Double Bell

University of Wisconsin - Madison
Undergraduate Math Club

Mondays
9th floor
Van Vleck
480 Lincoln Drive
mathclub@math.wisc.edu
UW Math Department
Interesting sites
The Prime Pages
The Math Pages
Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences
Wolfram's MathWorld
Distributed Computing
GIMPS
Seventeen or Bust
Site Map

Home


Fall 2003
2004
2006
09 Math Club Officers

President - Tess Anderson


VicePresident - Ruth Stoehr


Activities Chairs - MengMeng Chen and Eugene Young


Treasurer - Daniel Lecoanet


PR Chair -


Web Master - Sean Finley

To join the UMC mailing list send an email to mathclublist-request with subject "subscribe" and reply to the confirmation email.

Room Announcement: We will be meeting in Van Vleck 901 (9th floor) for the Fall 09 semester

November 23, 2009
Partitions

Abstract: : The theory of integer partitions is a subject of much interest, and filled with the true romance of mathematics. A partition of a positive integer n is a way of writing n as a sum of positive integers. One might ask: how many ways can this be done? We will discuss various results about partitions ranging from classical identities to very recent theorems.

Speaker: Marie Jameson
When: Monday, November 23, 4:35 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

November 16, 2009
You Can Count on Groups

Abstract: In how many essentially different ways can the six faces of a cube be colored with n colors? Because of the symmetry of the cube, the answer is much smaller than the obvious n^6. It is this symmetry that makes the problem difficult, but the mathematical language used to discuss symmetry provides a solution. This language is called "group theory", but no previous knowledge of groups is necessary in order to understand this talk. Everything necessary, to solve this problem and others like it will be explained.

Speaker: Martin Isaacs
When: Monday, November 16, 4:35 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

October 26, 2009
Geometry Using Linear Algebra

Abstract: Why is a doughnut different from a ball, but the same geometric space as a coffee-cup? Well, count the number of handles! I'll present a linear algebra construction called homology which formalizes this answer, and gives us a tool to distinguish between curved geometric spaces. A number of applications, both within geometry and outside, will be given; finally, if time permits, I'll try to introduce derived categories, a mathematical device which has been getting a lot of press lately because of conjectures in physics and representation theory.

Speaker: Sukhendu Mehrotra
When: Monday, October 26, 4:35 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

October 5, 2009
Random Optimization Problem

Abstract: At a game show the contestant can win any one of 20 possible prizes. The prizes are shown one by one (in a random order) and the contestant must accept or reject the prize on the spot (she cannot go back and change her mind). There is a clearly defined ordering between the prizes and the contestants aim is to choose the best prize out of the 20. Unfortunately, the list of prizes is not known beforehand, so she can only compare any given prize with the ones she has already been shown. If the contestant takes home the prize that was shown first then she has a 5% chance of winning. Can she do any better? What should be her strategy to have the highest probability of winning? How will the probability of winning behave as the number of prizes goes to infinity? Free Pizza will be served.

Speaker: Benedek Valko
When: Monday, October 5, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

September 21, 2009
Fall Kickoff Meeting!

Abstract: We will kickoff this year with officer elections and ideas for the talks this year. Anyone interested in running for a position or simply interested in the math club is welcome to attend. Free Pizza will be served.

When: Monday, September 21, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

May 4, 2009
Proofs by Counting

Abstract: In the meeting, we will count some more and prove some well known math results such as the formula for the geometric series, the infitude of primes, and Fermat's little theorem. Come and see why Proofs by Counting are appealing.

Speaker: Ali Godjali
When: Monday, May 4, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room B139 Van Vleck.

April 27, 2009
Who is Srinivasa Ramanujan?

Abstract: Who is Srinivasa Ramanujan? With virtually no formal training in mathematics, it's a wonder that renound English number theorist G.H. Hardy "discovered" the man behind hundreds of pages of scribbled formulas, some so deep that they remained a mystery for decades. Learn more about the legacy of mathematics surrounding this young visionary, and his influence on fundamental areas of present day mathematical research in number theory, combinatorics, and modular forms.

Speaker: Amanda Folsom
When: Monday, April 27, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room B139 Van Vleck.

April 13, 2009
Packing Spheres and Correcting Errors

Abstract: I'll will give a very basic overview of two problems: 1. How can we pack oranges into a box as tightly as possible? 2. How can we reliably send a signal in a noisy environment and be sure that the target receives the message exactly as we sent it? The point of the talk is the surprising fact that 1 and 2 are essentially the same problem.

Speaker: Jordan Ellenberg
When: Monday, April 13, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room B139 Van Vleck.

April 2, 2009
Mathclub Movie Night

If you haven't come to a Math Club event yet, this is your chance! Come chat with other math junkies, meet the Math Club officers, and find out what we're all about! Food will be provided by Jamerica, but we also encourage everyone to bring a dish to pass (even if it's just chips, soda, or cookies!) Don't have a dish to bring? We still want you there!

