The Nature of Mathematics, 12th Edition
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Chapter 1 Projects

Section 1.3 Individual Research

Individual Research Project 1.5

Answer the question posed in Problem 59, Section 1.3 for your own state. If you live in California, then use Florida.

References

Check an almanac to find the area of your state. Also, most states have a web site which provides this information.

Individual Research Project 1.6

Read the article, "Mathematics at the Turn of the Millennium," by Philip A. Griffiths, The American Mathematical Monthly, January 2000, pp. 1-14.  Briefly describe each of these famous problems:

  1. Fermat's last theorem
  2. Kepler's sphere packing conjecture
  3. The four-color problem

Which of these problems are discussed later in this text, and where?

The objective of this article was to communicate something about mathematics to a general audience. How well did it succeed with you?  Discuss.

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