MAA FOCUS The Newsmagazine of the Mathematical Association of America Feb/March 2010 | Volume 30 Number 1 WHAT’S INSIDE 14 ...........Prizes and Awards at the 2010 Joint Mathematics Meetings 24 ........... The Shape of Collaboration: Mathematics, Architecture, and Art 27 ........... Meeting the Challenge of High School Calculus 32 ...........How I Use Comics to Teach Elementary Statistics 4(( -6*<: is published by the Mathematical Association of America in January, February/March, 4(( -6*<: April/May, August/September, October/ November, and December/January. (GLWRU Fernando Gouvêa, Colby College =VS\TL c 0ZZ\L [email protected] 0DQDJLQJ (GLWRU Carol Baxter, MAA 4H[OLTH[PJZ (^HYLULZZ 4VU[O · ¹4H[OLTH[PJZ HUK :WVY[Z¹ [email protected] (TLYPJHU 4H[OLTH[PJHS 4VU[OS` ,KP[VY :LHYJO 6HQLRU :ULWHU Harry Waldman, MAA ;OL 1VPU[ 4H[OLTH[PJZ 4LL[PUNZ [email protected] )` -LYUHUKV 8 .V\]vH 3OHDVH DGGUHVV DGYHUWLVLQJ LQTXLULHV WR 144 :OVY[ ;HRLZ [email protected] )` -LYUHUKV 8 .V\]vH 3UHVLGHQW David Bressoud 1VPU[ 4H[OLTH[PJZ 4LL[PUNZ PU 7OV[VZ )LUVW 9LFH 3UHVLGHQW Elizabeth Mayfi eld 9LWVY[ VM [OL -VYTLY :LJYL[HY` 6HFRQG 9LFH 3UHVLGHQW Daniel J. Teague )` 4HY[OH :PLNLS 6HFUHWDU\ Barbara T. Faires 4HY[OH :PLNLS :H`Z -HYL^LSS )` 3H\YH 4J/\NO $VVRFLDWH 6HFUHWDU\ Gerard Venema ,_WLYPLUJPUN [OL 1VPU[ 4H[OLTH[PJZ 4LL[PUNZ 7UHDVXUHU John W. Kenelly )` )YPL -PULNVSK ([HFXWLYH 'LUHFWRU Tina H. Straley 4H[OLTH[PJZ HUK (Y[ H[ 144 'LUHFWRU RI 3XEOLFDWLRQV IRU -RXUQDOV DQG )` 3H\YH 4J/\NO &RPPXQLFDWLRQV Ivars Peterson (U <UKLYNYHK\H[L»Z ,_WLYPLUJL H[ [OL 1VPU[ 4H[OLTH[PJZ 4LL[PUNZ 0$$ )2&86 (GLWRULDO %RDUG Donald )` 5PJOVSHZ 5L\THUU*O\U J. Albers; Robert Bradley; Joseph Gallian; Jacqueline Giles; Colm Mulcahy; Michael 7YPaLZ HUK (^HYKZ H[ [OL 1VPU[ 4H[OLTH[PJZ 4LL[PUNZ Orrison; Peter Renz; Sharon Cutler Ross; ;OL .YLH[ 4H[O >YHUNSL HUK 6[OLY 5L^Z -YVT :0.4(( 4*:; Annie Selden; Hortensia Soto-Johnson; )` :HT =HUKLY]LSKL 1PT ;HU[VU HUK ;H[PHUH :O\IPU Peter Stanek; Ravi Vakil. (IV\[ [OL 7VZ[LY Letters to the editor should be addressed to Fernando Gouvêa, Colby College, Dept. 7VZ[LY of Mathematics, Waterville, ME 04901, or by email to [email protected]. )0. 4H[OLTH[PJHS ,_WLYPLUJLZ H[ [OL 144 )` 7OPS .\Z[HMZVU HUK *HYSH + 4HY[PU Subscription and membership questions should be directed to the MAA Customer ;OL :OHWL VM *VSSHIVYH[PVU! 4H[OLTH[PJZ (YJOP[LJ[\YL HUK (Y[ Service Center, 800-331-1622; email: )` ,K^HYK * 4VZ[LPN [email protected]; (301) 617-7800 (WWSPJH[PVUZ 0U]P[LK MVY [OL [O *VOVY[ VM 7YVQLJ[ 5,_; -LSSV^Z (outside U.S. and Canada); fax: (301) 206-9789. MAA Headquarters: (202) 4LL[PUN [OL *OHSSLUNL VM /PNO :JOVVS *HSJ\S\Z 387-5200. )` +H]PK )YLZZV\K Copyright © 2010 by the Mathematical (U 0U[LY]PL^ >P[O *HYVS 4LHK 4H[OLTH[PJZ (YJOP]PZ[ Association of America (Incorporated). )` 0]HYZ 7L[LYZVU Educational institutions may reproduce (YJOP]LZ :WV[SPNO[! ;^V (\KPV *VSSLJ[PVUZ articles for their own use, but not for )` *HYVS 4LHK sale, provided that the following citation is used: “Reprinted with permission of ;OL *\YYPJ\S\T -V\UKH[PVUZ >VYRZOVW VU (NYPJ\S[\YL MAA FOCUS, the newsmagazine of the )` (UKYL^ )LUUL[[ HUK +VU )VNNZ Mathematical Association of America (Incorporated).” ,K\JH[PVUHS (J[P]P[PLZ H[ 504)PV: )` :\aHUUL 3LUOHY[ HUK :HYHO +\UJHU Periodicals postage paid at Washing- ton, DC and additional mailing offi ces. /V^ 0 <ZL *VTPJZ [V ;LHJO ,SLTLU[HY` :[H[PZ[PJZ Postmaster: Send address changes to MAA )` 3HYY` :OYL^ZI\Y` FOCUS, Mathematical Association of 7PJR»Z ;OLVYLT · HUK )L`VUK America, P.O. Box 90973, Washington, DC )` 1PT ;HU[VU 20090-0973. *HSS MVY 7HWLYZ! *VU[YPI\[LK 7HWLY :LZZPVUZ H[ 4H[O-LZ[ ISSN: 0731-2040; Printed in the United States of America. ,TWSV`TLU[ 6WWVY[\UP[PLZ -LIY\HY`4HYJO c 4(( -6*<: c 4H[OLTH[PJZ (^HYLULZZ 4VU[O ¸4H[OLTH[PJZ HUK :WVY[Z¹ he American Mathematical Society, the American Statistical ;Association, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics announce that the theme for Mathematics Awareness Month, April 2010, is Mathematics and Sports. Sports off er a multitude of instances involving data, strategies and chance, each of which is perfectly suited to mathematical analysis. Beyond the obvious uses of mathematics for things such as rating baseball players and football quarterbacks, mathematics is used to design the dimple patterns on golf balls and the com- position of racing tires; it is used for scheduling tournaments and for ranking teams; and it is used to determine tactics and to predict the ultimate limits in sports records. In the 1960s the ABC television network began a popular weekly series called “Th e Wide World of Sports” that spanned the globe to show the tremendous variety of sports. For 2010, the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics has chosen the theme “Mathemat- Th e 2010 Mathematics Awareness website has articles on ics and Sports” to highlight the intersection of the sports world baseball, basketball, football, golf, soccer, track and fi eld, tennis, with the wide world of mathematics — a universal language that and car racing as well as videos and links to other resources, at is used to investigate problems ranging from the athletic to the . cosmic. O[[W!