2004 EAPS Lecture Series: Mars
Jim Hansen
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
The month of January will be an exciting time in the exploration of Mars. EAPS is sponsoring a series of noontime lectures that will highlight different aspects of its geology and environment. The Spirit and Opportunity rovers will land on the planet Jan. 4 and Jan 25, and we are hoping to bookend the series with live commentary on the missions as broadcast on NASA tv. Please see the EAPS home page for the most current information.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/eaps
Contact: Vicki McKenna, 54-910, x3-3380, vsm@mit.edu
Sponsor: Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences
Latest On Mars
Maria Zuber
Fri Jan 9, 12-01:00pm, 66-144
The History of Robot Exploration of Mars
Jonathan McDowell Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Talk will summarize the missions from the early 1960s to today. The focus will be on the missions themselves rahter than the science of our understanding of Mars. The latest photos from Spirit will be included.
Thu Jan 22, 12-01:00pm, 54-915
Icecaps of Mars and Earth
Felix Ng
Tue Jan 27, 12-01:00pm, 54-915
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CSBi Symposium on Systems Biology
Linda Earle
Thu Jan 8, Fri Jan 9, 08am-06:00pm, Wong Auditorium
Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Limited to 500 participants.
Prereq: Registration required.
"From Bioinformatics to Biofabrication" is a 2 day-symposium. A detailed agenda will be posted on the CSBi web site.
CSBi has been committed to building a sophisticated research infrastructure to advance systems biology at MIT (the CSBi Technology Platform) and to supporting interdisciplinary, multi-investigator research projects in gene and protein networks, cell and tissue biology, metabolic engineering and toxicology, cancer biology, bioinformatics and computational biology, microsystems, synthetic biology, and commercial implications of systems biology.
Web: http://csbi.mit.edu
Contact: Linda Earle, 68-459, 324-0074, lkn@mit.edu
Sponsor: Biology
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Entangling Electrons
Markus Kindermann
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Quantum Mechanics; Condensed Matter / Statistical Mechancs d
Entanglement is an intrinsically quantum mechanical concept and at the heart of quantum information and computation. Many-body quantum states are generically entangled. For practical purposes one wants to generate entanglement, however, in a controlled way. This has been achieved in quantum optics, where entanglement within pairs of photons can be produced at will. It is currently an experimental challenge to do the same with electrons in solid state devices.
Contact: Timothy F. Havel, NW14-2218, 253-8309, tfhavel@mit.edu
Sponsor: Cambridge-MIT Institute
LECTURE 1: WHAT IS ENTANGLEMENT?
Markus Kindermann
The concept of entanglement will be introduced along with its signatures and practical applications. In particular, the concepts of Bell's inequalities and quantum teleportation will be explained.
Wed Jan 21, 11-12:00am, NW14-1112
LECTURE 2: ENTANGLING ELECTRONS
Markus Kindermann
An overview over recent theoretical proposals to entangle electrons in solid state devices will be given. The basic ideas behind various proposed electron entanglers as well as entanglement detectors will be discussed.
Thu Jan 22, 11-12:00am, NW14-1112
LECTURE 3: ENTANGLEMENT WITHOUT INTERACTION
Markus Kindermann
A conceptually particularly simple one of these proposals will be discussed in detail, which does not rely on two-particle interactions between the electrons. The entanglement can be detected by measuring correlations between electrical currents through the device.
Fri Jan 23, 11-12:00am, NW14-1112
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Exploring Quantum Chaos with Quantum Computers
David Poulin & Joseph Emerson Perimeter Institute, Canada
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Linear algebra + two years of physics
We discuss how quantum information processors could be used to study various aspects of quantum chaos. In particular, we will show how the ability to simulate the dynamics of certain quantum systems on a quantum computer enables us to evaluate interesting physical quantities, such as spectral correlation functions and stability under perturbation, which serve as signatures of quantum chaos. Time permitting, we will also discuss the problem of the emergence of classical chaos from quantum theory.
