Posted on Thursday, February 10, 2005
Drs. John Bonomo and Carolyn Cuff will explore "Mathematics and Toys" at Faculty Forum Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 11:45 a.m. in the Sebastian Mueller Theater located in the McKelvey Campus Center.
"'Mathematics and Toys' explores the mathematics underlying the Tower of Hanoi puzzle and other disk and peg games," Cuff said. "I will introduce the concept of mathematical modeling with recurrence relations."
Bonomo and Cuff recently had a paper, "How Do You Stack Up," published in the November issue of the College and Mathematics Journal. Information from this research will also be included in the presentation.
"Basically the paper is a mathematical investigation of a simple children's toy known as a stacking ring," Bonomo said. "My three kids all played with this toy, and their random placement of rings on the tower was the genesis of the article. Things like this always happen when you mix mathematicians and toys."
Bonomo, associate professor of computer science, has been with Westminster College since 1998. He earned his undergraduate and master's degrees from Catholic University, and his Ph.D. from Purdue University. He has served as judge and problem contributor for the International Collegiate Programming Contest several times.
Cuff, who is a professor of mathematics, has been with Westminster College since 1989. She earned her undergraduate degree from Westminster College, and her master's and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University.
Faculty forum, established in 1990, serves as a venue for the exchange of ideas and information among Westminster College faculty. Speakers present their research, teaching ideas, lectures, performances, special programs, and uses of technology to keep faculty informed about the work of colleagues from many disciplines.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Cuff at (724) 946-7291 or e-mail ccuff@westminster.edu.
