Information and Resources for the Final Project

Read these articles on "how to give a good math talk" Article1, Article 2, Article 3, A Summary of Important Points. This web site is also very useful. It is specifically designed to help people give good math talks.

The first two articles are by the same authors, and the second one is an update on the first one (the first one was published in 1998 when most talks were by overhead transperencies). You may want to start with the second article.

Important Note: Please do not choose a topic without looking at resources and doing enough reading first. Therefore, get some books (order them from Ohio link if necessary) well in advance of the first deadline.

Time Line

1. Project Description/Proposal: Due date: 11:59 pm, Monday Apr 4 (W 10). First choose a topic in Combinatorics. Below are some suggestions (and resources) about possible topics. Possibilities are great and you may choose a topic different from what is listed below. This 1-2 page proposal should include what you want to cover, and what sources you will be using and how, i.e. it should contain an annotated bibliography. It is important to make sure that your project is mathematically based, i.e, it must include (analyze/study/explain) mathematical foundations, it cannot only be about applications or implementation. If the topic is something that we covered in class, it must go well beyond what we did in class. Submit via Moodle.

2. Detailed Outline: Due date: 11:59 pm, Sunday Apr 17 (W 11). This should probably be 3 pages or so (the more, the better), and should include sections that will be included in the final paper, precise statements of theorems, sketches of proofs, write up of some of the sections, and summaries of contextual or historical material. Include references. Submit via Moodle.

3. Complete Draft: Due date: 11:59 pm, Thu April 28 (W 13). This should be a complete draft of your paper. It must contain all proofs and details, full bibliography and proper citations. Submit via Moodle.

4. In-class presentations. During the last week of class. Submit your presentation to Moodle

5. The final paper: Due Monday, May 9, 9:30 pm (can turn it in earlier. Submit to Moodle.)

Ideas About Possible Topics

Here is a list of some possible topics which is not an exhaustive list. Your topic does not have to be one of these, you can choose a different topic. Make sure that your project is mathematically based. Some of these topics are covered in our textbook. If you choose a topic that is in the textbook, you must use other resources as well. In general, you should use several different sources. Accuracy and correctness are crucial. Give complete and careful references, do not plagiarize.

Some Books

The books in the library about combinatorics-related topics are located in QA164-166. If you need a good book to fill you in on some necessary details, look in the suggested reading list in our text, come talk to me, or browse the stacks. Below are some books on combinatorics. This list is by no means exhaustive. A lot of books on combinatorics are titled as "Discrete Mathematics", and there are many books on Graph Theory which is a vast subject on its own and a subfield of combinatorics. Check out those books as well. Keep in mind that more books are becoming available electronically.