Contact: Timothy F. Havel, NW14-2218, 253-8309, tfhavel@mit.edu
Sponsor: Cambridge-MIT Institute
Lecture 1: Introduction to Quantum Computing and Quantum Maps
David Poulin
(+) Quantum mechanics in a nutshell
(+) Quantum computing
(+) Fungible qubits and universal dynamics
(+) Efficient quantum algorithms
(+) Quantum simulation of a chaotic map
Wed Jan 21, 02-03:30pm, NW14-1112
Lecture 2: Measuring Signatures of Quantum Chaos on a Quantum Computer
David Poulin
(+) Classical chaos
(+) Sensitivity to initial state
(+) Readout problem
(+) Looking for symmetries
(+) Fidelity decay
Thu Jan 22, 02-03:30pm, NW14-1112
Lecture 3: Advanced Topics in Quantum Chaos
Joseph Emerson
(+) Quantum dynamical localization
(+) Quantum chaos in the classical limit
Fri Jan 23, 02-03:30pm, NW14-1112
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Frontiers of Astronomy, Astrophysics, and Space Science
Dr. Frederick Baganoff
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None
A series of lectures aimed at freshmen non-physics majors highlighting the latest discoveries about the nature of our universe and the potential for dramatic advances in the coming decade. Tour the MIT labs where the next generation of cutting-edge telescopes and instruments are being developed, and get a sneak preview of tomorrow's headlines in astronomy, astrophysics, and space science. See descriptions of the lectures and lab tours at Center for Space Research IAP Lecture Series
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Contact: Dr. Frederick Baganoff, 37-507, 253-6892, fkb@space.mit.edu
Sponsor: Center for Space Research
MIT's Legacy in Space: Balloons, Rockets, and Satellites
Professor Hale Bradt
Fri Jan 9, 02-03:00pm, 37-252
Dark Energy: The Greatest Mystery in the Universe
Professor Edmund Bertschinger
Tue Jan 13, 02-02:30pm, 37-252
New Visions of the Center of Our Galaxy
Dr. Frederick Baganoff
Tue Jan 13, 02:30-03:00pm, 37-252, followed by Chandra tour
Tour of the Operations Center for the Chandra X-ray Observatory
Dr. Irene Porro
Tue Jan 13, 03:15-04:15pm, 37-252, advance sign up required
Our Solar System as an Astrophysical Laboratory
Dr. Justin Kasper
Wed Jan 14, 02-02:30pm, 37-252
Complexity in the Heavens
Professor Tom Tien Sun Chang
Wed Jan 14, 02:30-03:00pm, 37-252
Destination Mars!
Dr. Peter Ford
Fri Jan 16, 02-02:30pm, 37-252
Gamma-Ray Bursts
Dr. Roland Vanderspek
Fri Jan 16, 02:30-03:00pm, 37-252, followed by HETE tour
Tour of the Operations Center for the High Energy Transient Explorer
Dr. Roland Vanderspek
Fri Jan 16, 03:15-04:15pm, 37-252, advance sign up required
Measuring Black Hole Spin and Accretion Disk Temperatures
Dr. Julia Lee
Tue Jan 20, 02-02:30pm, 37-252
The Space Nanotechnology Lab: High Resolution X-Ray Optics with Nanometer Precision
Dr. Ralf Heilmann
Tue Jan 20, 02:30-03:00pm, 37-252, followed by SNL tour
Tour of the Space Nanotechnology Lab
Dr. Ralf Heilmann
Tue Jan 20, 03:15-04:15pm, 37-252, advance sign up required
Astronomy with Gravitational Waves
Professor Scott Hughes
Tue Jan 27, 02-02:30pm, 37-252
Detecting Gravitational Waves
Professor Nergis Mavalvala
Tue Jan 27, 02:30-03:00pm, 37-252, followed by LIGO tour
Tour of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory Lab
Professor Nergis Mavalvala
Tue Jan 27, 03:15-04:15pm, 37-252, advance sign up required
Impact of the First Stars on the Cosmic Neutral Hydrogen
Professor Abraham Loeb Harvard University
Thu Jan 29, 02-02:30pm, 37-252
Mapping Neutral Hydrogen in the Young Universe with the LOw FrequencyARray (LOFAR)
Professor Jacqueline Hewitt
Thu Jan 29, 02:30-03:00pm, 37-252
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Holography Lecture Series
Stephanie Hunt
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
For more than two decades, MIT has advanced the frontiers of holography through both science and the creative arts. Each lecture session will help you to better understand the fundamentals of holography, its creative and technical uses, and the many contributions that MIT has made to the field.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/museum/holographyiap/
Contact: Stephanie Hunt, MIT Museum, x3-4405, museum-programs@mit.edu
Sponsor: MIT Museum
Session 1: The 3D Window: Fundamentals of Holography
Michael Halle
Tue Jan 27, 12-01:00pm, MIT Museum
Session 2: Stephen Benton and the Holographic Arts
Betsy Connors
Wed Jan 28, 12-01:00pm, MIT Museum
Session 3: Fringes and Bits: Computational Holography at MIT
Michael Halle
Thu Jan 29, 12-01:00pm, MIT Museum
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Physics aLectures for the General MIT Community: Detecting Gravitational Waves With Interferometers
Prof. Nergis Mavalvala
Thu Jan 8, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
What are gravitational-waves? Are they radiated by astrophysical objects? How do we detect them? Can we use them to learn more about the cosmos? The answers to these and other questions will be presented along with a virtual tour of gravitational-wave observatories and a discussion of the principles of gravitational-wave generation and detection. Part of the Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community series.
