### Colloquium 11/13: Dr. Jeremy Becnel on “A Million Dollar Math Problem: P vs NP

As part of the R. W. Yeagy Colloquium Series, on Monday, November 13  at 3:30 PM in Math Building 357, Dr. Jeremy Becnel will be talking about A Million Dollar Math Problem: P vs. NP. This talk will be interested to anyone who has an interest in mathematics: students, faculty, and fans of math.

Abstract: In 2000, the Clay Institute offered a \$1 million prize for a solution to one of seven Millennium Problems. The P vs. NP problem was chosen as one of the Millennium Problems and is considered an important unsolved problem in both mathematics and computer science. The basic question is if a problem’s solution can be efficiently checked by a computer, then can the problem’s general solution be found efficiently by a computer. We will discuss the statement and importance of the P vs. NP problem. This talk will be interesting to anyone who has an interest in mathematics: students, faculty, and fans of math. (flyer in PDF form)

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### Colloquium 11/6: Aaron Baker on “The Mathematics of the Significant Tornado Parameter”

As part of the R. W. Yeagy Colloquium series, on Monday November 6th at 3:30 PM in room 357 of the Math Building, Aaron Baker (a SFA Math student) will be talking about The Mathematics of the Significant Tornado Parameter.

Abstract: The significant tornado parameter is one of many models recently created by the National Storm Prediction Center to predict the possibility of severe weather. This parameter looks at the winds, potential energy, and rotation in the atmosphere and performs calculations based on its predicted state. As more research on tornadoes has become available, this relatively new model has become more refined. Come take a look at its derivation and how it is used to predict tornadoes. (flyer in PDF form)

### Colloquium 10/30: Dr. Fumiko Futamura on “Frame Diagonalization of Matrices”

As part of the R.W. Yeagy Colloquium series, on Monday, October 30 at 3:30 pm in Math Building 357, Dr. Fumiko Futamura will be talking about Frame Diagonalization of Matrices. This talk should be very accessible for undergraduates, especially ones who have had, or are in linear algebra.

Abstract: The ability to diagonalize a matrix is nice for a number of reasons, but we cannot always diagonalize a matrix with a basis of eigenvectors. We propose a new concept, of diagonalizing a matrix using a spanning set (called a frame) instead of a basis. We discuss some peculiar properties of diagonalizing with a frame, and determine the minimum size of a frame that will diagonalize a given matrix. As this is a new concept, there are many basic unanswered questions that undergraduates with only a background in linear algebra can understand. We will discuss these and more in this interactive talk, so bring a pencil and an open mind! (Flyer in PDF form)

### Math Clubs 10/13: Rachel Payne on Beauty and the Bees: Mathematics in the Apairy

On October 13th at 2:00 pm in Math Building 212, Rachel Payne, SFA alumna and Master Beekeeper candidate (and several thousand of her assistants) will present “Beauty and the Bees: Mathematics in the Apiary.” From the Fibonacci sequence to the isoperimetric problem, Rachel will discuss honey bees and how math shows up in their family tree and in the architecture of their honeycomb. She’ll also describe how they communicate and will outline the Honey Bee Algorithm, which is used by web hosting companies to allocate servers. Flyer in PDF form

### Colloquium 9/25: Dr. Katie Anders on “Rooted Forests That Avoid Sets of Permutations”

As part of the R.W. Yeagy Colloquium Series, on Monday September 25th, Dr. Katie Anders from the University of Texas at Tyler will be giving a talk titled “Rooted Forests That Avoid Sets of Permutations” in room 357 of the Mathematics Building at 3:30 PM.

Abstract:  An unordered rooted labeled forest avoids the pattern $\pi\in S_n$ if the sequence obtained from the labels along the path from the root to any vertex does not contain a subsequence that is in the same relative order as $\pi$. We enumerate several classes of forests that avoid certain sets of permutations, including the set of unimodal forests, via bijections with set partitions with certain properties. (flyer in PDF form)

### Dr. Matt Beauregard on “Remind – A Useful Approach to Increase Student Communication”

On Monday September 11th at 4 PM in Math 357, Dr. Matt Beauregard will be doing a presentation on using the Remind App. Interested faculty across the university are encouraged to attend.

“Remind – A Useful Approach to Increase Student Communication”

Abstract:  Would you like instant communication with your entire class?  Would you like to better manage your planning time by creating regular announcements four your class?  Are you tired of unread emails and handouts?  If so, let me briefly go over a program called Remind that may revolutionize the way you communicate with your students outside of class.  Remind is an easy to use and free program that utilizes texting while maintaining phone privacy.  Join us, as we discover Remind’s basic functionality and how to utilize this to save planning time, organize your class, and improve our communication with students.

### Colloquium 05/01: Dylan Jager-Kujawa on Automated Propositional Logic Proofs using Gentzen Deduction Trees

On Monday, May 1, at 3:30 pm in Math Building 357, Dylan Jager-Kujawa will be giving a presentation on computer aided proofs titled Automated Propositional Logic Proofs using Gentzen Deduction Trees as part of an Honors Project. This talk is open to all faculty and students.

Abstract: In the mid 1930s, Gerhard Gentzen devised an algorithm to prove propositional logic theorems. Gentzen’s method is similar to previous algorithms, in that it attempts to search for counterexamples to disprove a theorem, however it differs in that it breaks propositions into a number of sequents, each containing assumptions and conclusions.

While this results in a somewhat more intuitive proof, it has the added benefit of being very well suited to implementation by a computer. The use of trees, as well as a well-defined set of permitted operations, makes implementation of this algorithm far more natural than those of Gentzen’s peers. (Flyer in PDF form)