Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Understanding Arguments To Protect Farmland In Idaho: Innovative Solutions And Community Insights To Drive Policy Change, Sarah Halperin, Jen Schneider, Rebecca L. Som Castellano, Jodi Brandt

Human-Environment Systems Research Center Faculty Publications and Presentations

Between Spring 2022 and Spring 2023, a team of researchers at Boise State University conducted interviews with people involved in farmland protection efforts. Our goal was to understand how interviewees frame the issue of farmland loss. Frames can draw attention to an issue, contextualize decision-making, and influence the policy solutions considered. Through a frame analysis, we gained a clearer understanding of potential approaches for farmland protection in Idaho.

We conducted 10 semi-structured interviews with individuals representing government agencies, academic institutions, land trusts, non-profit organizations, and farmers. After conducting the interviews, we analyzed the transcripts in a systematic manner to identify …

Evaluation Of Effectiveness In Seismic Microzonation Hazard Mapping In Canada: Communication, Use, Standardization And Levels, Meredith L. Fyfe

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Comprehensive seismic hazard maps in the form of seismic microzonation maps have been produced for many populous and seismically active Canadian cities. These maps are important tools for regional decision making for technical (engineering) and non-technical (planning, emergency management, insurance) applications. Outcomes from stakeholder engagement indicate that non-technical end users are not confident in their interpretation of the maps or the mapped site effect predictors (metrics). Users may seek seismic hazard information from lower-level mappings, such as the global Vs₃₀ mosaic, which, when compared against the higher-level Canadian mappings, was found to correctly estimate site class with 26% accuracy …

Excess Zeros Under Gam: Tweedie Or Two-Part?, Xianming Zeng

Major Papers

Positive, right-skewed data with excess zeros are encountered in many real-life situations. Two possible techniques to analyze this type of data are: Two-part models and Tweedie models. The two-part models assume existence of a separate zero generating process, while the Tweedie models are based on distributions that allow mass at zero. The paper aims to present a simulation study to investigate the performance of Generalized Additive Models (GAM) under the distribution of Tweedie and two-part models for such data with excess zero by using MSE (Mean Square Error) and relative bias to compare the performance of both methods. We found …

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Draft Final Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites – Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Bres No. 84 – Mandan Park Play Area (Dated July 31, 2023), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Approval Letter For The Request For Change (Rfc) To The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Revised Request For Change (Rfc)-Brw-2023-02 To The Butte Reduction Works (Brw) Smelter Area Mine Waste Remediation And Contaminated Groundwater Hydraulic Control Site Quality Assurance Project Plan (Qapp) For Microbial Analysis And Biotreatability (Dated July 13, 2023), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Comments For The Draft Residential Metals Abatement Program – Indoor Soil – Investigation Summary Report – Butte High School (Received July 5, 2023), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Draft Final Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Park Soil Sampling Field Sampling Plan (Fsp) Submittal #12 [Covering Aldersgate United Methodist Church] (Dated July 31, 2023), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Comments On The Draft Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) 2022 Groundwater Monitoring Data Summary Report, January 2022 – December 2022 (Dated April 10, 2023), Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Cookie(X) = 1/2, Lawrence M. Lesser

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This poem applies the concept of expected value, denoted E(X), to the context of any limited resources two parties desire. Usually, "you divide, I choose" keeps pieces equal enough to preempt charges of unfairness. But if one piece is much larger, many distrust the unbiased (in expected value) process of a coin flip giving each person the same chance at the bigger piece and the same cookie amount on average: E(X) = (1/2)p + (1/2)(1-p) = 1/2

Ahab's Mercy, David Sheskin

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

A tale in which Captain Ahab and his chief mate Starbuck confront a classic problem in probability theory: the Monty Hall Problem.

Zeno Of Elea: A Dichotomy, Joseph Chaney

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This two-part poem interprets Zeno's paradoxes as dimensions of a paradoxical view of reality.

