Author: Prof. Bockting

Getting Involved with the DePaul Math Club

Prof. Bockting Events, Math Activity, Outreach, Student Opportunities

The DePaul Math Club (DMC)has had a busy and exciting school year! Throughout the year, DMC has hosted and participated in many wonderfully successful events.  Recently, this list has included the following:

  • The week before Winter Quarter finals, six DePaul math students road-tripped to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois for the annual meeting of the Illinois Section of the Mathematical Association of America. They reported that it was an absolute blast to carpool across Illinois, attend talks, participate in activities, and hang out at their Airbnbs.
  • On Friday, April 19, twenty-five students participated in the CSH First Annual Integration Bee, which proved to be a huge success for all.  In addition to the intense, but friendly competition (see results in above article), there were plenty of chances to mingle, munch on tasty treats, and participate in other fun activities. First place won $500, $200 went to second place, and third took home $100.
  • On Friday, April 26, a group of students ventured to Indiana for the Annual Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Math Conference, where they attended talks and networked with other attendees.  Expenses for transportation, housing, and food were generously covered by the DePaul Math Department.

If you are interested in getting more involved with this exciting and vibrant group next year, please complete this short form:

You can also reach out to the DMC leadership team directly by emailing dpumathclub@gmail.com.

DMC Trip to Rose-Hulman’s Undergraduate

Prof. Bockting Events, Math Activity, Math Talks, Student Opportunities

On Friday, April 26, a group of DePaul students ventured to Indiana for the Annual Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Math Conference.  The conference featured research conducted by undergraduate students, including DePaul’s own Owen Levens.  In addition to attending (and giving!) research talks, students were able to network with other attendees and explore Rose-Hulman’s campus. Many good times were had and lots of interesting mathematics was learned!  You can learn more about their adventures by visiting the DePaul Math Club Instagram.

Expenses for transportation, housing, and food were generously covered by the DePaul Department of Mathematical Sciences.


Solution to Mathematical Toy Box – SQ2024 #1

Prof. Bockting Problems & Solutions

There are three houses, equally spaced on a street, labeled in order A, B, and C, in which five children live. There is at least one child in each house. The children decide on a weekend to arrange a playdate, and the meeting place is the house that minimizes the total distance traveled. What is the probability that the children meet at house B?

Solution: One can track all the possible configurations of children distributed in the three houses, along with the total distance (number of segments) travelled by the children in attending the playdate at the various houses:

We observe that the minimum total distance occurs in house B in 4 out of the 6 cases (highlighted blue), giving a probability of 2/3.

This problem is based on a 1950s Putnam problem, which involved a much more general result. For a shortcut, we note that the house that minimizes the total distance is the one in which where Child #3 resides.

CSH Integration Bee on Friday, 4/19

Prof. Bockting Events, Math Activity, Outreach, Student Opportunities

Why are Integrals so awesome? They’re like puzzle pieces that unlock a world of possibilities! From finding areas and volumes to pinpointing central locations, they’re the superheroes of math, science, and beyond!

But wait, there’s more! Picture this: a showdown of epic proportions, where students go head-to-head, solving integrals in a race against time. Well that’s our Integration Bee—an electrifying math tournament where every answer unlocks the door to victory! Plus, it’s not just about the competition. There’ll be plenty of chances to mingle, munch on tasty treats, and dive into fun activities.

 

If that wasn’t exciting enough, the CSH Integration Bee is awarding $500 to the first place winner, $200 to second place, and $100 to third. The CSH Integration Bee will take place 12:00pm-3:00pm on Friday, April 19 in McGowan South 107. Sign up here by April 12th! If you don’t want to compete, no worries–come watch your peers beat each other to bloody pulps with calculus for money! Flyer and info sheet attached!

Math Conference Trips

Prof. Bockting Events, Math Activity, Math Talks, Student Opportunities

The week before Winter Quarter finals, six DePaul math students road tripped to Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois for the annual meeting of the Illinois Section of the Mathematical Association of America. It was an absolute blast to carpool across Illinois, attend talks, participate in activities, and hang out at our Airbnbs. We’re looking forward to the next one, and can’t wait to see you there!

Speaking of the next conference, the DePaul Math Club will be venturing four hours by car into Indiana for the Annual Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Math Conference. We’re carpooling on the evening of Friday 4/26, staying the night in Indiana, and heading back the next day once the conference is concluded. It’s going to be a blast, and I would love to see you there. Expenses are being generously covered by the DePaul Math Department—so long as receipts are kept and expenses are reasonable and under transportation, housing, or food. Sign up here, and read more here. Registration is free until April 13 then it costs $10, so don’t delay!

DePaul Math Club

Prof. Bockting Events, Math Talks

The DePaul Math Club meets Fridays at 12:00 in Arts and Letters 410. It’s a great time filled with pizza, beverages, great people, a relaxed environment, and some fascinating mathematics—math that’s both niche and underdiscussed and the hottest topics leading the math world today. We are usually joined by student researchers, graduate students, or professors—some from DePaul and some from other institutions—to share the math they work with. No math background required. We hope that you will join us for one of our upcoming meetings:

  • Friday, 4/12* – Talk by Dr. Emily Barnard
  • Friday, 4/19 – Integration Bee (special time and location)
  • Friday, 4/26 – Talk by Dr. David Sher

After the Math Club Meeting on 4/12, there will also be MAT Community Tea & Coffee Hours back in the Math Dept. on the 5th floor of SAC.

MAT Community Tea & Coffee Hour Dates for Spring 2024

Prof. Bockting Events

Throughout the year, the MAT Department hosts a number of informal events meant to help build and sustain our mathematical sciences community here at DePaul. These events provide an opportunity to meet with fellow MAT students, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as MAT faculty members in a relaxed setting.

We will have four teas during the spring quarter:

  • Friday, 4/12 at 1:30-2:45 pm
  • Friday, 5/3 at 1:30-2:45 pm
  • Friday, 5/17 at 1:30-2:45 pm
  • Friday, 5/31 at 1:30-2:45 pm

These community hours will take place in the MAT Department office suite (on the 5th floor of SAC). Light refreshments, such as coffee, tea, and cookies, will be served. We hope that you can join us.