Course:SLU MATH 1240: Math and Escher - Fall 2015 - Dr. Anneke Bart

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General Information

Class Time: 1:10 - 2:00 pm Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Where: TBD

Contact Information: • Office: Ritter Hall 227 • Email: barta@slu.edu • Phone: (314) 977-2852 (I prefer email!)

Books:

  • M.C. Escher: Visions of Symmetry by D. Schattschneider. W.H. Freeman and Company (1990)


Prerequisite: A Math Index greater than or equal to 750 or a course at the level of College Algebra.


Course Goals

  1. Develop an intuitive understanding of geometry by looking at examples and applications in art (mainly Escher’s work, but also some other modern artists).
  2. Develop a thorough understanding of the concepts and techniques of geometry.
  3. Further develop the ability to apply your knowledge of geometry to solve unfamiliar problems.
  4. (Further) develop skills for working effectively with others on mathematics problems.


Grading:

  • Two exam – 10% each
  • Projects Portfolio – 20%
    • Basilica Cathedral Fieldtrip
    • 3 small creative projects based on the material for border patterns, wallpaper patterns, and non-Euclidean geometry.
    • Saint Louis Museum Fieldtrip
  • Homework and in-class work – 30% (Attendance is considered part of your in-class grade.)
  • Final – 30%

Final:

  • The schedule for all your final exams can be found online: final exam schedule
  • For this course the Final is on Friday December 11 from 12 pm until 1:50 pm.

Grades: Grades are determined by your mastery of the material. The following cut-offs are the standard grades for mathematics courses. 93-100 A, 89-92 A-, 86-88 B+, 82-85 B, 80-81 B- 77-79 C+, 70-76 C, 60-69 D, 0-59 F


Curve: I do not technically grade on a curve, but your work will of course be compared to that of your classmates, and even to students who have taken the class before you. To give an example: when evaluating answers that require an explanation, I will collect all the answers I consider “A-level” and then rank them. If the question is worth 20 points, an A is somewhere between 18 and 20 points. The best answers will receive 20 points, the next best group will receive 19 points, and the others 18. They are all awarded an A, but the best answers receive a few more points. If someone writes answers that are truly excellent, then I will award extra credit.

How to do well: Attendance and participation is extremely important. Missing class regularly causes students quite a bit of trouble. It is very hard to make up this material on ones own.


Further Information: See complete Syllabus.

Schedule, Assignments, etc.

Week 1 (Aug 24-28)

Week 2 (Aug 31-Sep 4)

Week 3 (Sep 7 - 11)

Week 4 (Sep 14 - 18)

Week 5 (Sep 21 - 25)

Week 6 (Sep 28 - Oct 2)

  • Monday: Read the section on Tessellations by Recognizable Figures
  • Wednesday: Power outage - Class cancelled.
  • Friday: Explore the regular and semi-regular tessellations on the Sphere. We used Kaleidotile.

Week 7 (Oct 5 - Oct 9)

Week 8 (Oct 12 - Oct 16)

Week 8 (Oct 19 - Oct 23)

  • Monday: Fall Break - no class


Week 9 (Oct 26 - Oct 30)

  • Hyperbolic Geometry

Week 10 (Nov 2- Nov 6)

Week 11 (Nov 9- Nov 13)

Week 12 (Nov 16- Nov 20)

Week 13 (Nov 23- Nov 27)

Week 14 (Nov 30- Dec 4)

Week 15 (Dec 7)

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