The United States of Mathematics Presidential Debate

by Adams, Colin; Garrity, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9780883859100
• ISBN10: 0883859106
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-03-30
• Publisher: Mathematical Assn of Amer

Summary

In this time of crisis for the great nation of mathematics, who should be the next president of the United States of Mathematics? Should it be the figure-eight knot, representing fresh new mathematics and the changes we believe in, or should it be the Euclidean algorithm, representing the needed stability that comes from the traditional roots of mathematics? Using rhetoric worthy of Shakespeare, in this bare-knuckled debate, the two candidates do their best to humiliate each other in public. The stakes are high; the debate legendary. One for the history books. A parody of the presidential debates, this 45 minute DVD introduces students to the mathematical field of knot theory and to the Euclidean algorithm, all in 45 minutes. It is appropriate for high school and college classes. Presented by Colin Adams and Thomas Garrity, who previously did the Great Pi/e Debate DVD,and moderated by Edward Burger, it is a memorable way to present fascinating mathematics.Will this debate go down in history, like Kennedy-Nixon, Quayle-Bentsen, or Biden-Palin? There is only one way to find out!