Thanks for the update Jordan Biren ...

With regard to prerequisites for this Saturday 3:30 course:

Materials: none ... just bring colored pencils/pens and paper ... perhaps some tobacco or coffee or your preference of stimulant.

Reading: You could browse through the Knot Book by Colin Adams for an entry into the mathematical theory of knots. No doubt, we

need to get beyond these initial problems.

Questions???: well, any questions beforehand can be directed here and during the course I will try to make time for these then.

My own materials/manuscript/text will also be introduced within the course as appropriate.

Last there are some research papers I am putting together at: http://lacanlosangelespsychoanalysis.com/

This time we have some great problems to work with.  Some, eg the torque problem, are modeling problems (where the goal is to make a system that describes reality well enough for the intended purpose) and some, eg the dice problem, are math problems, where the system (dice rolling) is fully specified but there are still unknown quantities.  I think we can make real progress on these.

Lets discuss these problems and try to get some solutions.  I can revisit the gambling problems left over from the first class if there's extra time or a lot of interest.

I am making a list of various links that contribute to the larger dialogue that an analysis of parking spaces open to.

Warren Neidich & Elena Bajos project at LAX - ART, "Art in the Parking Space"

http://laxart.org/exhibitions/view/art-in-the-parking-space/#images

Parking Day which has become a worldwide day of reclaiming public space.

http://parkingday.org/

Parking up front "a campaign to educate people about the complex social, environmental, and economic issues surrounding parking."

http://www.parkingupfront.org/

Donald Shoup and his extensive research connecting land use, transportaton and the parking space. A great source for various technologies that are being implemented all around the world in relation to parking.

http://shoup.bol.ucla.edu/

I'll spend the first half of the class talking about some ubiquitous and useful concepts in mathematics -- functions, derivatives, and differential equations -- by talking about linear functions, sines, cosines, and ultimately harmonic oscillators.  We'll talk about what a function means, how to plot one, how to find it derivative by looking at it, and how to use functions to answer physics questions.  During the second half, I'll finish the gambler's ruin problem from last class.

Here are some relevant wikipedia pages:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_(mathematics)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_harmonic_oscillator
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_equation

What would be the likelihood of running into your own Doppelgänger?  Could also be pharsed as "How unique are we?" This might be a boring probability question asuming some kind of quantitative categorization of human physical traits has already been done by anthropologists, as well a statistical average of social interaction.  More intersting would be the question of how math could help in generating 'unique' ideas.

Somewhat related - how to predict popularity. 

We can organize the Math Kung Fu problems by posting them as comments on this note.

The spirit of the homework is to come up with problems that we can try to work on in class.  Please submit a verbal description of a problem that other people will be able to understand.  The description could be anywhere between a few sentences and a couple paragraphs.  The problems could be easy or difficult, practical or theoretical, specific or general.  It does not have to be formulated mathematically, since we can work on that part in class.

Hello to those interested in Math Kung Fu,

For the first class, I'd like to spend a some time discussing the class format and people's expectations, and suggest some "homework" for the next class, which will be to come up with a problem that you'd like to solve.  Since I don't anticipate having problems from the group to work on for the first session, I'll present two problems I have worked through in the past.

Approximate schedule:

• 1:00-1:30 - Introductions discussion of goals and format
• 1:30-2:10 - Physics of climbing cams
• Break
• 2:20-3:00 - Probability, risk, doubling down, and the gambler's ruin problem

The class will not exceed 2 hours.

For background reading, feel free to peruse wikipedia around these pages:

the stability of the seminar discussion is quoted from the following:

excerpts from “Interrogating the Real” by Slavoj Zizek (2006) Kindle edition, which traces part of the discussion after Week 3 of the seminar:

Here is a company with lot of integrity sells natural/organic cosmetic supplies who practices sustainable agriculture and fair trade:

www.essentialwholesale.com

Also a fun video of cold process soap making:

http://www.etsy.com/storque/read/process-handmade-soap-with-beyondthepicketfence-4027/

This class will be offered in fall 2011.