New Article in the Journal of Singularities: Volume Four

April 17th, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

Journal of Singularities

A polynomial generalization of the Euler characteristic for algebraic sets
Miguel A. Marco-Buzunáriz, with an appendix by J. V. Rennemo

Abstract:
We present a method to compute the Euler characteristic of an algebraic subset of C^n. This method relies on classical tools such as Gröbner basis and primary decomposition. The existence of this method allows us to define a new invariant for such varieties. This invariant is related to the problem of counting rational points over finite fields. In an appendix, Jørgen Vold Rennemo proves the relation between this invariant and the Chern-Schwartz-MacPherson class of the variety.

View and Download the Article

About the Journal of Singularities:
The Journal of Singularities is an online, freely accessible, refereed journal, which publishes only the highest-quality research articles in all areas of singularity theory, including, but not limited to, the areas of real and complex analytic spaces and maps, subanalytic spaces, stratifications, resolutions of singularities, hyperplane arrangements, mixed Hodge theory, knot theory and Milnor fibrations, metric properties, singularities in characteristic p, and applications of singularity theory. In addition, papers in related areas of differential geometry, algebraic geometry, commutative algebra, and other fields are welcomed.

View Volume 3, 2011
View Previous Volumes
Future articles will be published immediately upon acceptance.

Free and Affordable iOS Apps for Math

April 12th, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

With more classrooms incorporating iPads, students and educators are searching for apps to use both in and outside of the classroom. After scouring the web for free and affordable apps, we compiled a list of what we think are six of the best mathematics apps for iOS.

Math Ref Free Math Ref Free 2.4: This app seems to have a little bit of everything. Users can search through the content by using the topic list or search bar. One of the best features we found was the ability to share equations and formulas through e-mail or printing directly from the app. (Free, also available for Android)
DocAS Lite DocAS Lite: This app is great for note taking. It allows users to type or use their finger to write formulas, notes, or sketches. The background of the notepad can be formatted to appear plain, lined, or as graph paper. Multiple folders on the home screen are available to help organize notes of different classes or topics. This app makes it easy to import PDFs from the web that can be annotated in the app. (Free)
CalcMadeEasy CalcMadeEasy Free: This app includes a calculator and notepad. Everything typed into the calculator is recorded and can be edited in the notepad. The calculator includes a list of universal constants and the app changes annotation with tablet movement. (Free)
Equation Solver Equation Solver: The Equation Solver app solves 1st, 2nd, and 3rd degree equations as well as systems of equations with 2 or 3 unknowns. We were disappointed to find that this app does not rotate with the tablet. (Free)
Math Quizzer Math Quizzer: This app is great for testing addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or any combination of the four. You are presented with a digital chalkboard where equations are shown with four possible solutions in a multiple-choice format. Choose the correct solution and it keeps track of your score. Unfortunately, it seems they are still having development issues when it comes to scoring, but it is still a great quizzing tool. (Free)
Wow math.org: Wow math.org has created multiple apps for calculus and algebra. All of the apps have the same format; a list of lessons that each contain a video showing an example as well as practice problems with answers. We found the apps both simple and effective. ($0.99)

The Center of Math has created three affordable study guide apps for Differential (Calc I), Integral (Calc II), and AP Calculus. Our apps have full-length video lectures on all topics covered in the given course followed by written examples and/or video solutions. All of our apps are available through iTunes. We also have a new app coming soon called Worldwide AB Calculus powered by LearnBop via edmodo.

Differential Calculus Integral Calculus AP Calc Study Guide App

Please share with us any apps you have found useful for mathematics by commenting on this post or sharing it on our Facebook page!

New Article in the Journal of Singularities: Volume Four

March 16th, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

Journal of Singularities

A Volume-Preserving Normal Form for a Reduced Normal Crossing Function Germ
Adrian Szawlowski

Abstract:
We will derive a volume-preserving normal form for holomorphic function germs that are right-equivalent to the product of all coordinates.

View and Download the Article

About the Journal of Singularities:
The Journal of Singularities is an online, freely accessible, refereed journal, which publishes only the highest-quality research articles in all areas of singularity theory, including, but not limited to, the areas of real and complex analytic spaces and maps, subanalytic spaces, stratifications, resolutions of singularities, hyperplane arrangements, mixed Hodge theory, knot theory and Milnor fibrations, metric properties, singularities in characteristic p, and applications of singularity theory. In addition, papers in related areas of differential geometry, algebraic geometry, commutative algebra, and other fields are welcomed.

