Past Dinner Meetings

2004 Dinner Meetings

• College of the Holy Cross, March 22, 2004
• Simmons College, April 13, 2004 (Rescheduled from March 16)
• Providence College, April 22, 2004
• Framingham State College, April 22, 2004
  

College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts

The Eleventh Leonard C. Sulski Memorial Lecture

Frank Farris, Santa Clara University
"The Edge of the Universe: Noneuclidean Wallpaper"

Monday, March 22, 2004

Abstract: If the universe had an edge, you could go there, put your hand through and find something on the other side, right? This reasoning breaks down if you and your measuring devices shrink as you approach the edge, making it infinitely far away. In this talk, we show a mathematical model of such a universe, called the Poincare Upper Halfplane, and study its features. Physics suggests that this turns out to be a cold and lonely place, but we make beautiful wallpaper for the inhabitants. This is a good chance to think about the shape of space and apply some classic geometry, such as circle inversion.

Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts

Lisa Hansen, Western New England College
"Mathematics and Music"

Tuesday, April 13, 2004
(Rescheduled from March 16)

Abstract: There are many connections between mathematics and music. This survey will focus on the links between music and areas of mathematics such as rational and irrational numbers, trigonometry, geometry, permutations, and group theory. Other connections include the Fibonacci sequence, the golden mean, fractals, and continued fractions, as well as historical notes regarding famous mathematicians. The talk will feature both live and recorded music.

Providence College, Providence, Rhode Island

Ann Trenk, Wellesley College
"Professors who Snooze and those who Steal:
An Introduction to Interval Graphs and Tolerance Graphs"

Thursday, April 22, 2004

Abstract: We introduce a class of graphs known as interval graphs via two ``real world'' problems. In one of these problems, six professors are suspects in a library theft. We'll use their testimony together with some graph theory to identify the guilty party. Formally, a graph G is an interval graph if to each vertex x of G there corresponds a real interval I(x) so that two vertices are joined by an edge in G if and only if their corresponding intervals intersect. We present a characterization of the class of interval graphs, mention several realistic applications and discuss a generalization of interval graphs known as tolerance graphs. No prior knowledge of Graph Theory will be expected.

Framingham State College, Framingham, MA

The Second Annual NES/MAA Regional Dinner Meeting in Memory of Kenneth J. Preskenis

Dr. Thomas Koshy, Framingham Sate College
"The Ubiquitous Catalan Numbers"

Thursday, April 22, 2004

This dinner meeting honors the memory of Kenneth J. Preskenis, who died on Thanksgiving Day 2002. Ken was a dedicated teacher committed to excellence, a serious scholar, a popular son of South Boston, and a gentleman. He had a passion for mathematics and for sharing that love with others, especially youngsters. A relentless pursuer of knowledge, he was a regular participant at the weekly seminars in functional analysis at Brown University, where he earned his M.S. in 1967 and his Ph.D. in 1971. He joined the faculty at Framingham State College in 1977, after teaching at Newton College and then at Boston College for a total of 14 years. Ken was the author of a number of articles in analysis and mathematics education, a regular attendee and contributor at NES/MAA meetings, a South Boston Athletic Hall of Famer, and a recipient of the Michael E. Glynn South Boston Community Service Award.

Abstract: This talk touches on the history and the numerous occurrences of Catalan Numbers, and their various applications to computer science, graph theory, and combinatorics.

Maintained by Tommy Ratliff tratliff@wheatoncollege.edu
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