Emory Math Circle Week of Mathematical Exploration

Who: Math Circle students currently in levels C and D
 
Where: Room W201 of Emory's Math and Science Center
 
When: 9:30 am - 4:30 on Monday June 5th through Friday June 9th
 
Cost: The program is free, but we're asking for a donation of $75 from families who can afford it. 
 
Application Info: Please apply by February 28th to receive full consideration.  We expect the application process to be competitive.  We will let you know if you've been accepted by mid-March. 
 
Description:
 
Experience the process of doing mathematics by diving deeply into an exploratory problem. Participants will work in groups of 2 or 3 and pick one problem to focus on for the week. Like professional mathematicians, they will do examples, ask questions, look for patterns, make conjectures, and come up with their own proofs. They will be assigned a graduate student mentor who they will meet with twice a day. We will end each day with a lecture given by a mathematics faculty member. On the last day, we will have lunch with some undergraduate students who are at Emory for the summer to do mathematics research, and they will give short "teaser talks" introducing their research areas. Afterwards, participants will give presentations about their findings.
 
 
Schedule: 
 
Monday through Thursday
 
9 - 9:30 am Drop Off
9:30 - 10 am Non-Mathematical Group Activity
10 am - 12 pm Work on Problem
12 - 1 pm Lunch Break
1 - 3 pm Work on Problem
3 - 3:30 pm Non-Mathematical Group Activity
3:30 - 4:30 pm Faculty Lecture
4:30 - 5 pm Pick Up
 
Friday
 
9 - 9:30 am Drop Off
9:30 - 11:30 am Presentation Practice
11:30 am - 1:30 pm Lunch with Teaser Talks
1:30 - 4:30 pm Presentations
 
Notes: 
 
- Please bring your own lunch Monday - Thursday.  A microwave is available if needed. We will provide lunch on Friday. 
- Parents are invited to the presentations on Friday afternoon.
- We hope to venture outside of the building at least once a day - having lunch outside, working in the library, taking a walk during one of the Group Activity slots, etc. 
- We expect to admit around 15 students. 
 

Email Address

We will send a confirmation email to this address.  If you do not receive a confirmation email within 24 hours, please let us know. 
 

Applicant Information

Current Math Circle Level *
I participated in the Week of Mathematical Exploration last summer *
NOTE: The application problem is optional for students who participated last summer. 

Application Problem

Start with an NxM rectangle.  You want to break it up into squares in the most efficient way possible (i.e. using the smallest number of squares). The squares don’t have to have integer side lengths.

For example, here’s a way (not necessarily the most efficient way) to break an 11x13 rectangle into 8 squares.

Example

Spend a few (2 - 5) hours playing with this set-up - asking questions, doing examples, looking for patterns, making conjectures, and trying to prove them. Then tell us what you did! We want a narrative of your thought process that includes the wrong turns and the dead ends.  It doesn’t have to be polished but should include words (preferably full sentences), pictures, and maybe a chart or two.

Please work by yourself, and don’t look anything up. 


Application Essay

In a few paragraphs, tell us why you to participate in our program. Before you write this, please look at the description and schedule at the beginning of the application and work on the application problem. We will be spending 5 hours each day doing math (4 working on your problem, and 1 listening to a faculty lecture). If this doesn't sound like fun to you, the program probably won't be a good fit. 

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