Bruce H Edwards

Does the celebrated harmonic series diverge or converge? Discover a proof using the integral test. Then generalize to define an entire class of series called p-series, and prove a theorem showing when they converge. Close with the sum of the harmonic series, the fascinating Euler-Mascheroni constant, which is not known to be rational or irrational.

Use a technique called strong induction to prove an elementary theorem about prime numbers. Next, apply strong induction to the famous Fibonacci sequence, verifying the Binet formula, which can specify any number in the sequence. Test the formula by finding the 21-digit-long 100th Fibonacci number.

Before he became the 20th U. S. president, James A. Garfield published an original proof of the Pythagorean theorem that relied on a visual argument. See how pictures play an important role in understanding why a particular mathematical statement may be true. But is a visual proof really a proof?

Dig deeper into prime numbers and number theory by proving a conjecture that asserts that there are arbitrarily large gaps between successive prime numbers. Then turn to some celebrated conjectures in number theory, which are easy to state but which have withstood all attempts to prove them.

Tackle infinite sets, which pose fascinating paradoxes. For example, the set of integers is a subset of the set of rational numbers, and yet there is a one-to-one correspondence between them. Explore other properties of infinite sets, proving that the real numbers between 0 and 1 are uncountable.

You've studied proofs. How about disproofs? How do you show that a conjecture is false? Experience the fun of finding counterexamples. Then explore some famous paradoxes in mathematics, including Bertrand Russell's barber paradox, which shook the foundations of set theory.

Use different proof techniques to explore square and triangular numbers. Square numbers are numbers such as 1, 4, 9, and 16 that are the squares of integers. Triangular numbers represent the total dots needed to form an equilateral triangle, such as 1, 3, 6, and 10.

In the final lecture on logic, explore the quantifiers "for all" and "there exists," learning how these operations are negated. Quantifiers play a large role in calculus - for example, when defining the concept of a sequence, which you study in greater detail in upcoming lectures.

Investigate the intriguing link between perfect numbers and Mersenne primes. A number is perfect if it equals the sum of all its divisors, excluding itself. Mersenne primes are prime numbers that are one less than a power of 2. Oddly, the known examples of both classes of numbers are 47.

The model for modern mathematical thinking was forged 2,300 years ago in Euclid's Elements. Prove three of Euclid's theorems and investigate his famous fifth postulate dealing with parallel lines. Also, learn how proofs are important in Professor Edwards's own research.