2015 Section Meeting
Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, PA
Friday, April 9 - Saturday, April 10
Invited talks
Barbara Faires, Westminster College and MAA
The First 100 Years
Abstract: On December 31, 1915, 104 delegates voted to form the Mathematical Association of America and The Monthly was formally transferred to the MAA. The mast head of volume 23, January 1916, issue reads: The American Mathematical Monthly, official journal of the Mathematical Association of America. In this talk, I will use The Monthly as a lens for highlighting the life of the MAA over these first 100 years.
Dave Kung, St. Mary's College of Maryland
Harmonious Equations: A Mathematical Exploration of Music
Abstract: Mathematics and music seem to come from different spheres (arts and sciences), yet they share an amazing array of commonalities. We will explore these connections by examining the musical experience from a mathematical perspective. The mathematical study of a single vibrating string unlocks a world of musical overtones and harmonics-and even explains why a clarinet plays so much lower than its similar-sized cousin the flute. Calculus, and the related field of differential equations, shows us how our ears hear differences between two instruments-what musicians call timbre-even when they play the same note at the same loudness. Finally, abstract algebra gives modern language to the structures beneath the surface of Bach's magnificent canons and fugues. Throughout the talk, mathematical concepts will come to life with musical examples played by the speaker, an amateur violinist.
Ron Wasserstein, American Statistical Association
Living with the Improbability Principle
Abstract: The Improbability Principle: Why Coincidences, Miracles, and Rare Events Happen Every Day is a stimulating 2014 book by distinguished statistician David Hand. Ron Wasserstein, Executive Director of the American Statistical Association, will talk about how this principle affects our lives and perspectives, the surprising ways in which our notions of such things as probability and coincidence can mislead us, and the dismaying realization that understanding this principle better does not necessarily change our thinking.