Contact: Maria Springer, 4-352, x3-4461, maria@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: 2Precision Physics with an Ion Balance - Does E=mc2?
Prof. Dave Pritchard
Mon Jan 12, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Our new single ion balance for trapped ions improves atomic mass measurement accuracy to ~ 10-11. We have discovered a correction to the cyclotron resonance formula, recalibrated the x-ray wavelength scale, found the mass of fundamental particles, may replace the artifact kilogram with an atomic mass standard, realized a new route to determining the fine structure constant, performed a precise test of E=mc2, and made the best measurement of the dipole moment of any charged molecule.Part of the Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community series.
Contact: Maria Springer, 4-352, x3-4461, maria@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: 3Cosmic Inflation and the Accelerating Universe
Prof. Alan Guth
Thu Jan 15, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Inflationary cosmology offers possible explanations for many features of our universe, including its uniformity, its mass density, and the faint ripples that are now being observed in the cosmic background radiation. The recently discovered acceleration of the universe has radically altered our picture of the universe, but has also helped to confirm the basic predictions of inflation. Part of the Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community series.
Contact: Maria Springer, 4-352, x3-4461, maria@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: 4String Theory: From Vibrating Strings to a Unified Theory of Physics
Prof. Barton Zwiebach
Wed Jan 21, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
We will explain what is a relativistic string and how it
differs from an ordinary string. Then, we will discuss in detail how physicists expect to obtain all the known elementary particles as vibrations of open strings suspended between configurations of D-branes.
Contact: Maria Springer, 4-352, x3-4461, maria@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: 5MITQuantum Information-Computation at the Atomic Scale
Prof. Isaac Chuang
Fri Jan 23, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Information is physical, and computation obeys physical laws. Ones and zeros must be represented in physical media to be stored and processed. Increasingly, as we edge towards the limits of semiconductor technology, we reach a new regime where classical physics gives way to quantum, and phenomena like entanglement and quantum coherence become available as new resources. How can such resources be utilized for information technology, and with what physical systems? Part of the Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community series.
Contact: Maria Springer, 4-352, x3-4461, maria@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community: 6Are We Really Made of Quarks?
Prof. Jerome Friedman
Mon Jan 26, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
The quark model, which embodied a radically new view of the structure of matter, was fiercely debated and rejected by most of the physics community. Its ultimate acceptance took well over a decade and occurred only after inescapable and compelling experimental evidence, but free quarks have never been observed. This talk will describe how physicists came to this seemingly strange conclusion and discuss the implications of such a picture on our concept of matter. Part of the Physics Lectures for the General MIT Community series.
Contact: Maria Springer, 4-352, x3-4461, maria@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics
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Physics in Business-the Adventures of Two Course 8 Graduates in the Free Market
Jeff Trester and Jeff Evenson
Wed Jan 28, 01:30-02:30pm, 6-120
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Compare the different career paths of two men who graduated MIT in 1988 with degrees in physics. Jeff Trester is Co-Founder and Co-chief Executive Officer of PriceScan.com Inc. Founded in 1997, PriceScan.com uses "shopping bot" technology to allow on-line shoppers to compare product and price information. Jeff Evenson is a Partner in the Boston office of McKinsey & Company. He is a leader of McKinsey's High Tech practice and his clients include companies in communications equipment, semiconductors, electronic and optical materials, flat panel displays and the subset of drug discovery tools that result from effectively combining biology, physics and chemistry.
