Mathematics Colloquium: Making the abstract concrete

2010-11-09

4:10 p.m. ; Neill Hall 5W

Monte Boisen

Abstract: One of the fantastic bonuses that come from interdisciplinary research is seeing your own field from a new perspective. I will share some of my experience in this area. Through working with a mineralogist, I discovered a new, concrete way to illustrate most of the basic theorems of group theory. In this way, abstract theorems can be discovered through experience rather than simply through a written record of what others have discovered years ago. I will show how to use both virtual and physical models to do this. Fun will be had by all.