^^^TH[OH^HYLVYN (TLYPJHU 4H[OLTH[PJHS 4VU[OS` ,KP[VY :LHYJO he Mathematical Association of America seeks to identify MAA can provide support for the editor’s work. Questions ;candidates to succeed Daniel J. Velleman as editor of the about support should be addressed to Ivars Peterson. American Mathematical Monthly when his term expires in De- Applications and nominations will be accepted until the posi- cember 2011. Th e Search Committee plans to make a recommen- tion is fi lled, although preference will be given to applications dation during the summer of 2010 so that the new editor can be received by early May. approved by the Board of Governors and begin handling all new manuscript submissions in January 2011. Th e new editor would be Editor-Elect during 2011 and would serve as Editor for the fi ve years 2012-2016. 0U[YVK\JPUN [OL 4(( Questions about the position and its workload can be addressed -6*<: 7VZ[LY to: John Ewing (QL^PUN'TH[OMVYHTLYPJHVYN or phone 646- 434-0464) or Ivars Peterson, Director of Publications at the MAA eginning with this issue, we hope to include a detach- (PWL[LYZVU'THHVYN). )able poster in the center pages of each issue of MAA FOCUS. Th is issue’s poster advertises the 2010 MathFest, Each applicant should submit a resumé, names of three references, using an image provided by this year’s Hedrick Lecturer, and a letter of interest that comments on both past experience and Robert Devaney. For next issue, we’ll include one of the future vision for the Monthly. Th ese should be emailed as attach- 2010 Math Awareness Month posters. Ideas and sugges- ments in Word or PDF format to the chair of the Search Commit- tee, John Ewing (QL^PUN'TH[OMVYHTLYPJHVYN). Th ey can also be tions for future posters can be sent to Ivars Peterson at sent by postal mail to: PWL[LYZVU'THHVYN Dr. John Ewing Math for America On the cover: “Embrace, 2009” by Robert Bosch (Oberlin) 800 Th ird Ave, 31st Floor New York, NY 10022 was awarded fi rst prize at the 2010 Joint Mathematics Meetings Exhibition of Mathematical Art. See the article on Nominations of outstanding candidates for editor can also be Mathematics and Art at the JMM on page 12. submitted directly to the chair of the Search Committee. c 4(( -6*<: c -LIY\HY`4HYJO ;OL 1VPU[ 4H[OLTH[PJZ 4LL[PUNZ )` -LYUHUKV 8 .V\]vH ver 5,500 mathematicians of all types visited San Francisco for this year’s Joint Mathematics Meetings. Th e rich program 6ranged from plenary lectures aimed at a broad mathematical public to small and specialized sessions on mathematical and educational research, from a poster session in which undergraduates presented their research to the AMS’s “Current Events” session in which leading mathematicians talked about the most important developments of 2009. Social activities ranged from the usual banquets to a knitting circle and a tweet-up. Th ere were bloggers and a Flickr page with photos. Th is issue of MAA FOCUS includes our usual selection of photos. For even more photos, visit O[[W!^^^ÅPJRYJVT and search for the MAA. Online, the photos are grouped into thematic sets, while our spread, on pages 5–7, is the usual kaleidoscope of images. Th e Joint Meetings are the venue for awarding several mathematical prizes; on pages 8–11 you will see photos of (almost) all the winners. Also in this issue you will fi nd Martha Siegel’s fi nal report as MAA Secretary and an article on Martha’s work for the Association over these last many years; a report, with photographs, on the Mathematical Art exhibit; personal accounts from an undergraduate participant and from an about-to-graduate PhD student hunting for jobs; a report on the special session on mathematics in business, industry, and government; and some interesting news from the new SIGMAA on Math Circles. 144 :OVY[ ;HRLZ )` -LYUHUKV 8 .V\]vH Demaine is Pólya Lecturer advantage of the two-day schedule, they asked four speak- ers to give extended lectures on important mathematical Erik Demaine was chosen by the MAA Board of Governors as the books: Alexander Jones on Ptolemy’s Almagest, George 2010-2012 Pólya Lecturer.