We describe a course that highlights mathematical experimentation as an introductory course for first year mathematics majors. We discuss the benefits of an experimental approach as an alternate pathway into the mathematics major. We also explain how this course serves as a gentle lead-in to later research experiences.

This article is a project that takes students through the process of forming a mathematical model of bicycle dynamics. Beginning with basic ideas from Newtonian mechanics (forces and torques), students use techniques from calculus and differential equations to develop the equations of rotational motion for a bicycle-rider system as it tips from…

We describe our approach to incorporating a civic engagement component into a quantitative literacy (QL) course and the resulting gains in student learning, confidence, and awareness of local civic issues. We revised the existing QL course by including semester-long group projects involving local community issues that students could investigate…

We provide an overview of the Calculus Pilot Project that was undertaken by the Rochester Institute of Technology in the 2001 and 2002 academic years. A brief discussion of demographics is followed by a description of three specific steps that, in concert, increased student success rates by over 16%. (Contains 3 tables and 5 figures.)

We give an example of a student project that experimentally explores a topic in random graph theory. We use the "Combinatorica" package in "Mathematica" to estimate the minimum number of edges needed in a random graph to have a 50 percent chance that the graph is connected. We provide the "Mathematica" code and compare it to the known theoretical…