Madison Math Circle
What is it?
The UW-Madison math department organizes a series of talks aimed at interested middle school and high school students throughout the semester. Our goal is to present fun talks that give students a taste of interesting ideas in math and science. In the past we've had talks about plasma and weather in outer space, the way images are shaded in video games, and how credit card numbers are securely transmitted over the internet.
For more information about Math Circles see http://www.mathcircles.org/
After each talk we'll have snacks provided by the Mathematics Department, and students will have an opportunity to mingle and chat with the speaker and with other participants, to ask questions about some of the topics that have been discussed, and also about college, careers in science, etc.
The Madison Math circle was recently featured in Wisconsin State Journal: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/education/local_schools/school-spotlight-madison-math-circle-gives-young-students-a-taste/article_77f5c042-0b3d-11e1-ba5f-001cc4c03286.html
Alright, I want to come!
Great! If you are a student, we hope you will tell other interested students about these talks, and speak with your parents or with your teacher about organizing a car pool to the UW campus (and tell us how many people are coming so we can purchase the appropriate amount of pizza!)
If you are a parent or a teacher, we hope you'll tell your students about these talks and organize a car pool to the UW (all talks take place in Van Vleck Hall room B231, on the UW-Madison campus). We'd also appreciate if you click the "Register" link for the date that your group will be attending.
Parking on campus is free at most (but not all) outdoor parking lots after 4:30pm. Parking lots #25 (Elizabeth Waters) and #26 (Observatory Hill) may be the most convenient. These parking lots are on Observatory Drive just west of the intersection with Charter Street. If you park there, then walk east along Observatory Drive to the top of Bascom Hill, then turn right to Van Vleck Hall. See also the map at http://www.map.wisc.edu/?keyword=public%20parking
Questions?
If you have any questions, suggestions for topics, or so on, just email the organizers (Ed Dewey, David Dynerman, Nathan Clement, Lalit Jain, Kevin Zamzow, Betsy Stovall, and Philip Matchett Wood): math-circle@math.wisc.edu.
Talks this semester, Spring 2013
More details about each talk to follow soon. All talks are at 6pm in Van Vleck Hall, room B231, unless otherwise noted.
| Date and RSVP links | Speaker | Topic (click for more info) |
|---|---|---|
| February 4, 2013 Register! | Jonathan Kane | Infinitely Often |
| February 11, 2013 Register! | Jean-Luc Thiffeault | TBA |
| February 18, 2013 Register! | Alison Gordon | TBA |
| February 25, 2013 Register! | Mimansa Vahia | TBA |
| March 4, 2013 Register! | TBA | TBA |
| March 11, 2013 Register! | Greg Shinault | TBA |
| March 18, 2013 Register! | TBA | TBA |
| March 25, 2013 Register! | Spring Break | No Meeting |
| April 1, 2013 Register! | Uri Andrews | TBA |
| April 8, 2013 Register! | TBA | TBA |
| April 15, 2013 Register! | TBA | TBA |
| April 22, 2013 Register! | TBA | TBA |
| April 29, 2013 Register! | TBA | TBA |
Infinitely Often
February 4th, 2013, 6pm, Van Vleck Hall room B231, UW-Madison campus
Infinitely Often
So you think you can add two numbers, three number, even a lot of numbers together? Well, can you add an infinite number of numbers together? See how thinking about infinite processes can be used to add infinite sums, evaluate repeating decimals, understand infinite continued fractions, and calculate areas and volumes. Also see what strange things can go wrong when dealing with infinity.
TBA
To Be Announced: Keep an eye out---we'll have more information soon!