MAT 2550 - Mathematics: A Cultural Perspective

3 cr

This course studies the development of various branches of mathematics from ancient times to the present, and investigates historical and multicultural influences on the development of mathematics, to include non-Western cultures. While mathematics in present-day Western society is usually associated with science and technical fields, mathematical ideas in other cultural groups develop through storytelling and myth, art, music, philosophy, or the structure of marriage rules. This course provides an introduction to mathematics that affects political, sociological and economic situations in modern society. Topics such as voting systems; fairness conditions; power indices; fair division methods and their applications; apportionment methods; Euler and Hamilton circuits and their applications; networks; scheduling; and elementary game theory may be included. Students conduct research and present their findings as written reports and oral presentations.
This course fulfills the World Views or the Scientific and Mathematical Understanding Frame of Reference.
Prerequisite: MAT 1020 or consent of instructor.
Spring