Contact: Maria Springer, 4-352, x3-4461, maria@MIT.EDU
Sponsor: Physics
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Plasma Science and Fusion Center IAP Series
Jeffrey Freidberg, Peter Catto, Robert Granetz
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
This series introduces plasma physics research and areas of related interest at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center. See http://www.psfc.mit.edu/
Web: http://www.psfc.mit.edu/
Contact: Paul Rivenberg, NW16-284, x3-8101, rivenberg@psfc.mit.edu
Sponsor: Plasma Science and Fusion Center
Sustained Energy – Choosing Among Options Isn't That Easy
Jeff Tester
This seminar will review the motivations for changing our primary energy supply and evaluate possible options and approaches for accelerating a transition to a more sustainable energy system.
Mon Jan 12, 10-11:00am, NW17-218
Why Did the Electric Grid Fail? It Wasn’t My Fault
Steven Fairfax
This presentation will discuss both normal operation of the
high-voltage transmission system and the challenges facing it, as well as the detailed cause(s) of this particular outage. This session will also explore how the blackout and other factors may be changing the frequency and duration of outages.
Mon Jan 12, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218
ITER - Love It or Leave It
Ronald R. Parker
Tue Jan 13, 10-11:00am, NW17-218
How Do You Heat a Donut to 100 Million Degrees?
Steven Wukitch
Tue Jan 13, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218
Tour of Alcator C-Mod
Alex Parisot
http://www.psfc.mit.edu/cmod/
Tue Jan 13, 12-12:30pm, NW17-218
Ignition on the Horizon
Richard Petrasso
Fusion ignition is one of the most important goals of inertial confinement fusion, and around 2010, the National Ignition Facility will undertake the first such experiments with that goal in mind.
Wed Jan 14, 10-11:00am, NW17-218
The LDX Magnets: How Do You Float a 1000 Pound Magnet?
Joseph Minervini
Wed Jan 14, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218
Tour of Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX)
Tour Guide to be announced
In this experiment plasma will flow around a superconducting ring levitated inside a spaceship-shaped vacuum chamber (about 16 feet in diameter). This experiment could bring new knowledge of how plasmas behave and possibly lead fusion energy research in a new direction. http://www.psfc.mit.edu/ldx/
Wed Jan 14, 12-12:30pm, NW17-218
Science, Politics and Policy
J. Patrick Looney Office of Science and Technology Policy
Thu Jan 15, 11am-12:00pm, NW17-218
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Powering the Future - Materials Science for the Energy Sources of the 21st Century: The Case of Hydrogen
Ion Bita
Wed Jan 7, Fri Jan 9, Thu Jan 15, 01-02:30pm, 8-314
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prof. Mildred Dresselhaus will open this series with two lectures on the material science research needed for enabling the much touted "Hydrogen Economy". As a former Director of the Office of Science at the DOE, and Chair of the 2003 Basic Energy Sciences Workshop on the basic research needs for the hydrogen economy, Professor Dresselhaus has an outstanding understanding of the potential of hydrogen as a future energy platform.
Projections of per capita energy needs for the 21st Century indicate that new technologies for sustainable energy production, storage, and use will need to be developed in the next 50 years. The so-called Hydrogen Economy is one such proposal that is presently being considered worldwide. The requirements of a hydrogen economy will be discussed in terms of production, storage and utilization (fuel cells), with emphasis given to the large gap between present science and technology knowhow and the requirements in efficiency and cost for a sustainable hydrogen economy. Opportunities for nanoscience and nanotechnology to narrow this gap will be discussed.
Additional speakers include Professors Daniel Nocera and Jeff Tester. For an updated list please visit the website below.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/mrschapter/www/IAP/iap_2004.html
Contact: Ion Bita, 13-5122, 253-2063, ibita@mit.edu
Sponsor: Materials Science and Engineering
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Quantum Algorithms: Promise, Present and Prospect
Willem Klaas (Wim) van Dam
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: Linear algebra + basic computer science
See descriptions below for details.
