The second Mosaic Lecture took place on March 18, 2015. A video of the lecture can be found on the GVSU Mathematics Department YouTube channel.

Dr. Francis Edward Su

Harvey Mudd College

President, Mathematical Association of America

My Favorite Math Fun Facts

For several years, I have been collecting “Math Fun Facts,” which are juicy math tidbits that I have been using to start off math classes as a warm-up activity. Math Fun Facts can be from any area of mathematics, can be presented in less than 5 minutes, and are meant to arouse my students' curiosity and show that mathematics is full of interesting ideas, patterns, and new modes of thinking that come from diverse sources. In this talk, I will present my favorite Math Fun Facts. They're definitely fun, but will they be YOUR favorites? You decide.

About Dr. Francis Edward Su

Francis Edward Su is the Benediktsson-Karwa Professor of Mathematics at Harvey Mudd College. He received his B.S. in Mathematics from the University of Texas at Austin and his Ph.D. from Harvard University. He is President of the Mathematical Association of America. His research is in geometric combinatorics and applications to the social sciences, and he has co-authored numerous papers with undergraduates. He also has a passion for teaching and popularizing mathematics. From the Mathematical Association of America, he received the 2001 Hasse Prize for expository writing, and the 2004 Alder Award and the 2013 Haimo Award for distinguished teaching. He authors the popular Math Fun Facts website and iPhone app. His hobbies include songwriting, gardening, photography, and theology. Just like mathematics, these are modes of creative expression that divinely blend structure and freedom, truth and beauty, reflection and action.

The 2015 Mosaic Lecture was co-sponsored by the Department of Political Science, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Frederik Meijer Honors College.