Math 104                  Project #1: A Mathematical Autobiography           Spring 02005

Due date and time: Friday, January 14, 02005, 1:10:00 P.M. EST.

          The first project, worth a total of 50 points, will be to describe your personal mathematical history in a short essay.

          Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, and should run a minimum of three pages. For the purposes of this course, “three pages” means that your essay should extend onto a fourth sheet of paper (and similarly for “four pages”, “five pages”, and so on). A paper with two full pages of text and three words (or three sentences, for that matter) on the last page is a two-page paper. The pages should be stapled in the upper left corner. You should use a 12-point font and 1-inch margins on all four sides. Your paper must use proper punctuation and grammar. In addition to running a spell-checker, you should also proofread your paper carefully after printing it for errors that a spell-checker won’t catch and make simple corrections in black ink. If there are more than three corrections necessary on a single page, correct them on the computer and reprint that page.

          The paper is intended to be a description of some of your mathematical experiences from birth until today, coupled with some reflection on how those experiences have influenced how you now think about mathematics. The following questions may be useful in guiding your thinking–you need not answer all (or even any) of them. Despite this list of questions, your paper should be structured as an essay rather than as a collection of answers to questions.

          What topics in mathematics did you like, and which did you dislike? Why?

          Who were the people who played a positive role in your mathematical life? In what ways and why? Who played a negative role, and why?

          Describe your good mathematical experiences and the bad ones.

          What are your earliest memories of mathematics or numbers?

          What experience do you have working with calculators and computers?

Your elementary and middle school experiences:

          Did mathematics come easily to you?

          Did you enjoy it?

          What were your favorite activities?

          What are your most memorable mathematical experiences from these grades?

Your high school and college experiences:

          What were your courses in algebra, geometry, and precalculus like?

          If you have studied calculus or any math beyond calculus, what was that like?

          Did you have any “bad” years or courses?

          What gaps or weaknesses do you think you are bringing with you?

          What are your strengths?

          Did you like these courses?

          Did you have any unusual courses?

          How hard did you work?

          Did the material come easily or did you have to study a lot?