Many Cheerful Facts, Fall 2013


Many Cheerful Facts meets on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30pm 3-4pm in 1015 Evans. Talks are meant to be fun and accessible to everyone. Snacks and tea are provided.

Previous semesters: 2013 spring, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009 spring, 2009 fall, 2008, 2007, 2006 spring, 2006 fall, 2005.


Date Speaker Title
September 3 Steven Karp Many cheerful proofs
September 10 Maria Monks Fun with Molien's theorem
September 17 Daniel Lowengrub Mazur's swindle
October 1 Alex Youcis Ways to group the order of groups into more convenient groups
October 8 Kevin O'Neill Sperner's lemma: proofs and applications
October 15 Christopher Wong Minesweeper: theory and application
November 5 James Moody Paradoxes
November 26 Watson Ladd

I am the very model of a modern Major-General,
I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical
From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical;
I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical,
I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical,
About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news,
With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse.
I'm very good at integral and differential calculus;
I know the scientific names of beings animalculous:
In short, in matters vegetable, animal, and mineral,
I am the very model of a modern Major-General.
--Gilbert & Sullivan,
The Pirates of Penzance