Computer Laboratory for Mathematical Experimentation

Mount Holyoke学院数学系将购买一台微型VAX-II，外围设备和软件，以建立一个数学计算机实验室，用于三种方式。首先，学生在专业必修的一门叫做数学实验实验室的课程中，将研究最好用计算机解决的数学问题。这方面的例子有：色多正规项和单模态；涉及素数的主题；随机性;混沌动力系统；Mandelbrot集合。这个实验室将迫使学生通过实验和猜想来掌握数学概念，确保对计算机的熟练程度，并有助于培养精确的思维和写作。第二，在高级课程中，学生可以利用他们在实验室的经验，更容易地使用计算机来解决有趣的问题。第三，在高级独立工作中，计算机的可用性将增加学生可用的独立项目的数量和复杂性，她将有相当多的经验，以便她可以在更高的层次上开始项目。

The Mathematics Department at Mount Holyoke College will purchase a micro VAX-II, peripherals, and software in order to establish a mathematics computer laboratory to be used in three ways. First, students in a course, required of majors, called Laboratory in Mathematical Experimentation, will investigate mathematical problems which are best attacked using a computer. Examples of these are topics in chromatic polynormials and unimodality; topics dealing with prime numbers; randomness; chaotic dynamical systems; the Mandelbrot set. This laboratory will force students to come to grips with mathematical ideas through experimentation and conjecture, ensure some proficiency with the computer, and help foster precise thinking and writing. Second, in advanced courses students can build on their experience in the laboratory to use the computer more easily to work on interesting problems. Third, in senior independent work the availability of the computer will increase the number and sophistication of independent projects available to a student, and she will have had considerable experience so that she can start the project at a higher level.