06.21.07
Hooray for Boston
Boston is the featured article on Wikipedia today!
Boston, Massachusetts - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
technorati tags:web, wikipedia, boston
Blogged with Flock
I have left Harvard as of July 1, 2008 to take a position at
NYU.
This website has been cached and left static. Feel free to browse
my new website,
aka "What the heck is a Clinical Associate Professor?"
12.06.05
Is Numb3rs for real? Kinda!
I often get asked if math is like how it’s depicted in popular culture. The answer is usually no. For example, in Good Will Hunting, Matt Damon’s advisor has a lush office ensconced in wood and leather and complete with a fireplace. I’ve never seen any professor’s office have such an office, at least on this continent.
But an exception to that rule is Numb3rs, which strikes me as being a surprisingly accurate portrayal of a mathematician’s life. OK, we don’t all use math to solve crimes, and there was this ridiculous scene in which the mathematician covers the inside of a barn with chalkboards to work on a problem. But at least the problem (the famous P vs. NP question) was a real one.
The show uses a team of mathematicians from Caltech (see “They’re calculatingly cool“, by Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 2005-02-08) as consultants, and they’ve gotten it right. Not only is the mathematics discussed pretty real. The mathematician character isn’t some stuffy professor with leather patches on his elbows. He prefers T-shirts and jeans to sportcoats, he uses aloofness to cover his shyness, and he’s only passionate about solving problems. This profile describes more mathematicians I know than Matt Damon or Russell Crowe does.
Even the guy’s office is true-to-life. Nothing posh; just a pretty bare room with linoleum tile, an uncurtained window, a radiator, a desk littered with paper, and a chalkboard. This conjures up to me images of just about every graduate student office at MIT (except they are larger and are shared by several students per office).
To other mathematicians, I say the question is not so much whether this portrayal is accurate. There is a show on network prime time about math! I’ve heard CSI is not necessarily an accurate portrayal of crime-scene detection, but if gets young people interested in science, who cares? From the USA Today article: “If just one 14-year-old realizes that following a love for mathematics can lead to totally cool, intellectually fascinating work, [Caltech math department head Gary] Lordon says he’ll be pleased. ‘Even the smartest kids ask, “But what do you do?” ‘
09.20.05
Can I take Math X for medical school?
When advising students on choosing their math courses, many are concerned about whether the Math Xa and Math Xb sequence will hurt their prospects of medical school admission. The Harvard Office of Career Services has a great site and a document called Premedical Information for Harvard Students, Courses & Resources. This guide says that the mathematics required for medical consists of one year, including some calculus. It also explicitly states that Math Xab is acceptable.
Math X is not a remedial course; it is an integrated precalculus + calculus course. It’s great for students who need the both. Students finishing Math Xb have proficiency at the level of Math 1a. They can go on right into Math 1b the following fall.
Permalink Comments off
09.09.05
What is the difference between AP Calculus and Math 1a and 1b?
At Harvard we get a large and increasing number of students who have taken the Advanced Placement Calculus AB or Calculus BC exams. These courses have syllabi similar to those in our first-year calculus classes. The topics in Calculus AB roughly correspond to Math 1a (although Math 1a is a semester-long course and Calculus AB is a year-long course), and Calculus BC roughly corresponds to the Math 1a and Math 1b sequence.
But there are big differences between an AP course and our first-year undergraduate courses. Read the rest of this entry »
09.06.05
What the heck is a preceptor?
My most FAQ. Harvard has lots of terms that practically nobody else uses, and this is one of them. But that doesn’t make it incorrect.
For all intents and purposes, a preceptor is a post-doctorate, non-tenure-track, junior faculty appointment focused on teaching. I am involved in teaching and course heading many courses in the calculus sequence (varying from term to term). I also deal with the training of graduate students and junior faculty members in their teaching. A third duty is advising students in mathematics courses.
Google can find a number of definitions for “precept”, and they say it’s a sort of like a tradition that’s both a rule and a belief. In that sense, a preceptor is in charge of the rules, more than just a teacher but an overseer of teaching. At least, that’s as much as I can make out of it.
Sub-question: So what do I call you? I have a Ph.D. and hold a junior faculty appointment (it’s not my first, either). Most of the time that would earn me the title of “Professor.” However, the word “professor” is not in my appointment and so the title “Professor” is probably not in accordance with academic protocol. But you can call me “Dr.” If it works for doctors of medicine and optometry, it should for those of philosophy. 
Permalink Comments off
Should I take Math 20 or 21?
I’m teaching Math 20 again this fall and I’m getting e-mailed a FAQ:
Should I take Math 20 or 21a?
My answer is as complicated as the question is simple: it depends.
First of all, Math 20 squeezes as much as we can of 21a and 21b into a semester while keeping it relevant to the social sciences. It will definitely give you the mathematics you need for Economics 1011a. This might be a good route to take if you want to take just one more math course.
To me the choice is between 20 and both 21a and 21b. These two will give you a solid foundation to do undergraduate work in any of the sciences, including economics. They also serve as good background for the more abstract courses such as Math 110 or Math 112. You may be interested in these courses if you are thinking about graduate work in economics. Acquaintance with the basic courses will help you in the advanced ones simply by exposure. When we think abstractly, it’s nice to have the concrete to fall back on.
Any freshman trying to decide on a second-year mathematics course should attend the “Shall I take Math 23,25,55, or 101?” meeting and discussion on Thursday, September 15th at 4:00-5:30 pm in Science Center D.
Permalink Comments off