Contact: Timothy F. Havel, NW14-2218, 253-8309, tfhavel@mit.edu
Sponsor: Cambridge-MIT Institute
Lecture 1: The Promise
Willem Klaas (Wim) van Dam
I explain what quantum bits and quantum circuits are. Arguments are given why this computational model might be more powerful than classical computing. Some simple toy algorithms are given as well as some general lower bounds.
Wed Jan 21, 10-11:00am, NW14-1112
Lecture 2: The Present
Willem Klaas (Wim) van Dam
An explanation of the quantum Fourier transform is given. Shor's algorithms for the discrete logarithm problem and factoring are described. The extension to the (Abelian) hidden subgroup is mentioned. Other quantum algorithms for Pell's equation, hidden shift problems and Gauss sum estimation are discussed as well.
Thu Jan 22, 10-11:00am, NW14-1112
Lecture 3: The Prospects
Willem Klaas (Wim) van Dam
I will give my point of view of where and how we could find new quantum algorithms. I will describe my work on the relation between quantum computing, the zeros of zeta functions, and approximate point counting of equations over finite fields. Likely other topics are: what about algorithms for problems that have to do with number theory, lattices and combinatorial optimization?
Fri Jan 23, 10-11:00am, NW14-1112
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Spectroscopy Laboratory IAP Lecture Series
Prof. Michael S. Feld
Wed Jan 14, 09-11:00am, 34-401
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Single session event
Many advances in biology, medicine and material science are driven by the availability of new spectroscopic tools that can image nanometer-scale objects such as quantum dots, carbon nanotubes, and sub-cellular features.
PUSHING THE LIMITS OF MODERN MICROSCOPY
Modern Optical Microscopy: Lighting the Way in Biomedicine; Peter T.-C. So, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, MIT
Nanoscale Optical Spectroscopy; Lukas Novotny, Institute of Optics, University of Rochester
Interferometric Detection of Neural Signals; Chris Fang-Yen, Spectroscopy Laboratory, MIT
Web: http://web.mit.edu/spectroscopy
Contact: Vinnie Russo, 6-014, x3-9774, vrusso@mit.edu
Sponsor: Spectroscopy Lab
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The Feynman Films
Markos Hankin
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: None
This series of films by Richard Feynman is open to the MIT community.
Contact: Markos Hankin, 4-309, 253-4844, mhankin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Physics
The Law of Gravitation
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 5, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
The Best Mind Since Einstein
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 7, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
The Relation of Mathematics to Physics
Markos Hankin
Thu Jan 8, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
The Great Conservation Principles
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 12, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
Symmetry in Physical Law
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 14, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
The Last Journey of a Genius
Markos Hankin
Thu Jan 15, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
Take the World from Another Point of View
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 21, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
The Distinction of Past and Future
Markos Hankin
Fri Jan 23, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
Probability and Uncertainty
Markos Hankin
Mon Jan 26, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
Seeking New Laws
Markos Hankin
Wed Jan 28, 12-01:30pm, 6-120
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Vacuum Technology Seminar
Dave McCarthy Varian Vacuum Technologies
Tue Jan 20, 09:30am-02:00pm, NW17-218, Lunch provided
No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 15-Jan-2004
Single session event
Intensive one-day noncommercial class on vacuum fundamentals for graduate students and other vacuum users. Some of the topics that will be discussed include high vacuum, ultra high vacuum, system pressure, total gas load, material selection, system pumping speed, vacuum pumps, system operation, and system troubleshooting. Taught by vacuum engineer with 35 years experience in vacuum, and numerous patents to his credit. Seminar is co-led by Varian Vacuum Technologies and includes a free manual.
Contact: Bob Childs, childs@psfc.mit.edu
Sponsor: Plasma Science and Fusion Center
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Visual Mathematics
Laura Hajj, Blake Stacey
Tue, Thu, Jan 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27, 29, 07:30-09:00pm, 24-619
No enrollment limit, no advance sign up
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)
Prereq: none
Students will explore the fundamentals of modern mathematics using video-oriented mathematics designed by Cal Tech's Thomas Apostol. Topics range from geometry to calculus and analysis,with emphasis on areas which traditional classroom study often neglects. The history of mathematics is also discussed. Specific topics for each date will be available on the online IAP guide.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/esg/www/iap
Contact: Laura Hajj, 24-612, (857) 204-4050, hajj@mit.edu
Sponsor: Experimental Study Group
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