Students Present at Mathematical Association of America Meeting
Five Arcadia students, including three students from Arcadia’s program with Jiangsu University in China, presented at the Meeting of the Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware section of the Mathematical Association of America on April 2 at Muhlenberg College. Arcadia tied for the top number of student presenters.
Presenters
- Theresa Dewa ’16, Carmela Straiton ’16 (Faculty mentor: Dr. Ned Wolff)
- “Assessing the Accuracy of Arcadia University’s Math Placement Test”
- Abstract: Two years ago, Arcadia University revised the math placement test it gives to incoming students to see if they are ready to take calculus. We present the results of our analysis comparing the predictive ability of the new and old versions of the test.
- Liyuan (Hobbs) Zhang ’16 (Faculty mentor: Dr. Zaneta Chapman)
- “Using the Buhlmann Technique to Analyze Credibility”
- Abstract: Credibility theory refers to the quantitative methods insurers use to adjust future premiums for policyholders based on past experience. We will review the Buhlmann Technique for calculating credibility.
- Zhenbang Wang ’19 (Faculty mentor: Dr. Wolff)
- “Actual Versus Effective Sample Size”
- Abstract: Data are often clustered, such as students in classrooms. In this case, the effective sample size, which is a function of the intraclass correlation coefficient, is less than the actual sample size. My R-based simulations demonstrate that researchers should use the effective sample size in order to preserve accurate Type-I error rates.
- LinXing Yao ’18 (Faculty mentor: Dr. Carlos Ortiz)
- “A Calculus Student’s Dream: (f(x) · g(x))’ = f’ (x) · g’ (x) and (f(g(x)))’ = f’ (g’ (x))”
- Abstract: We investigate functions that satisfy the naive (and wrong) chain and product rules for derivatives. The key tools for this study are the notions of autonomous differential equations, iterations of functions, and periodic functions.
