2010 Section Meeting

Invited talks

Doug Ensley, Shippensburg University

A Recurring Theme in the Mathematics of Sports

Abstract: In recognition of April as Mathematics Awareness Month, this presentation will focus on this year's theme, "Mathematics and Sports." One of the primary themes of a discrete mathematics course is "recursive thinking." As it turns out, it is easy to use this idea in the modeling of many sporting events, ranging from baseball to bowling to tennis. In this presentation, we will start with simple recursive models and build up to Markov chain analysis. Along the way we will compare the predictions of our models to real data from the world of sports. See http://www.mathaware.org for more information on Mathematics Awareness Month.

Francis Su, Harvey Mudd College

Voting in Agreeable Societies

Abstract: When do majorities exist? How does the geometry of the political spectrum influence the outcome? What does mathematics have to say about how people behave? When mathematical objects have a social interpretation, the associated theorems have social applications. We give examples of situations where sets model preferences, and prove extensions of classical theorems on convex sets such as Helly's theorem that can be used in the analysis of voting in "agreeable" societies. This talk also features research with undergraduates.

Laura Taalman, James Madison University

Sudoku: Questions, Variations and Research

Abstract: Sudoku puzzles and their variants are linked to many mathematical problems involving combinatorics, Latin squares, magic squares, polyominos, symmetries, computer algorithms, the rook problem, graph colorings, and permutation group theory. In this talk we will explore variations of Sudoku and the many open problems and new results in this new field of recreational mathematics. Many of the problems we will discuss are suitable for undergraduate research projects. Puzzle handouts will be available for all to enjoy!