Preface:

A seminar led by Dennis DeTurck, Professor of Mathematics, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences

Problems are the life-blood of mathematics. From the most elementary level to the frontiers research,nothing teaches us more, or gives us more satisfaction, than finding the solution to a mathematical problem. And the only way to hone our problem-solving skills is practice, practice, practice.

Problems are different from exercises. The latter are important for developing skill, but a problem often seems mysterious and requires exploration, false starts, and occasional inspiration before it yields its solution.

In this seminar, we’ll look at problems from many parts of mathematics: arithmetic, geometry, algebra and beyond, and discuss and employ strategies for their solution. The goals are to gain facility and confidence with a variety of mathematical problems that can be brought into the classroom, and to have some fun while doing it.