What: MathClub Movie Night
When: Thursday, April 2, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Ninth Floor Lounge, Van Vleck.

March 30, 2009
Markov Chain Monte Carlo

This talk will provide a gentle introduction to the topic of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and apply this computational tool to the problem of estimating gorilla divergence times from individual DNA sequences. MCMC is a computer-based simulation tool for taking dependent samples from general probability distributions. I will aim to provide the audience with an intuitive understanding of how MCMC works, a description of the most common form of an MCMC proposal algorithm, and a brief explanation of the theoretical justification for the methods.

Speaker: Bart Larget
When: Monday, March 30, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

March 2, 2009
What is a Group Ring?

As the name implies, group rings are a meeting place for group theory and ring theory. They serve as a tool in group theory and in ring theory, and they are interesting, easily defined, objects in their own right. In this talk, I will quickly explain how group rings are defined and briefly mention some applications. For the most part, I will discuss how group rings of infinite groups are studied, including some of the successes and also some open, quite difficult, problems.

Speaker:Donald Passman
When: Monday, March 2, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

February 16, 2009
The Geometry of Molecules

All of us have grown up doing puzzles. But, did you know that your body works by matching the geometries of molecules? For example, this is how you become immune to a disease. Your immune system works to create a shape that is a match to the invader. I will talk about how mathematics can be used to understand molecular geometry, and how understanding this geometry can be used to design new cancer drugs and other useful molecules. Along the way, you will learn what a gene really is and why mutations in our genes can cause diseases. I will try to describe everything in basic, intuitive terms and hope that anyone with an interest in math and science will enjoy the lecture.

Speaker:Julie Mitchell
When: Monday, February 16, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

November 24, 2008
Math Club Elections

Elections were held on Monday the 24th for the offices of President, Vice President, Activities Chairs, Treasurer, and Webmaster. The results are as follows:

08 Math Club Officers

President - Tess Anderson


VicePresident - Ruth Stoehr


Activities Chairs - MengMeng Chen and Zhizhong Pang


Treasurer - Daniel Lecoanet


PR Chair - Sally Wolfe


Web Master - Sean Finley


November 10, 2008
Ramsey's Theorem via nonstandard numbers

In a room with sufficiently many (18) people there are four people who either all know each other or are all do not know each other. This is an instance of Ramsey's Theorem. There's also an infinite version of Ramsey's Theorem, which says that if you could put infinitely many folks in a room, then an infinite subset of them would either all know each other or all not know each other. It turns out we can prove both versions of Ramsey's Theorem using nonstandard natural numbers. Nonstandard numbers are infinite numbers that act just like finite numbers because they don't know they're infinite. However, we know they're infinite, and we'll use that to our advantage. Pizza.
Speaker: David Milovich
When: Monday, November 10, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

October 27, 2008
Arrow's Theorem on the impossibility of a fair election.

A Famous Theorem of Kenneth Arrow (a Nobel Laureate in Economics) says that it is impossible to have a fair election among three or more candidates. More precisely, there is no election procedure which satisfies certain principles of fairness that we will make precise in the talk. The proof consists in showing that, given an election procedure, the aforementioned fairness principles imply that a certain family of subsets of the electorate is an ultrafilter (this is not a type of coffee filter). Click here for a partially written exposition of the talk. We will eat pizza as we consider the ramifications for the upcoming election!
Speaker:Prof. Joel Robbin
When: Monday, October 27, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

October 13, 2008
An Investigation into the size of integer subsets

What is the probability that a truly random positive integer is prime? How about square? Squarefree? You may be familiar with the divergence of the harmonic series, but what can we conclude about the reciprocal sum of various subsets of integers? These questions and more will be answered, intuition will be both confirmed and betrayed, and still more mysteries will be left open as we explore the intricacies of the most elementary infinite set in all of mathematics. This material is completely accessible to anyone with a working knowledge of elementary sequences and series, and you must like free pizza.
Speaker:Alex Rice
When: Monday, October 13, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

September 29, 2008
The Mercedes Knot Problem

Have you ever noticed that long extension cords are twisted many times? There is a mathematical problem that is closely related to this phenomenon and whose solution is illustrated in this sequence. In the talk the details will be provided, along with FREE PIZZA!! Click here for a longer description of the talk.
Speaker:Prof. Alexandar Jurisic
When: Monday, Sept. 29, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.

September 15, 2008
How to recognize an equilateral triangle

Think you know how? Come and find out, and enjoy some free pizza! Here is the poster.
Speaker:Prof. Fedor Nazarov
When: Monday, Sept. 15, 4:30 p.m.
Where: Room 901 Van Vleck.