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MAT 211 Biography Paper & Class Presentation

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MAT 211 Biography Paper & Class Presentation Name: Spring 2011 Mathematician: Due Date: MAT 211 Biography Paper & Class Presentation “[Worthwhile mathematical] tasks should foster students' sense that mathematics is a changing and evolving domain, one in which ideas grow and develop over time and to which many cultural groups have contributed. Drawing on the history of mathematics can help teachers to portray this idea…” (NCTM, 1991) You have been assigned to write a brief biography of a person who contributed to the development of geometry. Please prepare a one-page report summarizing your findings and prepare an overhead transparency (or Powerpoint document) to guide your 5-minute, in-class presentation. Please use this sheet as your cover page. Include the following sections and use section headers (Who? When? etc.) in your paper. 1. Who? Who is the person you are describing? Provide the full name. 2. When? When did the person live? Be as specific as you can, including dates of birth and death, if available. 3. Where? Where did the person live? Be as specific as you can. If this varied during the person’s lifetime, describe the chronology of the various locations and how they connected to significant life events (birth, childhood, university, work life). 4. What? What did he or she contribute to geometry, mathematics, or other fields? Provide details on topics, well-known theorems, and results. If you discover any interesting anecdotes about the person, or “firsts” that he or she accomplished, include those here. 5. Why? How is this person’s work connected to the geometry we are currently discussing in class? Why was this person’s work historically significant? Include mathematical advances that resulted from this person’s contributions. 6. Sources: List all resources used. There must be at least three distinct sources, one of which may be your textbook. Use an appropriate reference style. I prefer APA. Assessment Rubric Points Points Required Component of Report Available Earned Who? You have included all components listed above. 2 points When? You have included all components listed above. 2 points Where? You have included all components listed above. 5 points What? You have included all components listed above. 5 points Why? You have included all components listed above. 5 points Sources: You have included sources as described above, 3 points Overall: spelling, grammar, format, structure, and style 3 points In-class presentation: Professional, includes required comp. 5 points Total score 30 points Biography Timeline & Achievements Chapter Mathematician Life Dates Main Contributions Ch. 1 Playfair Pasch Eratosthenes Ch. 2 Viviani Ceva (pronounced “Cheva”) Menelaus Euler (pronounced “Oiler”) Ch. 3 Menaechmus Archimedes Hilbert Hypatia Ch. 4 Alhazen Descartes Fermat Ch. 6 Feuerbach Klein Sophus Lie Ch. 9 Poincaré Saccheri Lambert Wallis Bolyai Lobachevsky Spherical Reimann Geometry Al-Jayyani T. Banchoff Symmetry M. C. Escher & Tilings R. Penrose Marjorie Rice & Doris Schattschneider Biography Presentation Dates Chapter & date Mathematician Presenter (Please write name neatly.) Ch. 1 (See name) Playfair (by Fri. 1/14) Pasch (by Wed. 1/19) Eratosthenes (by Wed. 1/19) Ch. 2 (by 1/24) Viviani Ceva (pronounced “Cheva”) Menelaus Euler (pronounced “Oiler”) Ch. 3 (by 2/7) Menaechmus Archimedes Hilbert Hypatia Ch. 4 (by 2/21) Alhazen Descartes Fermat Ch. 6 (by 3/14) Feuerbach Klein Sophus Lie Ch. 9 (by 3/28) Poincaré Saccheri Lambert Wallis Bolyai Lobachevsky Spherical Reimann Geometry (by 4/18) Al-Jayyani (mathematician) Thomas Banchoff Symmetry & M. C. Escher Tessellations (by 4/11) R. Penrose Marjorie Rice & Doris Schattschneider .
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