math

Artist of the Week Hillary Kim ’25 on Art for Its Own Sake

Hillary Kim ’25 is an applied math major. Yet, art permeates her life at Swarthmore. After attending an arts-oriented high school in California, art became Kim’s norm, a grounding and standard part of both her experience and expression. “When I got here
March 23, 2023

+ ε to + ∞

Note on the Title The second symbol in the title is an “epsilon.” It sounds Greek. It sounds geek! It’s both. I first encountered this symbol in a Paul Erdős biography, because he used to refer to children as “epsilons.” Cute. Epsilons
May 7, 2021

Becoming > : Advice from Professors

In my previous piece, I outlined this pervasive feeling of being <, this mix of imposter syndrome, stereotype threat, and my own insecurities blended together in a, to say mildly, unappetizing concoction. Since then, I’ve spent the past month interviewing four mathematics
April 23, 2021

< & ≠

When I was young, probably 4th grade or so, my mother told me I wasn’t a “S.T.E.M. person.” My mother is a person who believes in excellence; she believes there is little point to working in a field in which you will
March 19, 2021

Math and Stats Subtracts Math 26 From Curriculum

Beginning in Fall 2019, the Department of Mathematics and Statistics stopped offering Math 26 which covered advanced topics in single-variable calculus.The department began offering the course, designed by Professor Thomas Hunter, in 2004. Math 26, which bridged the gap between Math 25
October 3, 2019

Why does my math class have so few girls?

Why does my math class have so few girls? Why did the engineering department here have only one female professor last year? These are the types of questions many girls in S.T.E.M. at Swat tend to ask ourselves. Issues of underrepresentation of
April 12, 2018

When mathematical reasoning gets murky

In a recent piece for the Phoenix, “Why Mathematical Reasoning Should Be a Part of Civic Education,” Zhicheng Fan advocates expanded mathematical education as an antidote to the post-factual political climate into which the U.S. has unfortunately ventured.  The argument, in essence,
February 9, 2017

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