You don't know something until you can teach it! In this class, we will talk about the close link between teaching and learning and give you the tools to succeed both as an effective student and teacher. Whether you want to help your classmates or siblings, want to volunteer to teach younger students, or even go into a career as a teacher, this class will give you a basic foundation of the art of teaching.

Math is supposed to make sense...right? No way, Condorcet! A paradox is a statement that defies logic or reason. Come learn about the little snags in math and logic, then let's untangle them together. Because this is Splash, you'll have a chance to weigh in on what we cover based on what YOU are interested in. No matter what, these timeless puzzles will stretch your mind until you're left believing the impossible. Possible topics include Condorcet's paradox, the Monty Hall paradox, the prisoner's dilemma, the multitude of problems with time travel, Giffen goods, Zeno's paradox, and so much more!

Sometimes in Math (or Science) there are these hammers which you can use to trivialize problems. Often, using a hammer takes some of the fun and excitement out of solving a problem, but usually that doesn’t keep you from learning how to use the hammer. Generating functions are the hammer with which we demolish combinatorics problems. In this class, we will show how encoding combinatorial problems algebraically gives us a whole new level of insight into the subject, and conclude with a method that will allow you to compute almost any combinatorial sum you might encounter.

Has an XKCD comic ever confused you? In this class, we'll go over XKCD comics and discover the science behind!

The class will discuss selected physics problems and problem solving strategies, focusing on the style of mathematics used in physics problems. Especially stressed will be the use of the binomial theorem in making rigorous approximations. Problems will be taken from David Morin, An Introduction to Classical Mechanics.

The famous line from http://xkcd.com/123/ discusses "Coordinate Substitution" by "Constructing Newton's laws in a rotation system" with the result that the centrifugal force appears "plain as day". We will do as Dr. No (the bad guy with the lever) suggests and see that the non-existence of centrifugal force is, in fact, a myth perpetrated by overzealous physics teachers.