View Volume 3, 2011
View Previous Volumes
Future articles will be published immediately upon acceptance.

Happy Open Education Week!

March 9th, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

We are committed to providing open or very low-cost materials and resources for students, faculty, and researchers. In celebration of Open Education Week, here is a list of our open resources:

We have open source lecture videos on a variety of Calculus topics:

Creative Commons License
Worldwide Lecture Videos by Worldwide Center of Mathematics, LLC are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Worldwide Differential Calculus Differential Calculus (28 videos)
Rates of Change and the Derivative
Basic Rules for Calculuating Derivatives
Applications of Differentiation
Introduction to Differential Equations
Worldwide Integral Calculus Integral Calculus (31 videos)
Anti-differentiation: the definite Integral
Continuous Sums: The Definite Integral
Applications of Integration
Understanding Functions via Polynomials and Power Series
Theorems on Sequences and Series
Worldwide AP Calculus AP Calculus (52 videos)
Rates of Change and the Derivative
Basic Rules for Calculating Derivatives
Applications of Differentiation
Introduction to Differential Equations
Continuous Sums: The Definite Integral
Applications of Integration
Understanding Functions via Polynomials and Power Series
Theorems on Sequences and Series
Worldwide Multivariable Calculus Multivariable Calculus (28 videos)
An assortment of lectures from Worldwide Multivariable Calculus chapters 2-4. Comprehensive list coming soon.

We plan on continuing to expand the content available into different mathematics area in 2012.

We also have open research talks by world-renowned mathematicians:

Creative Commons License
Worldwide Research Lecture Videos by Worldwide Center of Mathematics, LLC are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

>Alfred Noël – University of Massachusetts, Boston
Molien Series and a Recent Theorem of Kostant AbstractVideoPDF Slideshow
>Jose Seade – UNAM, Cuernavaca, Mexico
Milnor fibrations for real singularities AbstractVideo
>Maria Angelica Cueto – University of California at Berkeley
Implicitization of surfaces via geometric tropicalization AbstractVideo
>Pavel Etingof – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
D-modules on Poisson varieties and Poisson traces AbstractVideo
>Alvise Trevisan – Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Real quasi-toric manifolds and their homology AbstractVideo
>Valerio Toledano Laredo – Northeastern University
Stability conditions and Stokes Factors AbstractVideo
>Eriko Hironaka – Harvard University
Lehmer’s Problem and Dilatations of Mapping Classes AbstractVideo
>Paolo Aluffi – Florida State University
Chern Classes of Blow-ups AbstractVideo

See the complete list of research talks.

We are excited to announce our first open licensed textbook!

Creative Commons License
A Term of Commutative Algebra by Worldwide Center of Mathematics, LLC is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

A Term of Commutative Algebra
A Term of Commutative Algebra
By Allen Altman and Steven Kleiman

Coming Fall 2012

From the Preface: There is no shortage of books on Commutative Algebra, but the present book is different. Most books are monographs, with extensive coverage. There is one notable exception: Atiyah and Macdonald’s 1969 classic. It is a clear, concise, and efficient textbook, aimed at beginners, with a good selection of topics. So it has remained popular. However, its age and flaws do show. So there is need for an updated and improved version, which the present book aims to be.

Contact us to receive a free digital copy as soon as it is complete. We are also looking for faculty that may be willing to use or review the beta version this summer in order to provide feedback to the authors.

New Article in the Journal of Singularities: Volume 4

March 8th, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

Journal of Singularities

Inflection Points of Real and Tropical Plane Curves
Erwan Brugallé and Lucia López de Medrano

Abstract:
We prove that Viro’s patchworking produces real algebraic curves with the maximal number of real inflection points. In particular this implies that maximally inflected real algebraic $M$-curves realize many isotopy types. The strategy we adopt in this paper is tropical: we study tropical limits of inflection points of classical plane algebraic curves. The main tropical tool we use to understand these tropical inflection points are tropical modifications.

