Numbers save the day
GCNU 1025
HKBU GE 2014 Fall
• Instructor: Dr. Aijun Zhang
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Office: FSC 1004
Tel: 3411 6665
Email: ajzhang@hkbu.edu.hk
Webpage: www.math.hkbu.edu.hk/~ajzhang/
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• Textbook: Numbers Save the Day
• K. H. Law, Pearson, 2012
Nature by Numbers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkGeOWYOFoA
Numbers in daily life
• Are there any numbers that can represent you?
• Are there any numbers that can represent some of your belongings
(smartphones, tablets, etc.)?
Numbers in daily life
• Student ID number
• HKID number
• Mobile phone number (?)
• Serial numbers
Numbers in daily life
• Question: what are the uses of numbers in daily life?
• Answer #1: numbers can be used for identification purpose
Numbers in daily life
• Question: what are the uses of numbers in daily life?
• Answer #2: numbers can be used for error-checking due to its
computability
Numbers in daily life
Course Outline
• Ch1: Numbers in our Pockets
• Numbers for identification
• Numbers for error-checking
• Barcode
• Ch2: Numbers in Codes
• Binary codes
• Coding and errors detection
• Data transmission
Course Outline
• Ch3: Numbers on the Internet
• Internet security
• Simple cryptography
Course Outline
• Ch4: Numbers in Images
• Image storage
• Image processing
• Fractals
Course Outline
• Ch5: Numbers in Nature and Life
• Paper size
• Music
• Important numbers
Assessment
• 4 in-class assignments: 40% (penalty for late in-class assignments)
• Midterm test: 20% (closed book; ~week 7, subject to change)
• Final examination: 40%
• No attendance for the moment
Teaching/learning materials
• Outline of PowerPoint
• Textbook (followed closely)
• Classwork (not part of assessment)
• In-class assignments (important)
• Mid-term test (important)
• On-line quizzes (not part of assessment)
• Discussion groups in the Library starting from mid-term week (not
part of assessment)
• Materials will be posted online via To be announced
Course Intended Learning Outcomes
• Identify connections between relevant mathematical notations and
other disciplines
• Explain the applications of elementary number theory in today’s
information systems
• Identify mathematics and skills underpinning the digital world
• Analyze and compare the structures of sequences, and relate them to
daily phenomena