IB+Research+Topics


 * GUESS WHAT? NO MORE RESEARCH! **

Go to the following website: [] A. Write the symbol for sigma notation. B. What is the symbol used for? C. The value after the sigma symbol is called the ? D. The numbers above and below the sigma symbol are called the? E. The letter below the sigma symbol is called the ? F. Write the two properties of infinite series. G. Work the first four sample problems and check your work
 * May 2-6, 2016 **

April 25-29, 2016 Go to the following website, read the article about modeling animal stripes and comment on it. []


 * April 18-22, 2016 **
 * Go to the following website and read about mathematics and "The Simpsons." Write your impressions about the article.**
 * []**


 * April 4-12, 2016 **
 * No Research...Enjoy your Spring Break!!! **


 * April 18-22, 2016 **
 * Go to the following website and read about the history of statistics and the introduction. Write a paragraph or two about what you read.**
 * []**
 * March 28-April 1, 2016 **
 * As a young boy in school Carl Gauss and his classmates were given a task by their teacher to add all of the numbers from 1 to 100. After a few minutes Carl turned in his work with the correct answer! How did he do it so fast without a calculator? Try to figure it out before you look it up! **


 * March 21-25, 2016 **
 * Easter Holiday, Enjoy your 4 day weekend! **
 * March 14-18, 2016 **
 * Go to the following website and read about the beginnings of probability. Write a paragraph or two about the article. **
 * []**


 * March 7-11, 2016 **
 * EXAM WEEK, NO RESEARCH! **

** February 29-March 4, 2016 ** **Go to the following website and read about integers and the use of the letter "Z" to represent it. Write a paragraph about what you read.** []

[]
 * February 22-26, 2016 **
 * In honor of President's day (February 22), we have a very interesting bit of trivia for this week's research. (I believe they have one mistake in the article: the long side is "b" and the short side is "a." **
 * Go to the following website: **


 * Read the article about President Garfield and the Pythagorean Theorem. Write a paragraph describing what he did to prove the theorem. **


 * February 15-19, 2016 **
 * Go to the following website: [] **
 * Read the article about Annie Easley and write a paragraph or so about her accomplishments. (At least 5 sentences this time!)**


 * February 8-12, 2016 **
 * NO RESEARCH! **

[] []
 * February 1-5, 2016 **
 * Read the article about the Four Color Theorem and comment about it (you can stop reading at #2, unless you would like to read more!)**
 * It might even be cool to test the theorem using the map of Europe at the following site:**


 * January 25-29, 2016**
 * Read the article about magic numbers and comment on it. I am sure you will find this article to be quite interesting!**
 * []**

Go to the following website and read about the award winning Russian mathematician Yakov Sinai. Write your impressions about the article.
 * January 18-22, 2016**
 * []**


 * January 11-15, 2016**
 * Go to the following website and read about apparent size. **
 * [] **
 * Work the two problems at the end of the article. Show all work involved to come up with their answers. ** ** BE CAREFUL-YOU MAY HAVE TO USE SOME CONVERSIONS! **


 * January 4-8, 2016**
 * Go to the following website and read the article about trigonometry. Write at least one coherent paragraph (3-5 sentences) about what you read. Feel free to make comments and inquire further on your own.**
 * []**

[] Write about all of the applications presented in the article.
 * December 7-11, 2015**
 * Go to the following website:**

[]
 * November 30 - December 4, 2015**
 * THIS IS FOR THE WEEK AFTER THANKSGIVING!**
 * Go to the following website:**
 * Write at least 2 paragraphs (at least 3 sentences each) about the article.**

[|mathcentral.uregina.ca/beyond/articles/Lithotripsy/lithotripsy1.html]
 * November 16-20, 2015**
 * Go to the following website and read the article.**
 * Write at least 2 paragraphs (at least 3 sentences each) about the article.**


 * November 9-13, 2015**
 * Go to the following website and read the article.**
 * []**
 * Answer the following questions using complete sentences.**
 * What were the 1st 3 problems of antiquity?**
 * Give a description of each of the 3 problems.**
 * What was another name for the "Doubling the Cube" problem?**
 * Why was it given that name?**
 * What did Apollo tell the people to do to cure the plague?**
 * Were any of these problems eventually solved; if so which ones?**

[] Read the article and answer the following questions using complete sentences: 1. What are the four conic sections? 2. Who first discovered the conic sections? 3. Why were they developed? 4. Who was known as the "Great Geometer" and gave the current names for 3 of the conic sections?
 * November 2, 2015**
 * Go to the following website:**


