Spring 2001 Schedule

• Episode I: Got Math? (March 21, 2001)
  In this, the first installment of the VU Undergraduate Seminar in Mathematics, Patrick Bahls explains why shoes are shaped the way they are and how one can mathematically analyze a saltine cracker.

• Epsiode II: Mad Cows and Hungry Locusts (March 28, 2001)
  In this, the second exciting episode of the VU Undergraduate Seminar in Mathematics, Meredith Greer explains how it is that biology gets translated into mathematics, and how we can use this knowledge to save the world!

• Episode III: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know About Infinity (But Were Afraid to Ask) (April 4, 2001)
  In this, the third riveting episode of the VU Undergraduate Seminar in Mathematics, Jac Cole and Nikolaos Galatos answer your questions: How big is infinity? How can two infinities be of different sizes? What do we mean when we say one infinity is bigger than another?

• Episode IV: Coloring -- It's Not Just for Kindergartners Anymore! (April 11, 2001)
  Cartographers want to create maps that are both accurate and attractive. However, printing in color is often expensive. How few colors can a mapmaker use and still have a legible map? A busy secretary needs ot schedule a series of meetings so that no person has two meetings at the same time. Is there a way to schedule them so that no one has to work overtime? In this week's Undergraduate Seminar in Mathematics, Dana Gaston will explain how mathematicians approach such problems using Graph Theory.

• Episode V: The Mathemagician (April 18, 2001)
  In the final VU Undergraduate Seminar in Mathematics of the semester, Petar Markovic will give you thrills and chills as he astounds you with great mathematical puzzles, riddles, and games! Learn fun math tricks to impress and amaze your friends!