Mathematics

Scotland has brought the world many fine delights and curiosities such as penicillin, the telephone, malt whisky, deep-fried candy bars, and free market economics. It should come as no surprise, therefore, to learn that Fair Alba has also been the source of several important mathematical discoveries and developments.

The Mathematics Department will supply pumpkins, carving tools and prizes. You supply the creativity to produce the best mathematically themed Jack-O-Lantern. Sign up in advance (By Wednesday, October 25) as an individual or team with Professor Olinick (molinick@middlebury.edu). Everyone is welcome to participate with or without Halloween costumes!

We’ll consider two nagging questions from Calculus I:

There is much debate in the statistics community about the place of probability in an introductory statistics course. However, students will invariably be faced with day-to-day decisions that require a probabilistic assessment of risk and reward. This talk will present an innovative way to teach students in an introductory statistics course how to reason about probability and expected value through a web applet and the board game Camel Up. Come prepared to participate in group activities involving fun, games, and probability calculations!