 * October 26=30, 2015**
 * Go to the following website. Read about the history, assumptions, distances, and circles in Taxicab geometry.**
 * []**
 * Answer the following questions using complete sentences.**
 * What mathematician first proposed taxicab geometry?**
 * How is taxicab distance defined?**
 * Answer the 2 questions posed about** distance **on the website.**
 * In taxicab geometry a circle is what geometric figure?**
 * In Euclidean & taxicab geometry "pi" is defined as the ratio of the circumference to the diameter. In Euclidean geometry pi is approximately 3.14. Use the taxicab circle example on the site to compute the value of pi in taxicab geometry. Show how you arrived at your value.**


 * October 12-16, 2015 **
 * Go the following website and read the article. You artists out there may enjoy this!**
 * []**
 * Answer the following questions using __complete sentences__:**
 * 1. What 2 broad areas of mathematics does Escher's work encompass?**
 * 2. What is a tessellation?**
 * 3. What geometric "actions" did Escher use to create a variety of patterns in his work?**
 * 4. Click on the "Four Regular Solids" picture to see an enlargement. Which polyhedron(solid) is missing?**
 * 5. What type of geometric "space" did Escher use in many of his works? (This name of the space is also given to one of the Non-Euclidean Geometries.)**
 * 6. What is the curious property of the Mobius Strip?**
 * 7. What mathematician is responsible for the "Impossible Triangle?"**
 * OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT...up to 8 points added to your last quiz grade for this 9-weeks! __ DUE OCTOBER 30TH __**
 * Print out four copies (using black ink only) of the figure with the platonic solids embedded in it. Click on the picture first.**
 * On each copy, color one of the four platonic solids that is embedded in the figure.**
 * Cut out each solid and place it on a half sheet of poster board, labeling each. Be sure to give your poster a name. Make sure you put some effort into it!**


 * September 28-October 2, 2015 **
 * Go to the following website are read the article.**
 * []**
 * Answer the following questions using complete sentences:**
 * 1. What are the five Platonic Solids, how many faces does each have and what "elements" are associated with each?**
 * 2. Explain why there cannot be more than 5 of these solids.**
 * 3. What great astronomer first thought the orbits of the planets were related to the Platonic solids?**

Go to the following website and read about careers that use calculus. Write a few paragraphs about what you read and let me know if you are interested in any of the fields mentioned. []
 * September 14-18, 2015 **

Go to the following website and read about Origami & mathematics, and comment. []
 * September 21-25, 2015 **

Go to the following website: [] Read the article about Newton and Leibniz and write a few paragraphs about what you read and then give your opinion about this situation.
 * September 7-11, 2015 **

Go to the following website and read the power-point about hurricanes and comment on the mathematics used. You do not need to work any of the problems, but make sure you read all the way to the section about hurricane paths and parabolas and other curves. [|http://www.mdc.edu/north/math/pdf/hurricanes-math.pdf You]
 * August 31- September 4, 2015 **

Go to the following website and read about the Chinese and their accomplishments many years before their European counterparts. Write at least two paragraphs about what you read **and comment on the article (one comment will suffice).** []
 * August 24-28, 2015 **

[] Read the article and comment on each mathematician using complete sentences.
 * August 17-21, 2015 **
 * Go to the following website:**

Go to the following website, read the article up to "The Uses of Component Vectors" and write about what you read. Use complete sentences please. []
 * August 10-14, 2015 **

May 4-8, 2015 Go to the following website, read the article, and comment on it. []

April 13-17, 2015

March 30-April 10, 2015

February 23-27, 2015
 * Go to the following website: **
 * []**
 * Read the article all the way through and comment on it using paragraph form. **
 * Please include your opinion of the article. **

February 9-13, 2015 Go to the following website and read about logarithms and earthquakes. Comment about what you read.
 * []**

February 2-6, 2015 Go to the following website and read about John Napier and logarithms. Stop reading after this paragraph: (Some misspelled words...but you can read on if you like!) Write about what you read. []
 * "John Napier invented logarithms, but many other scientists and mathematicians helped develop Napier’s logarithms to the system we use today. The first table of common logarithms was compiled by the English mathematician Henry Briggs. In 1624, while working with Napier, Briggs and Napier discovered natural logarithms which first arose as more or less "accidental variations" of Napier’s original logarithms. The possibility of defining logarithms as exponents was recognized by John Wallis in 1685 and later by Johann Bernoulli in 1694."**

