MUSA

Problem of the Week

A 102 x 102 "chessboard" is displayed on a computer screen, with its squares colored in the standard alternating black-and-white pattern. One can select with a mouse any rectangle with sides on the lines of the chessboard and click the mouse button: as a result, the colors in the selected rectangle switch (black becomes white, white becomes black). Determine, with proof, the minimum number of mouse clicks required to transform the entire chessboard into a single uniform color.

Submissions due March 23rd, 11:59pm on this google form.

You can check out past problems in the archive! And if you have a problem you'd like to suggest for problem of the week, fill out this google form.

Upcoming Math Monday: When and why do efficient algorithms exist (for constraint satisfaction and beyond)?

Venkatesan Guruswami
April 21

Abstract: Some computational problems can be solved quickly; others seem hopelessly intractable. It would be simplistic to hope for a universal theory explaining the underpinnings of easiness and hardness, yet in the realm of constraint satisfaction problems (CSPs), there\'s a fascinating answer involving operations called polymorphisms. This talk will discuss CSPs and the polymorphic approach. We\'ll also explore extensions of the polymorphic approach beyond CSPs, to include problems such as approximate graph coloring, a \“promise CSP.\"

See our Math Monday page for past talks!

Resource of the Day

The Student Learning Center offers free tutoring in all lower division math courses and the core upper division math courses, as well as some stats courses. See their website for drop-in times, the topic review calendar, and other info.

Check our our resources page for more!

About MUSA

Berkeley's Mathematics Undergraduate Student Association is an organization representing the undergraduate community in the math department.

We strive to improve the overall quality of studying mathematics here as an undergraduate, especially by advocating for issues that benefit the entire undergraduate math community, not only the subset that attends our events.

If you want to stay involved, make sure to suscribe to our mailing list and Google Calendar (see below), and also join our Discord and Instagram (@musaberkeley)!

Weekly Events

We hold events every week in Evans 1015 , the top floor lounge of Evans Hall. Our upcoming events are posted on our mailing list, Discord, and calendar (see below).
Some of our regular events, which are open to everyone, include:

• Thursday social events, held at 6:30pm
• Math Mondays at 5pm , where professors speak on a wide variety of mathematical topics
• Student-faculty lunches
• Homework parties every Wednesday at 1:30pm

We also host special events each semester, such as the Pauline Sperry lecture and the student-faculty dinner.

Lounge

The MUSA Lounge, 938 Evans, is open 10am–5pm on weekdays, selling hoodies and cheap food. People often come by just to chat about math or life. Come stop by—we won't bite!

We also have a library of math books you can borrow. See the lounge page for more details on the library as well as the merch preorder form.

If you can't hang out with us in person, join our Discord server to chat and get to know the MUSA community!

Mailing List and Calendar

Most announcements are done over MUSA's mailing list, which goes out every Sunday.

You can also view our event calendar here! Click the plus symbol at the bottom right to add it to your own Google Calendar or use this iCal link to add it to your own calendar application!

Merch

Looking to upgrade your outfit? We sell t-shirts, hoodies, and (recent addition) long sleeve shirts! Find them on our merch page!

How do I join MUSA?

There is no formal process to join the club! Just show up to as many events as you want, sign up for the mailing list, and get to know the math community at Berkeley! Our events are open to the public, not just declared math majors — so don't be a stranger!

Joining MUSA is an excellent way to connect with other math enthusiasts. You can learn about the many opportunities for math students, including little tricks that will help you survive the rigorous math curriculum here.

Don't forget to sign up for our mailing list and join our Discord and Instagram (@musaberkeley)!

Other Info

MUSA strives to make the math department as inclusive as possible. How are we doing? Let us know with our anonymous feedback form.