Wednesdays and Fridays from 1:30 to 2:50

Balmer 414

Teaching Assistant/Co-Instructor:

Stephanie Vance

E-Mail address: slvance@u.washington.edu

Office: Padelford

For Friday, January 11

NOTE: Both of the assignments for Friday should be sent to us on e-mail. Remember to start the subject line with "171". Send them to me (warfield@math) with a cc to Stephanie (slvance@u.washington.edu).


A) In the textbook, read the "Message to Prospective and Practicing Teachers" on pages 1 – 6. Think about it, then read it again and then write a brief (1/2 to 1 page) response. If you did not take Math 170 last quarter, then the response should basically center around 1) what that you just read do you look forward to with pleasure and/or excitement and 2) what makes you feel either anxious or skeptical?
If you did take 170 last quarter, you may opt instead to relate what you see there to what we did in 170 — what seems the same or different? What says the same thing as before but doesn't match what actually happened?

B) Also please send us a mathematical mini-autobiography. Basically, I am interested in how much mathematics you have had (especially how much of a geometrical nature) and how long ago you had it, and in your response to it all — i.e., how you feel about mathematics.
Please include with that your reason for taking this course. Are you planning on going into elementary education? Wondering about doing so? Just curious? Whatever! I have had excellent 171 students in all three of those categories — I'm asking because it helps me shape the course.

For Wednesday, January 16

A) Make polyhedral shapes: use the figures printed on card stock that you got with your book, and the instructions on p. 11 entitled "Preliminary Homework Activity for Section 16.2: Fold them up". This may be the only homework all quarter that you can do while watching TV or chatting about the Huskies game (but don't try to do it at a Huskies game.) You will definitely need the shapes in class on Wednesday.

B) Read Section 16.1. Turn in Learning Exercises 1 – 6.

For Friday, January 18

Read Section 16.2. Turn in Learning Exercises 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9

For Wednesday, January 23

Read Section 16.3.

Turn in a verbal description of the steps required for the Activity "Rerading a Net" on page 19.

Turn in Learning Exercises 1 – 3, 4 a-c and h, 8, 10, and 18.

For Friday, January 25

NOTE: There will be a mini-test the last 20 minutes of class.

Read sections 16.4 - 16.7

From 16.4, turn in #6 and 7

From 16.5, turn in #1, 4, 6, and 10

From 16.6, turn in #2

16.7 is simply review -- good preparation for the mini-test.

On Friday you may use your collection of shapes if you like. I'm not sure whether or not they will be helpful!

For Wednesday, January 30

Read 17.1 Record all the definitions on a 3x5 card or 4X6 card that you can keep handy.

Hand in#2, 4, 5 a-c, 9 – 14, 16

For Friday, February 1:

Read 17.2 and hand in 17.2 # 2, 3, 4, 5
Read 17.3 and hand in #2, 3, 6

For Wednesday, February 6

Read 17.4 and turn in #1 and #5
Read 18.1 and turn in #1 – 6, #8 and #13

For Friday, February 8

Here are the numerically possible vertices for a semi-regular tiling:
3.3.3.3.3.3
3.3.3.3.6
3.3.3.4.4 {also 3.3.4.3.4}
3.3.4.12 {also 3.4.3.12}
3.3.6.6 {also 3.6.3.6}
3.4.4.6 {also 3.4.6.4}
3.12.12
4.4.4.4
4.6.12
4.8.8 *
5.5.10

6.6.6

You know that 6.6.6, 4.4.4.4, and 3.3.3.3.3.3 will give tilings (regular ones, in fact.)

In class I demonstrated that 8.8.4 is possible – that is, that it is possible to construct a semi-regular tiling each of whose vertices follows the recipe of having a square and two octagons.

I also demonstrated that if you follow the recipe correctly, constructing first one vertex and then another, 5.5.10 produces a contradiction.

I recommend warming up by trying those two on your own papers.

Your assignment is to use your Tesselation Tracer to check all the others and determine which ones can give proper semi-regular tilings. If you think one does, you need to show enough of the pattern to convince a friendly skeptic that the pattern will indeed go on forever in all directions. If you think it doesn't, indicate the order in which you constructed the vertices in your figure and the place where a contradiction arises.

For Wednesday, February 13:

In the Learning Exercises for 18.1, turn in #7,11,12

For Friday, February 15

NOTE: There will be a 20 minute mini-test at the beginning of class. It will cover 17.1, 18.1, 19.1 and 20.1.

Read Chapter 20.1 and turn in Learning Exercises #1,2, and 15

In the Learning Exercises for 19.1, turn in #8

Now go back to
Activity: Stranger Cover-ups on page 90. Trace each of the shapes onto
card stock or heavy paper, cut them out and make a monohedral tiling
with each of them. They will, in fact all tile. When you are finished,
think about how you produced the tilings with the quadrilaterals. First
figure out what pattern or procedure you wound up using, then write out
how you could give instructions to someone over the phone, telling them
how to tile with the quadrilateral in their hand, even though you can't
see their quadrilateral yourself. [Note: I strongly recommend labeling the vertices on the template, and then again on the first few repetitions of it in your tiling.]

For Wednesday, February 20 [revised 2/18]

Most of your assignment is to get started on your projects, as described on today's handout, which is also attached on the left.

In addition, read Sections 18.3, and 20.4

For Friday, February 22

First an announcement: I will not be having office hours this Friday. I will be available after class if you need me.

Read Chapter 23.1

Turn in Learning Exercises 5,8,10,12,15,22,24

For Wednesday, February 27 Read Chapter 24.1 Turn in # 5, 6, 7, 13, 15 and 24

For Friday, February 29

(Happy Leap Day!)

First off, remember that Friday is GAME TOURNAMENT DAY

Please don't miss class unless you are deathly ill or have a really, truly dire emergency. And if you are currently the one in possession of one of the games, don't forget to bring it to class!!!

OK, the homework: Read Chapter 24.2 and turn in Exercises #4, 6, 8, 10, and 11

This assignment got extended to Wednesday. Also due Wednesday was an analysis of game strategiew as revealed on Game Tournament Day.

For Friday, March 7

There will be a mini-test covering Chapter 23.2, 24. 1 - 3 and 25.1

Read Chapter 24.3 and turn in thr Activity on page 248.

Read Chapter 25.1 and turn in #18 a - d.

By Monday night (3/10) e-mail to Stephanie and me a lesson plan with

1) What you will tell the class and which of you will tell it;

2) What problem(s) or activity(ies) you will have the class do and how you will present it (them). This should be presenteded by the person who did not do (1).

[Added comment after seeing Emma and Amanda's excellent lesson: the best thing is for both of you to be contibuting at all times, as they did, but I would silllike to see one person have the official responsibility for each part.]

3) How you plan to de-brief at the end

4) How much time you are allocating to each of the above.

Then (as stated in the original project directions) by Monday, 3/17, you must each submit a report consisting of your plan in its final form (the way it was just before you taught it) and your analysis of what worked and what didn�t.