MAT200
Franklin College
Erich Prisner

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Writing Project

You have to write one research paper of about three pages length on a mathematical subject related to the topics we cover in class. Each student is assigned a different topic from the list below. The topics vary in mathematical difficulty, so check with me when you have made a choice whether I consider this topic appropriate for you. You have to give me a first draft two weeks after you have chosen the topic, a second draft one week after the first draft, and the paper two more weeks later, so overall you have five weeks for the whole project. 

For some of the topics you need sources, for some you don't. If you use sources, please cite and quote correctly and completely, also internet sources. A good but brief introduction for writing research papers (based on the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers) can be found here.  Read also Stephen B Maurer's notes and Stephen L. Kleiman's notes for writing mathematical papers.

For the technical side, note that Word contains a formula editor. You can also write your paper in MathCad.

List of topics

  1. Optimizing the lifeguard's path (optimization) (not possible this semester)
  2. Bernoulli and l'Hospital' s Rule (limits and derivatives)
  3. Doubly Related Rates (related rates) (not possible this semester)
  4. Barrel Formula I (integrals)
  5. (Exploiting oil optimally) (integrals) (not possible this semester)
  6. Track and field world records (optimization)
  7. Volume of a glass (integrals)
  8. Minimizing a triangle area (optimization)
  9. Barrel formula II (integrals) (not possible this semester)
  10. Bernstein polynomials (derivatives and integrals)
  11. Optimal tower design (optimization) (not possible this semester)
  12. (Bezier Curves)
  13. Integrals
  14. Landing an Airplane (functions)
  15. Taylor Polynomials
  16. The shape of cans (optimization)
  17. Beams in corridors and envelopes
  18. Functions with all derivatives negative (higher derivatives) (not possible this semester)
  19. Limits
  20. Newton's method versus bisection method for finding zeros
  21. Cauchy and rigor in calculus  
  22. Seeing England from the airplane (functions) (not possible this semester)
  23. A generalization of concaveness (derivatives) (not possible this semester)
  24. Radioactive Material and the Future (integrals)
  25. Optimizing the lifeguard's path II (optimization)
  26. Selling grapes (not possible this semester, too easy)
  27. Folding Paper (optimization)
  28. Tangential Circles (second derivative)
  29. Baseball I (related rates)
  30. Baseball II (related rates and integration)

The grading will be based on


Erich Prisner, August 2003