for 6th and 7th graders.
Classes meet on Saturday mornings, Jan 14, 21, 28, Feb 4, 11, (no class on the 18th), 25, Mar 3, 10, 17 at Seattle Central Community College.
Need-based scholarships are available. Email info [at] mathforlove.com for scholarship information.
9:30-10:20am
Billiard Balls and Laser Beams
A survey of the mathematics of ricochets and reflections
Imagine a room made entirely of mirrors. A light in the room turns on, and yet does not illuminate the entire room. How is this possible?
Thus begins our investigation into the geometry of reflections, a study that goes back to Archimedes and up to modern day. We’ll see how lasers bounce curved mirrors and learn to predict where billiard balls will ricochet on rectangular pool tables. We’ll explore such diverse topics as star polygons, billiard problems, conic sections, infinity theory, chaos theory and dynamics, modular arithmetic and number theory. This class will be a fun, problem-based excursion into this fascinating, rarely-seen subject.
Teacher: Dan Finkel. Bio available here.
Teacher contact: dan [at] mathforlove.com
10:30-11:20am
Outmaneuver!
An exploration of the mathematics of Game Theory.
Games are everywhere. We play them for entertainment, but they also show up in politics, economics, and decision-making. In this course we’ll learn just how broad the notion of a game can be, and how strategies can help (or hurt) the players of different kinds of games. We’ll look at how to help a group of prisoners protect themselves, how arms races happen, and the complications of individual benefit versus the greater good. By looking at a range of games and applications, we’ll get a sense of how games show up in our lives and the fascinating mathematics behind them.
Teacher: Katherine Cook. Bio available here.
Teacher contact: katherine [at] mathforlove.com