Tag: MAA

Introduction to knot theory

The Mathematical Association of America has an excellent series of 10-minute lectures on various topics in mathematics that are nevertheless accessible to the general public, including gifted elementary school students. The video below is a gentle introduction to knot theory, including computational issues and 3D printing. From the YouTube description:

Laura Taalman, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at James Madison University, discusses using technology to explore mathematics.

Introduction to the Catalan numbers

From the YouTube description:

Alissa S. Crans, Associate Professor of Mathematics at Loyola Marymount University, introduces viewers to the Catalan numbers, which take on a variety of different guises as they provide the solution to numerous problems throughout mathematics.

More on the Catalan numbers can be found at MathWorld and at Wikipedia and at http://www-math.mit.edu/~rstan/ec/. This video is accessible to the general public, including gifted elementary school students.