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Math Horizons Contents—April 2016

We have an exciting issue of Math Horizons this month. Fans of Game of Thrones and those who have never seen it will enjoy Andrew Beveridge and Jie Shan's excellent analysis of the characters' social network. (And we promise—no spoilers!) Christopher Staecker writes about how he created an online game so that strangers could solve 3,500 open math problems for him. Myles Dworkin and Elyn Rykken look at which Euclidean constructions hold in spherical geometry and which new ones we can perform. Nathan Shields shares his mathematical art; his medium? Pancakes. Amy Shell-Gellasch unearths more mathematical treasures from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Enjoy these articles and more in the April issue of Math Horizons. —David Richeson, Editor

Read these articles, and more, online today. Remember: Every MAA member has online access to Math Horizons.  

Math Horizons is now on Facebook and Twitter. Follow us. David Richeson, editor

 

Volume 23, Issue 4

JOURNAL SUBSCRIBERS AND MAA MEMBERS:

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Supplements

Such supplemental information as solutions for contests, contest winners, editorials, and other reader responses to Math Horizons articles is available here.

Articles

Nice Neighbors: A Brief Adventure in Mathematical Gamification

P. Christopher Staecker

P. Christopher Staecker created a web game to help him solve 3,500 math problems.

JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.5 

Constructions on the Sphere

Myles Dworkin and Elyn Rykken

Do Euclid’s propositions hold on the sphere?

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.8 

DO THE MATH!

Playing with Pancakes

Nathan Shields

A dad uses pancakes to feed, entertain, and teach his kids.

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.12 

Run for Third! A Defense of Aggressive Base Running

Peter Macdonald, Dan McQuillan and Ian McQuillan

Should a base runner run or wait on a potentially uncatchable fly ball?

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.14 

Avoiding Plagiarism in Mathematics

Richard D. Neidinger

It is important to know when and how to cite sources in mathematical writing.

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.16

Network of Thrones

Andrew Beveridge and Jie Shan

Andrew Beveridge and Jie Shan use techniques from network science to analyze Game of Thrones. (pdf)

The social network for A Storm of Swords (image)

The social network for King's Landing (image)

JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.18 

Directions to Be Read, Then Ignored

Gary Gordon and Rebecca Gordon

Exam instructions that aren’t the same old, same old.

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.22

How Do We Draw an Ellipse?

Amy Shell-Gellasch

Amy Shell-Gellasch presents low- and high-tech ways to draw an ellipse.

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.23

THE BOOKSHELF

Patterns of the Universe: A Coloring Adventure in Math and Beauty, by Alex Bellos and Edmund Harriss

Reviewed by Brie Finegold

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.26

 

Creating Symmetry: The Artful Mathematics of Wallpaper Patterns, by Frank Farris

Reviewed by Kate Kearney

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.27

Career Arcs and Advice: Voices from the Field

George Ashline

Mathematics alumni discuss their careers and give advice to students.

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.28 

THE PLAYGROUND!

The Math Horizons problem section, edited by Gary Gordon

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.31 

AFTERMATH: Embrace Mistakes

Eduardo Briceño

Mathematics alumni discuss their careers and give advice to students.

To purchase the article from JSTOR: http://dx.doi.org/10.4169/mathhorizons.23.4.34