# ESP Biography

## ALEX COLE, MIT alum doing software stuff now

Major: 18C

College/Employer: MIT

Not Available.

## Past Classes

(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

M14487: Fractals! in Spark 2021 (Mar. 13 - 27, 2021)
Come meet fractals, the bizarre, infinitely complex, structures that live between dimensions! To understand these beautiful shapes, we'll dig into what "dimension" really means, how dimension is calculated, and where fractals appear in the real world.

M14488: Introduction to Number Theory in Spark 2021 (Mar. 13 - 27, 2021)
Do you like numbers? What about theories? If so then this class is for you! Number theory is the branch of mathematics that is devoted to the study of integers. It turns out you can do a lot without decimals or fractions! We'll dig into the basics of number theory including discussing primes, modular arithmetic, and where all of this is used in the real world.

M9948: Euler's Formula in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Ever wondered why $$e^{i\pi}=-1$$? Do you want to know why trig functions and exponentials are the same thing? Interested in learning fast ways to prove trig identities so you don't have to memorize them? Come to this class and learn all of these things and more! Also grab a look at the wikipedia article for more info.

M9949: Advanced Random Awesome Maths in Splash 2015 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2015)
Are you advanced? What about awesome? If so then this class is for you! We might do some stuff with infinities, hypercubes, and paradoxes or we might do something totally different. Come and find out!

M8366: A New Geometry in Spark 2014 (Mar. 15 - 16, 2014)
Do you like geometry? What about hypercubes? Then this class is for you! We will probably talk about some geometry topics not normally covered in school, like higher dimensions, regular polytopes, and curvature.

S7937: Introduction to Cookie Clicker in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)
Do you like cookies? What about clicking? If so, then this class is for you. This course will discuss all of the fundamentals of Cookie Clicker. From exponential growth, to present value, to what to do about the grandmapocalypse, we have you covered. It should be appropriate both for those entirely new to Cookie Clicker and those who play recreationally.

M7943: Modern Cryptography in Splash! 2013 (Nov. 23 - 24, 2013)
Want to send a message without the NSA reading it? And then digitally sign it? And then have some 3rd party perform an arbitrary computation on it without revealing any information about the message? Then this class is for you. This class will start out with the basics of symmetric and asymmetric cryptography and then continue onto some cutting edge topics like fully-homomorphic encryption and functional encryption.

M7062: Mathematical Folding in Spark! 2013 (Mar. 16, 2013)
What are the mathematical limits of origami? Can you fold everything? Can you unfold all 3-D shapes? (The results might be a little surprising =P ) We will also discuss related topics like linkages, fold-and-cut magic tricks, and hinged dissections as well as doing some hands on folding activities.

X6455: Splash! Focus Group in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
Come to this Splash class to talk about Splash. As the number of students at Splash continues to grow, we (the Splash organizers) are facing more and more challenges. How do we get enough teachers? Enough classrooms? Enough volunteers? We've been thinking about these problems (and solving some of them!) but we want to know what you think! The class will be a small focus group. Current ESP admins (the people who run Splash) will talk briefly about our challenges, and then lead a discussion. Your feedback will directly affect the future of Splash.

M6612: The Return of the Geometry in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
Do you like icosahedra? What about hypercubes? If so then this class is for you. We will be discussing the math behind the platonic solids (the 5 fundamental shapes in 3-D geometry) as well as discussing 4-D shapes. Then we will build as many of them as we can.

W6809: SET in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
Come play the greatest game ever invented!!!! Set is a game of visual perception and pattern finding. Everyone from absolute beginners to experts are welcome.

M6017: The Geometry Strikes Back in HSSP Summer 2012 (Jul. 08, 2012)
Do you like hypercubes? What about great rhombicosidodecahedra? In this class, we'll talk about the best parts of 3 and 4 dimensional geometry. Along the way, we'll play with origami, pipe cleaners, and soap bubbles.

S5939: Fermi Problems! in ESPrinkler Spring 2012 (Feb. 18 - Apr. 14, 2012)
Ever wanted to know how many tons of salt are in the ocean or how many piano tuners are in Boston? These are both examples of Fermi problems. Fermi problems are questions that involve computing tricky quantities to reasonable accuracies without any information aside from common sense.

M5863: Evil Maths in Spark! 2012 (Mar. 10, 2012)
Do you like evil? What about maths? Then this class is for you!

W5864: SET in Spark! 2012 (Mar. 10, 2012)
Come play the greatest game ever invented!!!! Set is a game of visual perception and pattern finding. Everyone from absolute beginners to experts are welcome.

M5417: Advanced Random Awesome Maths (High School Edition) in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Are you advanced? What about awesome? If so than come to this class! We might do some stuff with Euler’s formula, Stirling’s formula, and the Gamma Function or we might do something totally different. Come and find out!

M5418: Advanced Random Awesome Maths (Middle School Edition) in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Are you advanced? What about awesome? If so than come to this class! We might do some stuff with Number Theory, Fractals, and Fibonacci or we might do something totally different. Come and find out!

W4668: SET in Spark! 2011 (Mar. 12, 2011)
Come play the greatest game ever invented!!!! Set is a game of visual perception and pattern finding. Everyone from absolute beginners to experts are welcome.

M4673: Introduction to Number Theory in Spark! 2011 (Mar. 12, 2011)
Do you like numbers? What about theories? If so then this class is for you!

M4674: Advanced Random Awesome Maths in Spark! 2011 (Mar. 12, 2011)
Are you advanced? What about awesome? If so than come to this class! We might do some stuff with Euler's formula, Stirling's formula, and the Gamma Function or we might do something totally different. Come and find out!

S4506: Intro to Mechanics in HSSP Spring 2011 (Feb. 19, 2011)
Ever wanted to understand how things move and why? Want to be able to predict where a ball will land and how hard it will hit the ground? If you are interested in physics, but never really had much experience with it, this is the class for you.

W3739: Set in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Learn how to play Set, the best game ever! Challenge pros at Set! Win FABULOUS prizes. Beginners and experts welcome. We will be running multiple games to accommodate all skill levels.

M3817: Euler's Formula in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Ever wondered why $$e^{i\pi}=-1$$? Do you want to know why trig functions and exponentials are the same thing? Interested in learning fast ways to prove trig identities so you don't have to memorize them? Come to this class and learn all of these things and more! Also grab a look at the wikipedia article for more info.