January 19-23, 2015
 * Fermat's Last Theorem...Watch out for the notation... They use xn for x to the nth power and this is a longish article, but very interesting. Read and comment.**
 * []**

November 10-14, 2014
 * Read the article and comment on it.**
 * []**

October 27-31, 2014
 * Read the article at the following website and work the problems related to the given rational function:**
 * []**

October 6-10, 2014

September 29-October 3, 2014 Go to the following website:
 * []**
 * Read the article and comment on the uses of calculus in the real world.**

September 22-26, 2014 Go to the following website: "Nature's great book is written in mathematics." -- Galileo **
 * []**
 * Read the article and watch the video. Do you think scientists should be paid to do this type of research? Does this have any deeper meaning to you? Think about the following two quotes when you write your response:**

** -- Galileo **

 * September 1-5, 2014**

Go to the following website, click on "bubble" 1 (especially the 3rd and 4th paragraphs), read the article, and comment on the article. []
 * February 3-7, 2014**

[]
 * December 9-13, 2013**
 * Read the article at the following website about an application of mathematical series, stopping at**
 * "Frequent Compounding," and comment on it.**

[] The name "Fibonacci" is spelled incorrectly on the site. Whoops!
 * December 2-6, 2013**
 * Go to the following website and work the easy and medium sequence problems at the bottom of the page. Some are easy and no work is necessary; others may involve you doing some work. Be sure to write down how you solve these problems. I had to do a little work on some of them, so I expect you to do so too. For those of you not challenged enough, try the hard problems. Click on "explanations" to see how the answers are found if you get stuck.**

Go to the following website: [] Read about the applications of parabolas and write about those applications.
 * October 14-18, 2013**

Go to the following website,click on each of the 5 numerals and read the articles about math. Comment on each of the 5 articles. []
 * eptember 16-20, 2013**

September 9-13, 2013
Go to the following website and write at least one line about each famous mathematician. I'm wondering why they left Sir Issac Newton off of the list! []


 * September 2-6, 2013**

Go to the following website:
 * []**
 * Read the article and watch the video. Write your impressions of the article and the video.**

August 12-16, 2013
Go to the following website: [] Give an explanation of the "Law of Large Numbers." Also go to this website: [] Read the short article about John Venn and write a paragraph about him and his contribution to mathematics.

Read the article about the ancient Egyptians and comment on their mathematical expertise! []

March 11-15, 2013
Exam Week No research! []
 * Vector website for Friday, March 15, 2013 **

= Due March 11, 2013 = This extra credit assignment will replace your lowest non-test grade. Read the short story, "The Feeling of Power" by Isaac Asimov at the following website: [] Make a poster about the short story (be sure to include the author's name). Be sure to give your views about the premise of the story. Make your poster colorful and appealing to the eye. That is, put some real effort into it. The posters will be put on display.

Go to the following website. Read about the history, assumptions, distances, and circles in Taxicab geometry. [] Answer the following questions using complete sentences. What mathematician first proposed taxicab geometry? How is taxicab distance defined? Answer the 2 questions posed about **distance** on the website. In taxicab geometry a circle is what geometric figure? In Euclidean & taxicab geometry "pi" is defined as the ratio of the circumference to the diameter. In Euclidean geometry pi is approximately 3.14. Use the taxicab circle example on the site to compute the value of pi in taxicab geometry. Show how you arrived at your value.
 * December 10-19, 2012**

Go to the following website: __ http://www.oglethorpe.edu/faculty/~j_nardo/knots/index.htm ____ Read the articles " A Brief History Knot Theory," and "Introduction to Knots" and comment on then. Feel free to click on the other links to find out more about this interesting topic.
 * November 5-16, 2012 **

Go to the following website [] Click on 1. Introduction to Fractals and IFS Click on A. Self-Similarity and read the section. Move the cursor over the triangle to see the iterative process. Click on all of the highlighted words to read more. Return to Intro to fractals.. and click on B. More examples of self-similarity. Click on each example. Be sure to click on the Mandelbrot set. Return to Intro to fractals...and click on C. Initiators and Generators. Click on each example. Move the cursor over each diagram. Go back to the initial page. Click on 3. The Mandelbrot Set... Read the section, then click on I. The Mandelbrot Monk and read the article. Feel free to read any of the other links at this site. Write a brief summary about what you have read. (This is due Nov 2) FYI: Here is another interesting website on fractals: []
 * October 22-November 2, 2012**