I Am A Math Professor, Cacey L. Wells

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Original poem depicting the life of a math professor.

Elephant In The Room, Sabrina Sixta

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This poem tries to express the difficulty of staying focused on one's research when there is so much turmoil in the world.

Infinity, Holly Wilson

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Ultrafilters, Klaas Pieter Hart

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

5-7-5 musings on ultrafilters.

Her X'S And Y'S: Limericks About Women Mathematicians, Marion D. Cohen

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This poetry folder is just what its title says, limericks about women mathematicians. A few of them I’ve known personally, most not. There are, of course, many many many other women mathematicians; even though I write limericks prolifically, I could never finish writing about them all!

Towards Ethical Ai: Mathematics Influences Human Behavior, Dioneia M. Monte-Serrat, Carlo Cattani

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Mathematics plays an important role in the linguistic structure of artificial in- telligence (AI). We describe the linguistic process as a unique structure present both in human cognition and in cognitive computing. The close relationship with both AI and human cognition is due to this unique structure, which paves the way for AI to interfere with the behavior of those who interact with it. We highlight the role of mathematicians in designing algorithms—the core of the AI linguistic process—and in defining steps and instructions for AI. Because al- gorithms, through AI, interfere with the thought of those who interact with …

May Graduation, Samuel Coskey

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Here I narrate the story of the last few days of my graduate program in mathematics. After the completion of the thesis and the delivery of the defense, several twists and turns await in the hours and even minutes before the last deadline.

Beauty Of Life In Dynamical Systems: Philosophical Musings And Resources For Students, Soumya Banerjee, Joyeeta Ghose, Tarakeswar Banerjee, Kalyani Banerjee

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Information plays a key role in life and in complex biological systems, and dynamical systems underlie and can be used to represent many complex systems. Indeed, dynamical systems and information processing capabilities may be the hallmarks of life-like systems. In this paper we combine dynamical systems with a computational framework to generate art. The framework can be used to generate aesthetically appealing forms of life-like systems. Our work suggests that we may need an ``aesthetic sense'' to recognize life that we have not seen before. We also provide teaching resources for students in schools and undergraduate institutions.

The Number Systems Tower, Bill Bauldry, Michael J. Bossé, William J. Cook, Trina Palmer, Jaehee K. Post

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

For high school and college instructors and students, this paper connects number systems, field axioms, and polynomials. It also considers other properties such as cardinality, density, subset, and superset relationships. Additional aspects of this paper include gains and losses through sequences of number systems. The paper ends with a great number of activities for classroom use.

The "Benfordness" Of Bach Music, Chadrack Bantange, Darby Burgett, Luke Haws, Sybil Prince Nelson

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper we analyze the distribution of musical note frequencies in Hertz to see whether they follow the logarithmic Benford distribution. Our results show that the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Johann Christian Bach is Benford distributed while the computer-generated music is not. We also find that computer-generated music is statistically less Benford distributed than human- composed music.

Synesthesia: 3.1415... Orange.Whiteperiwinklewhiteblue..., Shelly Sheats Harkness, Bethany A. Noblitt, Nicole Giesbers

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this paper we address the questions: What is synesthesia? What support(s) can teachers provide for their students who have synesthesia? Nicole, a future mathematics teacher who possesses this synesthesia “superpower”, describes how it impacted her learning. We collected data for this case study through an audio-recorded and transcribed interview, as well as from subsequent email correspondence between the three authors. We asked Nicole three kinds of questions: questions she is frequently asked, questions she would like to be asked, and questions teachers (like Shelly and Beth) might ask. Results indicate that synesthesia may have helped Nicole learn English as …

“I Got You”: Centering Identities And Humanness In Collaborations Between Mathematics Educators And Mathematicians, Anne M. Marshall, Sarah Sword, Mollie Applegate, Steven Greenstein, Terrance Pendleton, Kamuela E. Yong, Michael Young, Jennifer A. Wolfe, Theodore Chao, Pamela E. Harris

