Cornelia Van Cott, University of San Francisco
Crows, Taxicabs, and Minkowski Geometry
Most of your mathematical life, you have known that pi is an irrational number somewhere between 3.1 and 3.2. But if we change our metric, the geometry of the plane changes, including a change in the shape of circles and the associated value of pi. From this new vantage point, pi can be any of an infinite number of different values. What are these values? What does a pi-value indicate about its associated metric and vice versa? We will discuss what is known and ask questions about things that are yet unknown.
Francis Su, Harvey Mudd College and Retiring President of the Mathematical Association for America
Inclusion and Exclusion in the Math Community
Math is powerful and a mathematical education is necessary for any career in the 21st century. But many people do not feel like math is 'for them'. Have you ever felt like you didn't belong in math? Through some interactive exercises, we'll talk about what it's like to feel that way, and what we can do to help each other make mathematics a more welcoming place where everyone can flourish.