View and Download the Article

About the Journal of Singularities:
The Journal of Singularities is an online, freely accessible, refereed journal, which publishes only the highest-quality research articles in all areas of singularity theory, including, but not limited to, the areas of real and complex analytic spaces and maps, subanalytic spaces, stratifications, resolutions of singularities, hyperplane arrangements, mixed Hodge theory, knot theory and Milnor fibrations, metric properties, singularities in characteristic p, and applications of singularity theory. In addition, papers in related areas of differential geometry, algebraic geometry, commutative algebra, and other fields are welcomed.

View Volume 3, 2011
View Previous Volumes
Future articles will be published immediately upon acceptance.

Alfred Noël – Molien Series and a Recent Theorem of Kostant Video

March 6th, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

Upcoming Research Lecture: Alfred Noël of the University of Massachusetts to speak on Friday, February 24, 2012

February 21st, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

Please join us Friday February 24, 2012 as Alfred Noël of the University of Massachusetts gives a talk on Molien Series and a Recent Theorem of Kostant. We will be serving coffee, tea, and cookies at 3:30 pm with the talk starting at 4:00 pm. The lecture will be held in our studio classroom at 929 Massachusetts Avenue Suite #102 in Cambridge. The abstract for Alfred Noël’s talk is listed below and we look forward to seeing you!

Worldwide Lecture Series: Alfred Noël, University of Massachusetts, Boston

Abstract: In a 2007 paper entitled “On the Centralizer of K in U(g)”, Bertram Kostant gave an algorithm for computing the generators of the centralizer of a maximal compact group K in the enveloping algebra of a complex semisimple Lie algebra U(g). His motivation is to rescue an old program that sought to determine an irreducible Harish-Chandra module H of U(g) via the finite- dimensional action of the above centralizer on a primary k-component in H. “This original approach of Harish-Chandra to a determination of all H has largely been abandoned because one knows very little about generators of that centralizer”. However, Kostant’s approach produces an algorithm of very high time and space complexity. We present a different algorithm of a lower complexity and compute some previously unknown examples. This is joint work with Steven Jackson.

The Worldwide Center of Mathematics (www.centerofmath.org) is located midway between Harvard and Central Squares, at 929 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, in Suite #102. Travel to the Center by public transportation is easy via the #1 bus, or by taking the subway (the T) to Central Square, and walking for 10 minutes. Suite #102 is located on floor 01.

All attendees will need to sign a release form, as the lecture will be recorded for distribution on the Web.

Aaron Silberstein – Plane Curve Singularities and the Absolute Galois Group of Q Video

February 2nd, 2012 by Rani P No comments »

Upcoming Research Lecture: Aaron Silberstein of Harvard University to Speak on Friday, January 27, 2012

January 25th, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

Please join us Friday January 27, 2012 as Aaron Silberstein of Harvard University gives a talk on Plane Curve Singularities and the Absolute Galois Group of Q. We will be serving coffee, tea, and cookies at 3:30 pm with the talk starting at 4:00 pm. The lecture will be held in our studio classroom at 929 Massachusetts Avenue Suite #102 in Cambridge. The abstract for Aaron Silberstein’s talk is listed below and we look forward to seeing you!

Aaron Silberstein Poster

Abstract: We demonstrate how topological singularity invariants are the key to “seeing” geometry inside of fundamental groups of function fields of surfaces, and explain the relation to Grothendieck’s program of Anabelian Geometry.

The Worldwide Center of Mathematics (www.centerofmath.org) is located midway between Harvard and Central Squares, at 929 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, in Suite #102. Travel to the Center by public transportation is easy via the #1 bus, or by taking the subway (the T) to Central Square, and walking for 10 minutes. Suite #102 is located on floor 01.

All attendees will need to sign a release form, as the lecture will be recorded for distribution on the Web.

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2012 Joint Mathematics Meeting

January 13th, 2012 by Tori F. No comments »

Last week the team from the Worldwide Center of Mathematics attended the 2012 Joint Mathematics Meeting (JMM) at Hynes Convention Center in Boston. The JMM is the largest annual mathematics meeting in the world with participants ranging from students to leading researchers in mathematics as well as innovators in the field of mathematical education programs. This year the JMM had approximately 7,000 attendees; a new record. We received a larger response than ever by faculty and students looking for affordable and open source textbooks, as well as free online resources.

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