This updated and revised edition of David Joyner’s entertaining “hands-on” tour of group theory and abstract algebra brings life, levity, and practicality to the topics through mathematical toys.Joyner uses permutation puzzles such as the Rubik’s Cube and its variants, the 15 puzzle, the Rainbow Masterball, Merlin’s Machine, the Pyraminx, and the Skewb to explain the basics of introductory algebra and group theory. Subjects covered include the Cayley graphs, symmetries, isomorphism...

A Teacher’s Guide to Conversational AI explores the practical role that language-based artificial intelligence tools play in classroom teaching, learning experiences, and student assessment. Today’s educators are well aware that conversational and generative AI—chatbots, intelligent tutoring systems, large language models, and more—represent a complex new factor in teaching and learning. This introductory primer offers comprehensive, novice-friendly guidance into the challenges an...

The Venusians, a flamboyant people with a love for art-deco and spandex, face an energy crisis that threatens their luxurious lifestyle.Their solution? Earth's abundant plastic trash. They launch an audacious plan using avatar-teleportation technology to infiltrate Earth and steal plastic.Bevers Sonnof, a hapless but enthusiastic Venusian, neural-hijacks the mind and body of the fearsome El Toro, an enforcer for Victor the Vicious, a Baltimore mob boss. As ...

Teaching at Scale explores the characteristics and parameters of large-scale online learning by identifying, in its perceived drawbacks, a wealth of educational opportunities in disguise. Scalable learning platforms have exploded in popularity over recent years, with MOOCS (massive open online courses), online degree programs, informal learning communities, and alternative credentials all drawing significant enrollments. But, as many educators are asking, are the challenges to del...

This original monograph investigates several unsolved problems that currently exist in coding theory. A highly relevant branch of mathematical computer science, the theory of error-correcting codes is concerned with reliably transmitting data over a ‘noisy’ channel. Despite its fairly long history and consistent prominence, the field still contains interesting problems that have resisted solution by some of the most prominent mathematicians of recent decades.Employing SAGE—a free o...

A vision of the future of education in which the classroom experience is distributed across space and time without compromising learning.What if there were a model for learning in which the classroom experience was distributed across space and time--and students could still have the benefits of the traditional classroom, even if they can't be present physically or learn synchronously? In this book, two experts in online learning envision a future in which education...

Differential equations can be taught using Sage as an inventive new approach.David Joyner and Marshall Hampton's lucid textbook explains differential equations using the free and open-source mathematical software Sage.Since its release in 2005, Sage has acquired a substantial following among mathematicians, but its first user was Joyner, who is credited with helping famed mathematician William Stein turn the program into a usable and popular choice....

Farspace 2 is, at times, darker, more cautionary and less care-free than its predecessor. It is an exploration of the dangers of the future that we will be challenged with, should our species be so fortunate to reach that distant land. There are stories about control—by entities that want to harm or protect us. Stories about exploration—not the happy, "everything is wonderful out there and all will be great if we only go" stories, but rather the "yes it's dangerous out there, and we can ge...

This textbook acts as a pathway to higher mathematics by seeking and illuminating the connections between graph theory and diverse fields of mathematics, such as calculus on manifolds, group theory, algebraic curves, Fourier analysis, cryptography and other areas of combinatorics. An overview of graph theory definitions and polynomial invariants for graphs prepares the reader for the subsequent dive into the applications of graph theory. To pique the reader’s interest in areas of possible ...

The Use of Aquatics in Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Rehabilitation and Physical Conditioning is a definitive and scientifically based text on the use and application of aquatic methodologies in both rehabilitation and physical conditioning appropriate for the general population to the elite athlete.The Use of Aquatics in Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Rehabilitation and Physical Conditioning represents a new generation of rehabi...

How to Survive the Recession, Handle Layoffs, Raise Emergency Cash, Thwart an Employee Coup, and Avoid Other Potential Disasters!Don't Panic.Be Prepared.Have a Plan.Layoffs. Sales slumps. Dangerously low morale. Extreme cash tightness. Reorganizations.It's a scary world out there. Times are as tough as they've been in decades. More than ever before, companies are struggling to make ends meet, having to cut costs, lay off employees, delay new endeavors—and...

Oral History: An Interdisciplinary Anthology is a collection of classic articles by some of the best known proponents of oral history, demonstrating the basics of oral history, while also acting as a guidebook for how to use it in research. Added to this new edition is insight into how oral history is practiced on an international scale, making this book an indispensable resource for scholars of history and social sciences, as well as those interested in oral history on the avocational lev...