Mathematical Communication and Technology (Math 696)

Traditionally, mathematics is communicated by a person standing at a chalkboard and talking. This time-honored method still has many adherents, but the development of computer technology has made new techniques available for communicating mathematics.

This course covers all modalities of communication: oral, written, visual, electronic; but the primary emphasis is on the application of computer technology to facilitate the communication of mathematics.

Some of the skills you will develop in this course are the following:

• General computer literacy in the UNIX environment (managing files, using electronic mail, reading news, using application programs).
• How to typeset beautiful mathematics with LaTeX. For examples of the kind of typesetting you will learn, take a look at some of the electronic preprints of the faculty of the Department of Mathematics at Texas A&M University.
• How to use the computer mathematics program Maple. You can look at an example.
• How to find information on the Internet, and how to make your own information available there. For example, you can look at your instructor's home page.
• How to present mathematics orally and visually so that your audience will understand it.

Now you may read the opening day handout, view the list of course projects, or jump to the first class. You may also view the table of contents or the list of resource materials.

Comments to Harold P. Boas.
Created August 12, 1996. Last modified Oct 11, 1996.