MathIS

Two BI grants are available:

BI1: Refactoring School Mathematics (6 months)

This BI-supported project intends to compare calculational techniques developed in the context of the "correct-by-construction" approach to systems design, to common practice in general maths contexts (both in discrete or continuous mathematics and applications, including physics). In particular, we want to inspect and, in a sense, "re-factor" proofs found in middle school and high-school textbooks "along such techniques". Example areas are the vectorial calculus, the diferential calculus, analytical geometry, and so on.

The task will consist of

• collecting proof specimen from textbooks and classify them according several parameters such as kind of proof (eg. reductio ad absurdum), level of informality (eg. graphical, textual, symbolic), level of completeness (eg. relying on "obvious" steps), etc
• re-factoring such proofs constructively and calculationally, with an eye on genericity
• evaluating the outcome (best if with the feedback of maths teachers, students - cf. intended interaction with maths clubs and so on)
• drawing conclusions about the feasibility of such techniques outside computer science
• writing one or two papers about the whole experiment, one more inclined to the education theorist and the other to the information scientist.

BI2: Recognition of Handwritten Mathematics (6 months)

The main goal of this project is to create a C# application for recognition of handwritten mathematics as part of a Tablet PC tool for structured editing handwritten mathematics. The project will be developed in close connection to AlexandraMendes at Nottingham University.

Read a brief project description here (in portuguese)