To develop students' problem-solving skills and confidence in concept formation and the application of mathematical ideas. The course is based on the presentation of realistic contexts for the development of mathematical models. The range of chosen contexts and the emergent models will allow students to work at differing levels of formality and abstraction so as to support mathematical development, with the scope to consider different modelling strategies and to reflect upon their development. The aim is to develop mathematical thinking beyond a range of seemingly arbitrary rules and procedures, so as to encourage the perception of connections between ideas, the applicability of ideas in new contexts, and the development of functional mathematical skills in real-world situations.
1. Measurement and Distance (1.1 1. Measuring on a line and plane, 1.2 2. Metric spaces and non-euclidean geometry, 1.3 3. Hamming Codes, 1.4 4. Relativity)
2. Mathematics of Games (2.1 1. Combinatorial games, 2.2 2. Games trees and the game of nim, 2.3 3. Sprague-Grundy theorem)
3. Dynamical Systems (3.1 1. Discrete dynamical systems, 3.2 2. Affine dynamical systems and fixed points, 3.3 3. Non-linear dynamical systems and cobweb diagrams, 3.4 4. Logistic map and periodic points)
4. Optimisation (4.1 1. Optimisation of single and multivariable functions , 4.2 2. Visualising multivariable functions as surfaces, 4.3 3. Linear programming, 4.4 4. Simplex method and duality)
By the end of the course, students should be able to do the following:
Curriculum explorer: Click here
SCQF Level: 7
Credits: 15