Month: March 2015

Radial Basis Functions – Freedom from meshes in scientific computing: Developments and Applications

Mathematical Sciences Colloquium
Michigan Technological University
March 27, 2015
1:05 p.m.
Fisher 101

Radial Basis Functions – Freedom from meshes in scientific computing: Developments and Applications

Natasha Flyer

Institute of Mathematics Applied to Geosciences,
National Center for Atmospheric Research

Bengt Fornberg

University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado

Flyer Fornberg-03-27-15

Radial basis functions method

Mathematical Sciences Colloquium
Michigan Technological University
March 26, 2015
1:05 p.m.
Fisher 326

A fast algorithm for distributing nodes with variable density

Natasha Flyer

Institute of Mathematics Applied to Geosciences,
National Center for Atmospheric Research

Flyer-03-26-15

Numerical Quadrature over the Surface of a Sphere

Bengt Fornberg

University of Colorado
Boulder, Colorado

Fornberg-03-26-15

 

Tivitz Tournament at Michigan Tech

The 10th Annual Tivitz Tournament took place at the college campus, where more than 100 students in grades four through seven from seven Western Upper Peninsula schools competed in the board game that draws upon their math and logic skills.

MTU Center For Pre–College Outreach Event Coordinator Amanda McConnon said, “Tivitz is a math game.  It’s similar to checkers but you leave all your pieces on the board and you have to get them from one side to the other and at the end, there’s math equations using the numbers on the Tivitz, which are like dice, and you have to use math to figure out the answers and add up who has the most points.”

Michigan Tech’s Center for Pre–College Outreach partners with the Copper Country Intermediate School District to put on the tournament. And don’t let these kids know, but they are having fun doing math.

South Range Elementary sixth–grader Christian Hocking said, “It’s just fun to play other people in the Tivitz tournament.  When you get older you’re going to need to know math operations and everything for work and stuff.”

The fun coupled with the learning is what makes this event worthwhile.

McConnon said, “We’re teaching them strategy, a little bit of math, and they’re also working with people they might not know from a different school so they’re also having to meet new people.”

From ABC10

Michigan Tech Hosts Tivitz Tournament – March 18

Michigan Tech Hosts Tivitz Tournament

Michigan Tech’s Center for Pre-College Outreach (CPCO) will be hosting the 10th annual Tivitz Tournament today from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the SDC Wood Gym. Seven schools from the western Upper Peninsula will be sending about 150 students from grades 4 through 7.

Tivitz is a board game that combines the logic and strategy of checkers/chess with arithmetic problem-solving. Students move their play pieces (tivits) across the game board, one at a time, until they reach goal spaces. Once they reach the other side of the board, they must solve the indicated math problem correctly to score the most points. Pairs of students will play one practice and three scored rounds in a friendly competition to wind up among the highest-scoring in their grade.

Between rounds of Tivitz play, students and staff of Michigan Tech will lead several hands-on activities that demonstrate mathematical concepts.

“Our goal is to show interesting demos that involve math to compliment Tivitz game play,” says Liz Fujita, coordinator at CPCO. “There is a lot of math in everyday life, and a lot of little oddities that are fun to consider.”

The Tivitz Tournament is made possible by the CPCO in partnership with the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the Western UP Center for Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education.

From Tech Today