Key facts

Type	Online and Distance Learning
Location	Online
Dates	Mon 30 Sep to Fri 13 Dec 2013
Subject area(s)	Mathematics
CATS points	10
Fees	From £220.00
Application status	Applications being accepted
Course code	O13P436MAV
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email onlinecourses@conted.ox.ac.uk or telephone +44 (0)1865 280974.

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Overview

Based on Marcus du Sautoy's book The Number Mysteries, this course explores the question, how natural is mathematics? Through numerous online activities and 'at home' experiments, you will interact with mathematics as you have never done before.

Description

Today, we inhabit a world that is full of technological advances which are only possible due to the huge leaps that science has made over the last few decades; the structure of DNA, the microchip, splitting the atom. Yet, as diverse as these major discoveries may seem, they are all understood through the language of mathematics.
Mathematics has come a long way from its humble origins of notches on a stick and through this ten week course we will take you all the way from the beginning of the number system to the very edges of the universe.
Packed full of diverse activities to suit a wide range of learning styles, The Number Mysteries maths course is for anyone who wants to go on a mathematical odyssey which may change the way they think forever.

Programme details

1. The construction of the number system and the human relationship to it.
2. Proofs and prime numbers
3. Fractals
4. Topology
5. Probability Theory
6. Probabilistic games
7. Modulo arithmetic
8. Encryption
9. Mechanical System
10. Chaos and complex numbers

Course aims

This course aims to

• give students a deeper knowledge and understanding of the concepts of number, shape, the role of logic and probability in game play, the role of mathematics in codes and the power of mathematical equations to predict the future;
• provide students with activities that allow the students to interact with mathematics on a level which they may not considered before;
• show how mathematics permeates many aspects of our daily lives;
• aid the intuition of the participants when dealing with probability;
• show the beauty behind the equations that mathematicians use.

This course will enable students to:

• have confidence in situations where numerical processes are necessary.
• question the statistical data that the media presents as fact.
• organise problems logically, stating their assumptions and understanding their conclusions.

Certification

This course is accredited and you are expected to take the course for credit. To be awarded credit you must complete written contributions satisfactorily. Successful students will receive credit, awarded by the Board of Studies of Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. The award will take the form of 10 units of transferable credit at FHEQ level 4 of the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). A transcript detailing the credit will be issued to successful students.

Assessment methods

Assessment for this course is based on two assignments, placed midway through the course and completed in the 10 weeks of the course (the second assignment due at the end of week 10). Students will have two weeks to complete each assignment. The first piece will be a short exercise designed to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or concepts. Feedback from this will be designed to give them an idea of the progress they have made and of those areas of their work that might need more attention. The later piece of work allows students to demonstrate their learning on the course as a whole.

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

Recommended reading

To participate in this course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following book:

• du Sautoy, Marcus; The Number Mysteries [2010], Fourth Estate, Great Britain

Teaching outcomes

By the end of this course students will be expected to understand:

• mathematics is the language of the universe;
• mathematics is more than just numbers;
• intuition may not always be correct;
• the power of proof;
• mathematics allows us to explore theoretical systems without the need of physical experiment.

By the end of this course students will be expected to have gained the following skills:

• Discuss mathematical ideas competently.
• Suggest possible applicable branches of mathematics to new problems.
• Clarify and evaluate assumptions based on their applicability.
• Aid their intuition through mathematical insights.
• Transform known solutions to new problems.

Fee options

Programme Fee

Home/EU Fee: £220.00

Non-EU Fee: £295.00

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