MGF1107
Summer A 2016
Mr. Douglas Pfeffer
1500 Word Research Paper
Due: Monday, June 16th 2016
This class is designed to give the student exposure to the various facets of mathematics. One of them, and
by far my favorite, is its history. This assignment will have you researching the life of a famous
mathematician and writing a small paper on your findings. Many mathematicians have led rich, exotic
lives and their stories can sometimes be exhilarating. I hope you find this paper to be an opportunity to
view mathematicians as human like yourselves with a unique story to tell.
Attached to this paper will be a list of mathematicians for you to choose from. No two people may
research the same person. On the first day I will send around a list and you will pick a mathematician.
When you’ve made your selection, print your name in the adjacent column. If a mathematician has
already been selected, you must choose another.
Please note: This is a RESEARCH paper. Sources are required. Please site your sources in MLA format
and have a works cited page at the end of your paper. The requirement is a minimum of five sources.
Rubric / Requirements
Length: Minimum of 1500 words.
Formatting:
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Times New Roman font (12 pt.)
Double Spaced
No more than 1 inch margins
First page MUST have your name (first and last)
First page must have a title.
You MUST staple your paper before turning in. Failure to do so will result in a point deduction.
Sources: A minimum of five sources are required. Your paper must have a ‘works cited` at the end. Please
use MLA format. I encourage you to use a variety of sources (i.e., one book, one article, etc.) If you quote
a source directly in your paper, please make sure to put quotations around it and to specifically source it at
the end of the quotation.
Content: In your paper you are required to provide the following
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Biography: When did they live? Where did they grow up? Were they always good at math? What
university, if any, did they attend? Were they always an academic? (This question is particularly
interesting – many mathematicians spent years in military service.) This is an opportunity for you
to learn more about who this person was and how they came to be mathematician.
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Accomplishments: These people are famous for a reason. Provide a cursory overview of what
they did to etch their name into the annals of mathematical history. NOTE: You are NOT
expected to give an exposition on the EXACT math they invented – no one is expected to learn
their math. Simply discuss their advancements and accomplishments. What awards did they win
for their work? What famous people of the time recognized them for their advancements?
(Example: Napoleon promoted mathematicians to high ranks for their work in wartime.)
MGF1107
Summer A 2016
Mr. Douglas Pfeffer
This paper is worth 25 points of your grade. Its grade is broken down as follows,
Length
Formatting / Grammar / Spelling
Sources
Biography
Accomplishments
Overall
5 pts
5 pts
5 pts
5 pts
5 pts
25 pts
This paper is due in class Monday, June 13th 2016. You may also email it to me at [email protected].
There are no excuses for a late turn in! For every day late you will lose 5 points.
Below is a list of mathematicians to choose from. Please note below who you chose on the first day.
Isaac Newton
Archimedes
Carl F. Gauss
Leonhard Euler
Bernhard Riemann
Henri Poincaré
Joseph-Louis Lagrange
Euclid
David Hilbert
Pierre-Simon Laplace
Blaise Pascal
Pierre de Fermat
Évariste Galois
Gottfried W. Liebniz
John von Neumann
Niels Abel
Karl W. Weierstrass
René Descartes
Georg Cantor
Peter Dirichlet
Srinivasa Ramanujun
Augustin Cauchy
Arthur Cayley
Leonardo Fibonacci
Willian R. Hamilton
Leopold Kronecker
Joseph Fourier
Gaspard Monge
Jean-Victor Poncelet
Lastly, if you have ANY questions please ask. Email me or drop by office hours if you can. I am more
than happy to discuss your topic and progress. I look forward to reading your papers!