Nevada State University Mathematics Colloquium is held monthly on the second or third Tuesday of each month. Typically, colloquium talks are given online around 4:30pm immediately following our Math & Data Sci Tea. For inquiries, please contact Sungju Moon or Nandita Sahajpal.
Fall 2023
Oct 10: Emily A. Robinson (Cal Poly San Obispo)
Human Perception of Statistical Charts: An Introduction to Graphical Testing Methods
Abstract. In a world full of data, we all consume graphics on a regular basis in order to inform our decisions and aid in making discoveries about the information presented. With the continuous relevance of graphics, it is important for statisticians in any specialty area to understand what makes a chart good or bad. Through testing, we can better inform and establish fundamental principles for creating and displaying graphics. In this presentation, I will first motivate the talk with a brief history of graphics and established data visualization studies. I will then introduce recent methods used for testing graphics and share my work on establishing guidelines for the use of logarithmic scales.
Nov 14: Taylor McAdam (Pomona College)
Chaos on the Circle
Abstract. Rotate a circle by a fixed angle, then repeat again and again. Where will a single point travel? Will it come back to where it started and how does the answer depend on the rotation angle? Despite their simplicity, rotations and other transformations of the circle teach us a lot about many processes like planets orbiting a sun, coffee stirred in a cup, and about the very nature of numbers themselves. In this talk, I will discuss a variety of ways that mathematicians think about how “complicated" or chaotic such a process becomes. Along the way we find surprising connections to other areas of math such as (ir)rationality of real numbers and binary sequences.
Nov 21: Xinyu Zhao (McMaster U.)
Instability of the 2D Euler Equations
Abstract. Hydrodynamic stability is a well-established but still highly active research area in fluid dynamics, with pioneering work by Helmholtz, Kelvin, Rayleigh and Reynolds during the nineteenth century. To develop an understanding of how “small” perturbations grow and modify fluid flows, one usually linearizes the governing equations, and investigates the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the linearized operator. The flow is considered linearly unstable if the operator possesses an eigenvalue with a positive real part. In this talk, we will present a numerical study of the instability of the 2D Taylor-Green vortex, which is a steady solution of the 2D Euler equations. This is based on a joint work with Bartosz Protas and Roman Shvydkoy.
Spring 2024
Mar 12: Julie Vega (Maret School)
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