Communicating
Mathematics
MATH 4827/5827
Spring 2008
Assignments
April 2
Assignment 22: Go through and critique the PowerPoint presentation "How To Give a Talk." Write a paragraph listing five ways in which the presentation could be improved. Send your critique to me by 10 am, Friday, April 4.
March 24Assignment 21: Read the six book reviews in the three issues of Math Horizons that you have. Write a few sentences describing which review you liked best and why.
March 19
Assignment 20:
1. Write an abstract for the essay that you have just handed in. E-mail your abstract to me by 10 a.m., Monday, March 24.
2. Complete the exercise Verbosity IV. Bring the completed exercise to class on Monday, March 24.
Assignment 19: Read "A Guide to Writing an Abstract."
March 12
Assignment 18: Select an article from Math Horizons and write a persuasive news release of no more than 250 words, describing why a topic, person, or event mentioned in the article is worthy of media coverage. Include a headline. Send your news release to me by 10 a.m., Friday, March 14.
March 10
Assignment 17: Readings
A Field Guide for Science Writers, "Communicating Science from Institutions" (pp. 262--266).
"The E8 News Story."
Feb. 27
Assignment 16: Read the article "Polling the Polling Experts: How Accurate and Useful Are Polls These Days?", then complete the question sheet. Bring your answers to class on Friday, Feb. 29, or submit your answers to me by e-mail before 10:15 am, Feb. 29.
Feb. 22
Assignment 15:
Readings:
A Field Guide for Science Writers, "Understanding and Using Statistics" (Chapter 3, pp. 18-25).
"Polling the Polling Experts: How Accurate and Useful Are Polls These Days?"
Feb. 20
Assignment 14: Go to the YouTube video website (http://youtube.com/). Search on the term "mathematics," and select a suitable video from the list of 3,840 videos that comes up. Write one paragraph describing what the video is about, what value it might have, and whether you would recommend it to others. Submit your review to me by 10 am, Friday, Feb. 22. Include the URL identifying the video.
Feb. 18
Assignment 13: Prepare a first draft of your essay (at least 750 but no more than 1500 words). Submit a copy to me via e-mail by 10 am, Wednesday, Feb. 27. Print it out and bring three copies to class on Wednesday, Feb. 27.
Feb. 13
Assignment 12:
Reading: A Field Guide for Science Writers, "Broadcast Science Journalism" (Chapter 11, pp. 73-78) and "The Science Essay" (Chapter 22, pp. 145-150) .
Feb. 11
Assignment 11:
1. Edit the given passage from a computer science paper, eliminating unnecessary and irrelevant ideas and words (see MATH 4827 web page). Bring your edited version to class on Wednesday, Feb. 13.
2. Research your essay topic and create an outline for your essay. Submit your outline to me by 10 am, Monday, Feb. 18.
Feb. 6
Assignment 10: Complete "Grammar and Usage Exercise III" and bring the completed exercise to the next class (Feb. 8). See MATH 4827 web page.
Feb. 4
Assignment 9:
Readings: "A Likely Story . . . And That's Precisely the Problem" (see MATH 4827 web page).
Finding Information on the Internet: A Tutorial (see MATH 4827 web page).
Feb. 1
Assignment 8:
1. Rewrite the explanation that you submitted in assignment 5. Submit the revised version to me by 10 am, Wednesday, Feb. 6.
2. Choose a topic for your essay. Send a one-paragraph description (abstract) of what you intend to write about by 10 am, Friday, Feb. 8.
Jan. 30
Assignment 7:
1. Reading: A Field Guide for Science Writers, "Gee Whiz Science Writing" (Chapter 19, pp. 126-131) and "Explanatory Writing" (Chapter 20, pp. 132-137) .
2. Complete "Grammar and Usage Exercise II" and bring the completed exercise to the next class (Feb. 1).
Jan. 28
Assignment 6:
Read “High Fashion Goes Mathematical,” by Gwen Fisher (Math Horizons, September 2007, pp. 22-24).
(a) Write an alternative lead (one or two sentences) for the story. How would you change the kicker to match the new lead?
(b) Select a mathematical term that you think is not defined or explained clearly enough in the story. Compose a definition or explanation that you could incorporate into the article.
E-mail your assignment to me at ivarspeterson@gmail.com by 10 am, Wednesday, Jan. 30.
Jan. 25
Assignment 5:
1. Reading: A Field Guide for Science Writers, "Technology and Engineering" (Chapter 30), pp. 209-215. Also, read "Tips for Explaining Something Complex" (with Example).
2. Write a 250-word explanation of how something works. The item could be a household tool or appliance, an electronic or mechanical gadget, a mathematical, physical, chemical, or biological process, or even how the dimples on a golf ball affect its flight. You can find other ideas at How Stuff Works. E-mail your assignment to me at ivarspeterson@gmail.com by 10 am, Monday, Jan. 28.
Jan. 23
Assignment 4: Complete the grammar and usage exercise and bring the completed exercise to the next class (Jan. 25). Read "How to Write Good."
Jan. 18
Assignment 3: Find a recent science or mathematics news story. How effective is its first sentence (or paragraph)? In what ways could the sentence (or paragraph) be improved? Submit the selected passage (with bibliographic citation) and your "improved" version to me via e-mail at ivarspeterson@gmail.com by 10 am, Wednesday, Jan. 23.
Jan. 16
Assignment 2:
1. On the Internet, find three stories that each have a sentence including the word "only." In each case, write out the sentence and state whether the placement of "only" is correct or incorrect. If it is incorrect, indicate where "only" should go. E-mail your assignment to me at ivarspeterson@gmail.com by 10 am, Friday, Jan. 18.
2. Reading: A Field Guide for Science Writers, "Science Editing" (Chapter 16), pp. 100-106.
Jan. 13
Assignment 1:
1. Write one paragraph on what you expect (or hope) to get out of the course. E-mail your paragraph (as a text or Word file) to me at ivarspeterson@gmail.com by 10 am, Wednesday, Jan. 16.
2. Reading: A Field Guide for Science Writers, "Writing Well About Science: Techniques from Teachers of Science Writing" (Chapter 4), pp. 26-33.