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Existing literature widely reports on the value of collaborations between mathematicians and mathematics educators, and also how complex those collaborations can be. In this paper, we report on four collaborations that sought to address what mathematics is and who gets to do it. Drawing on the literature and from the careful and intentional work of the collaborators, we offer a framework to capture the richness of those collaborations – one that acknowledges the importance of acknowledging and welcoming the extensive personal and professional experience of each person involved in the collaboration – and a look at how collaborations built with …

One Theorem, Two Ways: A Case Study In Geometric Techniques, John B. Little

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

If the three sides of a triangle ABΓ in the Euclidean plane are cut by points H on AB, Θ on BΓ, and K on ΓA cutting those sides in same ratios:

AH : HB = BΘ : ΘΓ = ΓK : KA,

then Pappus of Alexandria proved that the triangles ABΓ and HΘK have the same centroid (center of mass). We present two proofs of this result: an English translation of Pappus's original synthetic proof and a modern algebraic proof making use of Cartesian coordinates and vector concepts. Comparing the two methods, we can see that while the algebraic …

Teaching Mathematics With Poetry: Some Activities, Alexis E. Langellier

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

During the summer of 2021, I experimented with a new way of getting children excited about mathematics: math poetry. Math can be a trigger word for some children and many adults. I wanted to find a way to make learning math fun—without the students knowing they’re doing math. In this paper I describe some activities I used with students ranging from grades K-12 to the college level and share several poem examples, from students in grades two to eight.

Ekstasen: Love Poetry By Felix Hausdorff, Kimberly Gladman

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Four poems by the mathematician Felix Hausdorff are presented in English translation, together with their German originals and commentary about Hausdorff’s multidisciplinary achievements.

Could Raphael’S School Of Athens Contain Hidden Geometry?, Frode S. Larsen, Harald E. Moe

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

In this article we argue that Raphael has hidden a geometric shape called a vesica piscis in his fresco The School of Athens (1510-1511). The vesica piscis, and several findings which can be interpreted as suggesting the presence of a vesica piscis in the fresco, are presented. Several of these suggestions relate to the vesica piscis drawn in the construction of an equilateral triangle in the first proposition of Euclid’s Elements. Based on findings in the fresco, we suggest that the vesica piscis should be interpreted in light of a philosophical and theological controversy which took place in Italy …

The Long Search For Collatz Counterexamples, Oliver K. Clay

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Despite decades of effort, the Collatz conjecture remains neither proved, nor refuted by a counterexample, nor formally shown to be undecidable. This note introduces the Collatz problem and probes its logical depth with a test question: can the search space for counterexamples be iteratively reduced, and when would it help?

Exploring Set-Theoretic Practices Of Youth Engagement In Connective Journalism: What We Lose In School-Mathematical Descriptions, Alexandra R. Aguilar, Emma C. Gargroetzi, Lynne M. Zummo, Emma P. Bene

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

Analyzing youth video submissions regarding COVID-19 to KQED’s ‘Let’s Talk About the Election’ website, we explore the mathematics these youth engaged in through their submissions without creating any explicit connection to school mathematical concepts or standards. Our focus is the students’ construction of sets (e.g. sets of nurses, doctors, American workers), as a means of creating connection with voters and other media authors through Marchi and Clark’s (2021) construct of connective journalism. We observe these youth constructing sets of varying sizes and reflecting on how these sets are contextualized within a larger political dialogue. We also attempt to rewrite part …

Students’ Mathematical Learning During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jessica Mean, Shilpa Dasgupta

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

This paper discusses our new approach to assessing students’ learning. This approach includes the use of a final project rather than a final cumulative exam. We suggest that students taking a deep dive into one particular math concept and being able to make connections between that concept and the real world are educational achievements during this pandemic. We also argue that there is value in online learning because students who learn online choose to use library resources and develop their own interests by attending office hours, all of which benefit their learning.