Famous Mathematicians of Earth
ChatGPT Rewrite: 2/2/2023
Outline with Sources: 2/9/2023,
First Draft: Due 2/16/2023,
Final Draft: Due 2/28/2023
Topic:
For this assignment, we investigate mathematical culture through historical anecdotes
about famous mathematicians. Each member of the class will be assigned a mathematician of
note. The assignment is to write a brief essay on this person and to give a good argument for
why this person would be considered important to mathematics.
Mathematical Figure:
Assigned in Class
Task:
Write a 3-4 page essay on the mathematical figure listed above. This essay will be
submitted as a first draft, subject to at least one revision for full credit. The essay should be
type-set, double-spaced, and in New Times Roman font. See endnote for rules on references.
The format of the essay could include:
 One to two paragraphs on biographical sketch and career in mathematics,
 Does this figure have historical significance or current media presence? If so, briefly
describe their impact on science and society.
 Why do you think the math community finds this person of interest?
 If you had to give a two-minute anecdote or argument for why this person is of interest
to mathematicians, what would you write?

Rubric (Generic/Holistic):
As noted in the syllabus, assignments will be graded based on
the following criteria:
 Correctness: statements should accurately reflect the program,
 Clarity: writing should be easy to read and reveal logical thought processes,
 Concision: no run-on sentences or rambling passages,
 Completeness: covers all major points of an issue and notable exceptions
 Assignments are not graded for grammar or syntax, but should not contain simple errors
that could be caught by a word processor.
Grading for final drafts is 2-8 points (max 4 points for no revised draft). For guidance, on a scale
from 1 to 6,
6 (Excellent): All criteria met. Student has considered most key points and the overall picture.
Clear presentation with no errors.
5 (Very Good): Most criteria met. May fail to meet one of the areas listed, revealing some
unclear writing or minor inaccuracies.
4 (Good): Student shows clear understanding, but some areas are noticeably weaker.
3 (Fair): Student displays significant understanding, but poor writing or organization of ideas
would hinder a reader who doesn’t already know the material.
2 (Poor): Weak across most areas, but student has clearly tried although struggling. A reader
would have difficulty understanding the content due to serious disorganization or inaccuracies.
1 No criteria met.
Writing a Summary Essay:
The main point of summary essay is to summarize – it’s not
about merely repeating of the contents of the source, but rather about finding a common
through-line in the narrative and noting how the contents contribute to this through-line. A
good summary need not address every aspect that arises in the source, but should hit on any
major beats or counterpoints and then tie everything together. Weak summaries will have
major omissions of content and little attention given to drawing out the bigger picture.
Low Stakes Background/References:
For the first part, use ChatGPT (available at
https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/) to create a brief essay on your subject. Simply type ‘Write
an essay on …’). Then re-write or summarize the essay in your own words – no new content is
needed, but it should be clear no parts were directly copied. Submit the ChatGPT output with
your re-write.
For the second part, find three sources on your subject (possibly by consulting Wikipedia).
These sources should be articles as pdfs, not websites or blog entries. Use these sources to fact
check the first part and to supplement the re-write with additional material. Construct an
outline with the list of three sources before starting the first draft.
First and final drafts:
Should include part of the ChatGPT output, but should substantially
differ with additional material (for instance, quotes) from the three sources.
Graded work with comments will be returned in the next class. Students should begin work on
the next step before graded work is returned.
Wikipedia and/or Internet sites should not be cited as sources. Among other science
publications, see Notices of the AMS or Quanta magazine. Feel free to email me if you are
having trouble finding good sources.
Note that ChatGPT may not be immediately available due to capacity. It’s best to try on off
hours (early morning or late at night).