Numbers save the day

GCNU 1025 HKBU GE 2014 Fall

• Instructor: Dr. Aijun Zhang• Office: FSC 1004• Tel: 3411 6665• Email: ajzhang@hkbu.edu.hk• Webpage: www.math.hkbu.edu.hk/~ajzhang/

• • Textbook: Numbers Save the Day

• K. H. Law, Pearson, 2012

Nature by Numbers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkGeOWYOFoA

Numbers in daily life

• Are there any numbers that can represent you?• Are there any numbers that can represent some of your belongings

(smartphones, tablets, etc.)?

Numbers in daily life

• Student ID number• HKID number• Mobile phone number (?)• Serial numbers

Numbers in daily life

• Question: what are the uses of numbers in daily life? • Answer #1: numbers can be used for identification purpose

Numbers in daily life

• Question: what are the uses of numbers in daily life?• Answer #2: numbers can be used for error-checking due to its

computability

Numbers in daily life

Course Outline

• Ch1: Numbers in our Pockets• Numbers for identification • Numbers for error-checking• Barcode

• Ch2: Numbers in Codes• Binary codes• Coding and errors detection• Data transmission

Course Outline

• Ch3: Numbers on the Internet• Internet security• Simple cryptography

Course Outline

• Ch4: Numbers in Images• Image storage• Image processing• Fractals

Course Outline

• Ch5: Numbers in Nature and Life• Paper size • Music• Important numbers

Assessment

• 4 in-class assignments: 40% (penalty for late in-class assignments)• Midterm test: 20% (closed book; ~week 7, subject to change)• Final examination: 40%• No attendance for the moment

Teaching/learning materials

• Outline of PowerPoint • Textbook (followed closely)• Classwork (not part of assessment)• In-class assignments (important)• Mid-term test (important)• On-line quizzes (not part of assessment)• Discussion groups in the Library starting from mid-term week (not

part of assessment) • Materials will be posted online via To be announced

Course Intended Learning Outcomes

• Identify connections between relevant mathematical notations and other disciplines • Explain the applications of elementary number theory in today’s

information systems• Identify mathematics and skills underpinning the digital world• Analyze and compare the structures of sequences, and relate them to

daily phenomena