Exploring the Fourth Dimension

Catalog description

This interdisciplinary seminar explores all the mathematics students have seen or ever will see, concentrating on an engaging topic that begins with elementary geometry and branches out to literature, history, philosophy, and art as well as physics and other sciences. Guideposts to the fourth dimension include Salvador Dali's Corpus Hypercubicus, Edwin Abbott Abbott's Flatland, and Jeff Weeks' The Shape of Space. Students will investigate new mathematical topics such as combinatorics, regular polytopes, topology, and non-Euclidean geometry. Although students will use computers for visualization, no computer experience is required. There are no specific mathematical prerequisites except curiosity and a willingness to participate actively. Students considering concentrations in humanities, social sciences, and the arts are especially invited to this first-year seminar. Enrollment limited to 19 first year students.