Math Madness Week 3: The Final Four!

Only Four Remain in This Week's Trial of Math!

Vote here for the final two!

African American Mathematicians: Katherine Johnson

            With the 2017 Oscars just around the corner, it seems fitting to dedicate this week’s African American History Month post to Katherine Johnson, one of the central characters in Hidden Figures. The Hollywood hit focuses on Katherine’s career at NASA, and her struggle to be recognized for her brilliant work in the field and not for her race, but as a child and thorough her life she always had the problem of racism over her head.

The 2017 story of Katherine's work on the Apollo Missions

            Growing up in White Sulfur Springs, WV, Katherine was influenced by her mother, who was a teacher, and took to mathematics at a young age. She breezed through elementary and middle school, but didn’t have a local high school option in her county due to her race. Understanding her gift, Katherine’s parents enrolled her in a high school across the state and split time between Institute and White Sulfur Springs. Katherine would end up graduating high school at the age of fourteen, and would go on to West Virginia State College to continue her study of math.

            While in college, Katherine took every single math class that was offered, and grew close to several faculty members, who pushed to add more classes in order to fulfill Katherine’s desire to learn. At the age of eighteen, Katherine graduated at the top of her class and was accepted as one of the first African American students at West Virginia Universities’ graduate program.

Katherine Johnson when she was at NASA

            At this point it seems fitting to talk about Katherine’s fantastic career at NASA and the NACA, but I will leave that story to be told by the movie Hidden Figures. Regardless, Katherine’s achievements are inspiring to many people across the world, and she continues to inspire aspiring mathematicians to this day.

Everyday Math: Books

Turning Pages: Our Favorite Books About Math

Whether you're a literature enthusiast or science aficionado, people of all types enjoy curling up with a good book every once in a while. Maybe you prefer a Kindle, or maybe you live for the old book smell. Either way, the benefits of reading cannot be denied. Who says that mathematics and literature have to be on opposite ends of the academic spectrum? Here are some books about mathematics that are both educational and entertaining. They will have you putting down your math homework and running to the nearest bookstore or library as soon as possible.

If you have any suggestions, comment below!

Some of Infinity
by David Craft
2016


Some of Infinity examines the roots of mathematics, as each chapter in the novel is dedicated to a different mathematical concept. Craft delivers this wide array of information in a personable and simplistic way that is accessible to all types of readers. This allows his audience to grasp and appreciate the many layers of the book. Shying away from the academic writing style of most math books, Craft aims to show the scope of mathematics and the exploration that is possible. 


Fermat's Enigma
by Simon Singh
1997


This National Bestseller is not a biography of Fermat, as the title might suggest. Instead, Singh delves into the lives of people who dedicated their time and careers to proving Fermat's Last Theorem. The book creates a more personalized view of mathematicians. The heartbreak, mastery, and critical moments of these great minds are documented in a way that humanizes the subject.


Chaos: Making a New Science
James Gleick
1987
As Gleick's first title, Chaos is a non-fiction book about Chaos Theory. It's the first book published about Chaos theory and makes a complicated topic understandable to beginners. The book dives into the Mandelbrot set, Julia sets, and Lorenz attractors without making the subject too difficult. Like Fermat's Enigma, this book also discusses the scientists and mathematicians who have contributed to the field. The book is often used in introduction courses as a leeway into the subject.


Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
Charles Seife
2000
Despite its title, Seife's debut novel is not an actual biography. This non-fiction book examines the idea of 0 and explains the controversiality surrounding the number at some points in history. It traces back to the Babylonian roots of 0 and takes a look at "one of the great paradoxes of human thinking". He writes the topic in a thrilling and interesting way, receiving great reviews from the Mathematical Association of America.



The Fractal Geometry of Nature
Benoit Mandelbrot
1982
This book is a revised and updated version of Mandelbrot's earlier work titled, "Form, Chance, and Dimension. These books are regarded as some of the most influential scientific essays of the century. The author examines mathematical occurrences in nature, that take the geometric form of fractals. It brings mathematical equations into every day life, proving that mathematics is all around us.



 Journey Through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics
William Dunham
1991
This book brilliantly combines biographical, historical, and mathematical information in an entertaining way. Dunham works to shine light on great mathematical minds, tracing various groundbreaking theories and discoveries. He shows them in their historical context, and provides information about the creator as well as the creation. There are even step-by-step proofs for the theorems, making this a book for mathematicians to enjoy, as well as those who are looking for a new topic to read about!

The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
Leonard Mlodinow
2009
This title is not as firmly rooted in mathematics as some others on this list, however it is still a great read that combines probability, statistics, and how they impact society. Mlodinow demonstrates how our lives are strongly determined by chance, even when there seems to be a clear system set in place. Ranging from political polls to corporate success, his examples are compelling and interesting. By combining psychology and statistics, The Drunkard's Walk takes an applicable approach to mathematics.

The Man Who Loved Only Numbers
Paul Hoffman
1998
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers is a biography of mathematician Paul Erdös, and came about after author Paul Hoffman wrote a widely-recognized magazine article. The novel dictates Erdös's life and portrays him mostly in a positive light. However, Hoffman does point out his eccentricities. The book also touches on other mathematicians. It is written without much technical detail and can be appreciated by mathematicians and mathematicians alike.




