TOPIC: Symmetry Symmetry seems to be an important idea in mathematics, but how do mathematicians think about symmetry? In this workshop, we’ll talk about mathematical objects called groups, see how they are used to describe symmetry, and then put them to work to help us answer some nontrivial counting problems. WHAT IS GEMS: The Gateway to […]
TOPIC: The Mathematics of Information We are surrounded by information. Words in books, ones and zeros in computers, mathematical equations, and DNA sequences are all examples of information, but can […]
TOPIC: Working Together without a Leader Bees all work together by communicating and obeying the orders of the Queen. Other animals gather in swarms, flocks, or schools and move in complicated ways without any leader at all. In a school of fish, each one is identical and they all follow the same simple rules. Yet they still […]
TOPIC: Superheroes vs. Supercomputers Superheroes like Wonder Woman, Black Panther, Superman, and Captain Marvel, just to name a few, all have "super" power and they save the world from "super"-villains. […]
TOPIC: The Mathematics of Reapportionment and Census Data Every ten years, the United States Census Bureau conducts a count of all persons living in the United States; one of those population counts will be carried out this year (2020). This Census is mandated by the US Constitution; it counts all people residing in the United […]