Go to the following website are read the article. [] Answer the following questions using complete sentences: 1. What are the five Platonic Solids, how many faces does each have and what "elements" are associated with each? 2. Explain why there cannot be more than 5 of these solids. 3. What great astronomer first thought the orbits of the planets were related to the Platonic solids?
 * October 8-19, 2012 **

Read the article at the following website. [] Write a very brief summary about the article.
 * September 10-21, 2012**

Go to the following website and read the sections on determining the possibilities for lottery numbers and poker hands. Give a brief explanation of how the possiblities are determined for the lottery. Work the exercise given for you to try under the lottery section and check your answer. Then work the first exercise given for you to try under the poker section and check your answer. []
 * August 20-September 7, 2012**
 * Due Friday September 7**

Go to the following website and read the article. Write a brief synopsis of your reading. []
 * August 13-17, 2012**
 * Due Friday August 17, 2012**

Go to the following website and read the article. [|http://www.math.twsu.edu/history/Topics/algebra.html#boolean-alg] Answer the following questions using complete sentences. 1. Symbolic or Boolean algebra had a predecessor, what was it? 2. What mathematician developed symbolic logic, when, and why? 3. What is symbolic Boolean algebra's main concern? 4. What co-founder of the Calculus also worked with Boolean algebra? 5. Who was the founder of modern symbolic logic? 6. What two mathematicians tried to reduce all mathematics to logic but failed? 7. In what year was symbolic logic used first in telephone switching units and computers? 8. What are the three symbolic logic operators used when using the internet?
 * March 5-March 9, 2012**

Read the article about Perelman and comment on it. (I wonder if some of Gregory House's behaviors were based on this guy.) [] Go to the following website: [] tives/dailymath/population.html. Read the article and comment on it.
 * January 23-27, 2012 !**
 * January 16-20, 2012**

Read the article about tetrahedrons and comment on it. []
 * January 9-13, 2012**

Read the article about Mandelbrot, then google fractal. Comment on the article and your findings about fractals. [|http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/12/26/magazine/2010lives.html#view=beno_t_mandelbrot]
 * November 14-18, 2011**

Go to the following website: [] Read the article and comment on it. I think you will really be surprized by what you read. Again, I would enjoy reading your opinion about the article!
 * October 24-28, 2011**

Go to the following website: [] Read the article and comment on it. I would enjoyed reading your opinion about the article!
 * October 17-21, 2011**

Go to the following website: [] Read the article about Newton and Leibniz and write a few paragraphs about what you read.
 * October 10-14, 2011**

Go to the following website: [] Read the article about e and write a paragraph commenting on its contents. Go to the following website: [] Read the article at the site and comment on the Richter Scale and how it relates to logarithms. Go to the following website: [|http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/PEEPS/farley_jonathand.getsout.html#hollywood] Click on "Hollywood Mathematician" on the left side of the page. Read the article and write a paragraph about what you read.
 * September 19-23, 2011**
 * September 12-16, 2011**
 * September 5-9, 2011**

Go to the following website: [] Read the full article on Pascal's Triangle and write a paragraph on some of the interesting patterns found in Pascal's Triangle. Go to the following websites and write about the origins of the symbols for the set of integers and the set of rational numbers.
 * August 29-September 2, 2011**
 * August 22-26, 2011**
 * Due August 26, 2011**

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 * August 15-19, 2011**

Go to the following website: [|http://www.maths.surrey.ac.uk/hosted-sites/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibnat.html#bees] You may have to scroll to the top to see the beginning of the article. Read the following sections: Fibonacci's Rabbits, Dudeney's Cows, Honeybees and Family Trees. Write a paragraph or two about what you read. Do not work the "Things to do" sections.

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Read the article at the following website: [] Explain the difference between velocity and acceleration and work out the roller coaster problem.
 * November 8-November 12, 2010**

Go to the following website: [] Examine the "Power Rule" (in the first column) Problems & Mistakes. Write the problems on your paper worked correctly.
 * November 1-November 5, 2010**

Go to the following website: [] Read over and study the examples. At the end of example 2, one of the options states, "If you would like to test your knowledge by working some problems, click on problem." Work the first problem just like example 1.
 * September 13-September 17, 2010**

Go to the following website: [] Complete the student worksheet problems 1-5 about the logarithmic scale.
 * September 6-September 10, 2010**
 * Due September 10, 2010**