Was this post interesting to you? Are you looking for others ways to incoporate math into your daily life? Look no further! Check out our blog posts about Math Movies, Math TV shows, and Art in Math!

Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King Day

      In honor of Dr. King’s work towards African American equality, here is some information about Elbert Frank Cox, the first African American to receive a Ph. D in mathematics.

http://www.aaregistry.org/

      Elbert Cox was born in Evansville, Indiana in 1895. His father had spent time at Indiana University completing graduate work, and Cox soon followed in his father’s footsteps attending Indiana University for his undergraduate degree. Despite his achievement in the field of math, Cox was subject to unfair treatment due to his race. His college transcript was imprinted with the word “colored” and in 1921 he was denied admission to Cornell due to a recommendation letter describing concerns about his race. However, after receiving the Erastus Brooks Fellowship in 1922, he enrolled in Cornell University. In 1925, he became the first African American to receive a Ph. D in mathematics and was recognized on a national and international level. Cox passed away in 1969, after a 40-year career of teaching and inspiring other young mathematicians. Elbert Cox is honored annually at the National Association of Mathematicians meeting through the Cox-Talbot Address.

     

Stay tuned to our social media pages for more in depth information about African American mathematicians as we celebrate the upcoming African American history month in February!

References: www.math/buffalo.edu

Throwback Fact: The Mathematical Association of America

In a couple of weeks the Center of Math will be attending the Joint Mathematics Meeting (JMM) in Seattle. The American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) run this annual event, which is one of the largest mathematics meeting in the world. To get ready for our trip, the Center of Math wanted to write about the history of the MAA for this weeks Throwback Fact. And if your wondering why we aren’t talking about the AMS, it’s because we already did a Throwback Fact on them, which you can check out here. So keep reading to learn more about the MAA!

Current logo by the MAA. Visit their website here!

Famous Women of Science and Mathematics

Today, the Worldwide Center of Mathematics is going to talk about some of the most famous and accomplished women in science and mathematics. While the number of women in math and other STEM disciplines today is still small compared to the amount of men, it is important to realize that women can achieve just as much as men can, because gender does not determine intelligence, skill, or aptitude. Keep reading to learn about some inspiring ladies!

The Worldwide Lecture Seminar Series Presents: Mihai Fulger

The Worldwide Center of Mathematics invites you to join us on Friday, November 20, 2015 for a talk by Mihai Fulger of Princeton University on local volumes. You can register to attend this event for FREE at http://centerofmath.eventbrite.com

The Worldwide Lecture Series is presented and hosted by the Worldwide Center of Mathematics in our studio lecture room in Cambridge. We record these lectures in full and make them available on our YouTube channel for the global mathematics community. You can view our past lectures here, or watch them below, including this lecture once it's taken place.

Our lecture room and recording equipment/services are available for hire. If you would like to give a lecture, record it and distribute it online, we offer the ideal solution. For more information, contact us at info@centerofmath.org.

Throwback Fact: Thales of Miletus

Thales of Miletus was an ancient Greek mathematician, scientist, and philosopher who predated most well known Greek thinkers. Though his contributions and discoveries in physical sciences and philosophy were noteworthy, this is the Center of Math, and thus we are going to focus on his contributions to mathematics for this week's Throwback Fact.  So, keep reading to learn more!

Thales
Source: Wikipedia

Throwback Fact: Three German Mathematicians

Happy Oktoberfest! With the annual festival taking place right now in Germany, the Center of Math wanted to celebrate by talking about three famous German mathematicians for this week's Throwback Fact.

The Worldwide Lecture Seminar Series Presents: Graham Denham

Join us this coming Friday for a talk by Graham Denham, of the University of Western Ontario, on Milnor fibres of hyperplane arrangements, presented by the Worldwide Lecture Seminar Series. You can register to attend this event for free at http://centerofmath.eventbrite.com.

Once the presentation has happened, we'll post and make freely available the full event footage on our YouTube channel. For more Worldwide Lecture Seminar Series coverage, click here, or watch past talks we've hosted below:

Throwback Fact: The Equals Symbol

For this week Throwback Fact we decided to investigate the origins of the equals symbol. You may be surprised, the equals symbols hasn't been around for as long as you may think.

Where did the equals symbol come from?

The Center of Math is at MathFest!

The Center of Math is headed to Washington, DC to attend MathFest 2015! This year the Mathematical Association of America is celebrating its centennial, which we are honored to be a part of. Stop by our booth where we will provide information on our products, hand out cool swag, and feature brand new practice problems that were created just for MathFest. 

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+, to see what we're up to at MathFest. You can use #MAAthFest to share with us your MathFest experiences as well as enter our giveaway—check below the break for more details. We can't wait to see you there!

Math Minds: David Massey

David Massey, a full professor of mathematics at Northeastern University and the founder of the Worldwide Center of Mathematics, sat down with our math intern Tori for an interview this week. He is the first in hopefully a string of mathematicians who will be interviewed for this new blog series.

David B. Massey, Ph.D

Are you currently involved in any research?

Yes - I study abstract notions of space in any number of dimensions. I prove things about what those spaces look like at places where they’re not smooth [singularities].

How do you picture those?

You don’t really. You picture what happens in low dimensions and hope that it gives you intuition for the higher dimensions. You can’t picture the higher dimensions, so you prove theorems that describe them. I’m interested in singularities because they’re a great blend of topology, commutative algebra, algebraic geometry… a lot of stuff.