You are invited to the following talk sponsored by the Penn State Harrisburg Math Club!
About the Talk:
“An Afternoon with
Euler”
By William Dunham
Koehler Professor of Mathematics Muhlenberg College
Wednesday, 17 October 2012 244E Olmstead Building at 6pm
NOTE: This talk is accessible to anyone who has seen calculus.
By William Dunham
Koehler Professor of Mathematics Muhlenberg College
Wednesday, 17 October 2012 244E Olmstead Building at 6pm
NOTE: This talk is accessible to anyone who has seen calculus.
About the Talk:
“Among history’s greatest mathematicians is Leonhard Euler (1707-1783), the Swiss
genius who produced an astonishing 25,000 pages of pure and applied mathematics over his
long and illustrious career.
In this talk, we sketch Euler’s life and describe a few of his contributions to number theory, algebra, and other branches of mathematics. Then we examine a particular derivation: his proof of “Euler’s Identity” using integral calculus. The argument is short and (yes) a bit strange, but it perfectly illustrates Euler’s mathematical brilliance.
Condorcet, in his Eulogy to Euler, wrote that “All mathematicians now alive are his disciples.” This talk should make it clear that Condorcet’s words are as true today as when first set down, over two centuries ago.”
Biography:
“William Dunham, who received his B.S. (1969) from the University of Pittsburgh and his M.S. (1970) and Ph.D.(1974) from Ohio State, is the Truman Koehler Professor of Mathematics at Muhlenberg College.
Dunham’s expository writing has been recognized by the MAA with the George Pólya Award in 1993, the Trevor Evans Award in 1997 and 2008, the Lester R. Ford Award in 2006, and the Beckenbach Prize in 2008. The Association of American Publishers designated The Mathematical Universe as the Best Mathematics Book of 1994.”
FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED!
If you have any questions regarding the talk to be done by Dr William Dunham, please contact Viplav Patel at vnp5004@psu.edu or Dr Boman at ecb5@psu.edu.
In this talk, we sketch Euler’s life and describe a few of his contributions to number theory, algebra, and other branches of mathematics. Then we examine a particular derivation: his proof of “Euler’s Identity” using integral calculus. The argument is short and (yes) a bit strange, but it perfectly illustrates Euler’s mathematical brilliance.
Condorcet, in his Eulogy to Euler, wrote that “All mathematicians now alive are his disciples.” This talk should make it clear that Condorcet’s words are as true today as when first set down, over two centuries ago.”
Biography:
“William Dunham, who received his B.S. (1969) from the University of Pittsburgh and his M.S. (1970) and Ph.D.(1974) from Ohio State, is the Truman Koehler Professor of Mathematics at Muhlenberg College.
Dunham’s expository writing has been recognized by the MAA with the George Pólya Award in 1993, the Trevor Evans Award in 1997 and 2008, the Lester R. Ford Award in 2006, and the Beckenbach Prize in 2008. The Association of American Publishers designated The Mathematical Universe as the Best Mathematics Book of 1994.”
FOOD WILL BE PROVIDED!
If you have any questions regarding the talk to be done by Dr William Dunham, please contact Viplav Patel at vnp5004@psu.edu or Dr Boman at ecb5@psu.edu.
