Lights, Camera, Action ...
Try filming yourself giving a Math Presentation on a topic that other Mu Alpha
Theta Members might like to see. Explain a topic of interest. Describe a mathematical problem that you think is fun. If you are
camera shy, how about making a Power Point Presentation and dub your voice over it. We award cash prizes for Math Presentations
that you are willing to share online. Have a good Chalk Talk you gave at our National Convention last summer? Make it into a
Math Presentation and submit it! You can read about contest details here.
Mu Alpha Theta held their second annual
Math Presentation Contest in 2010. Contest winners are below with links to
their presentations.
The five National winners for 2010 were:
Tied for First Place, each presentation won $600 and a copy of Mathematica.
Complex Number Exponents of Euler’s Number
by Avinash Inabathula of Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers, IN
Brief Description of Content: This is an investigation of one of the most fascinating formulas in mathematics, Euler’s formula.
The presentation discusses a step by step proof of the formula using the Taylor series and a graphical representation of the concept on the imaginary plane.
Also proven are a few familiar trigonometric identities.
Basic Cryptology
by Tyler Kimbley of Harris County High School, Hamilton, GA
Brief Description of Content: Explains the use and components of basic ciphers and types of mono-alphabetic ciphers.
Tied for Second Place, each presentation won $300 and a copy of Mathematica.
Mathematically Quantifying Anthocyanin Content in Blueberry
by Justin Mathew of Clarkstown High School South, West Nyack, NY
Brief Description of Content: This project is an extension of my science research project. It focuses on quantifying anthocyanin pigment
found in fruits like cherries, blueberry, blackberries, and strawberries. The project involves data collected from UV-Spectrophotometry instruments
and an Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer. The culmination of the project is the development of a formula
that can be used to quickly determine the concentration of anthocyanin pigments (with anti-aging/anti-cancer effects) in blueberry. The procedure
can be applied to a number of other fruits to develop similar formulae.
The Fibonacci Sequence and the Goldens
by Ryan Breaud and Malerie Bulot of Riverside Academy, Laplace, LA
Brief Description of Content: Our project is an overview of the history and applications of the Fibonacci Sequence
and the Goldens, the Golden Rectangle, the Golden Ratio, and the Golden Spiral.
Third Place, the presentation won $100 and a copy of Mathematica.
RSA Cryptography: Security for the World
by John de St. Germain and Alexander Tir of Riverside Academy, Laplace, LA
This presentation explains the basis of the RSA cryptosystem, which involves extensive use of number theory. Slides begin with an overview
of RSA and cryptography before indulging into proofs of basic number theory concepts involved with the cryptosystem. RSA has many applications
in the world and is one of the strongest cryptosystems used by many computer security systems today.
The five National winners for 2009 were:
First Place, $500 Prize
Cycloid Curves by Alex Tir and John de St. Germain of Riverside Academy, Laplace, LA
This is a Power Point slide presentation without voice over. Clicking on the highlighted
link will allow you to download the file for viewing in PowerPoint.
Brief Description of Content: The properties of the cycloid curve are explored, as
well as other types of cycloidal curves. This includes its properties as a brachistochrone and a
tautochrone, ranged to similar, fascinating curves such as the realeaux triangle.
Second Place, $300 Prize
The Mathematics of Music
by Nathan Bradley Duke of Parkview High School, Springfield, MO.
Brief Description of Content: An oral presentation explores the mathematical relationships within the musical
aspects of rhythm, pitch and sound waves.
Third Place, $200 Prize - Three presentations tied for third place:
The Mean Value Theorem for Derivatives by
Anthony Fernandez of Miami Springs High School, Miami, FL. This is a brief exploration using Geometer's Sketchpad.
Get Better Scores on your SAT
by Sei Masuoka of Winston Churchill High School, Potomac, MD. The Adobe Presenter slide show with
voice over has been uploaded for viewing.
Brief Description of Content: Using Statistics, the SAT answer distribution is analyzed for any pattern within the sample data
taken from SAT prep books. Then a couple of guessing methods are proposed based on the analysis and are tested out on
actual SAT tests.
Statistical Analysis of State SAT scores by
Christopher Lee Squitieri of St. George's Independent School, Collierville, TN. This PowerPoint presentation may be saved
for viewing. The current copy has some voice over. We are waiting for a corrected copy to be uploaded soon.
Brief Description of Content: This presentation looks at the amount of money states spend per student on average and compares
this to student results on the SAT.
Honorable Mention
Ashok Cutkosky of Hickman High School in Columbia, MO has received an Honorable Mention for his PowerPoint presentation on his
mathematical research entitled "Associated Primes of the Square of the Alexander Dual of Hypergraphs." While the presentation was
above the high school level we were looking for, Ashok has already won $23,000 in scholarships for this work from the Siemens
Competition.