NU Splash Biography

How does sound work? All the sounds that you encounter in everyday life - such as a car horn, the barking of a dog, or your favorite song - are produced by invisible waves that travel through the air at high speeds. In this class, we will examine what makes certain sounds appear to be so different from others, and why some sounds appear to be musical while others do not. We will also learn why musical intervals such as an octave or perfect fifth sound pleasant while intervals such as a minor second sound unpleasant.

How does one determine right from wrong? Two centuries ago, the philosopher Jeremy Bentham proposed a solution: an action is considered good if the pleasure that it produces outweighs the pain. In this class, we will examine this theory, known as utilitarianism, and debate whether it is possible to quantify pleasure and pain in the manner that Bentham and others proposed. We will also examine some criticisms of utilitarianism in order to arrive at our conclusion about how to determine right from wrong.

You know what a 3-dimensional cube look like. Now what would a 4-dimensional cube look like? What properties would the 4-dimensional cube have? In this class, we will construct a 4-dimensional cube, try to count its number of faces (3-dimensional and 2-dimensional), and look at other properties of the 4-cube. We will also watch a crazy video with animations that rotate the 4-cube, take 3-dimensional cross-sections If we have time, we will also generalize other solids such as the tetrahedron and octahedron to higher dimensions, or discuss other multi-dimensional topics of your choice.

What's more fun than playing games? This class will be a chance for you to compete with your fellow students and play your favorite board games. I'll go over the rules and strategy a bit, but for the most part, you'll be on your own. Some of the games that will be included are chess, checkers, Reversi, Scrabble, Risk, Settlers of Catan, and others (email me if you have any suggestions). Don't know how to play these games? Don't worry, I (or other students in the class) can teach you!