Sam Vandervelde's Math Home Page

I am an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at St. Lawrence University, located in Canton, NY; I joined the department in the fall of 2007. I enjoy any beautiful mathematical ideas, although I tend to be inclined towards problems in number theory, graph theory, combinatorics, and Euclidean geometry. Current research projects include work on arithmetic graph sums, Jacobi sums, and new partition identities, while my dissertation focused on Mahler measure. I am on sabbatical during the Fall 2010 semester and will be teaching MATH 136 (Integral Calculus), CS 140 (Intro to Computer Programming) and MATH 280 (Bridge to Higher Math) during the spring semester. At St. Lawrence I have also taught Multivariable Calculus, College Geometry, Number Theory, Combinatorics, and a problem solving seminar.

Contact Info • Publications • Current CV • Snow Bowl
High School Math Contests • Math Circles

I have recently completed a textbook for use with the proofs course taught at St.Lawrence University. My goal in writing the text was to create an excellent, engaging, inexpensive book for my students. Click on the picture of the cover at left for more information about the book, including how to place an order or how to download portions of the book for review, including the front matter, first three chapters, and answers for all corresponding exercises.

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Contact Info

Dr. Sam Vandervelde Dept of Math, CS & Stats St. Lawrence University 23 Romoda Drive Canton, NY 13617

Office: Valentine 212 Phone: 315-229-5946 Fax: 315-229-7413 Email: svandervelde@stlawu.edu

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Publications

• Bridge to Higher Mathematics, self published at www.lulu.com, 2010. More info
• Circle in a Box, American Mathematical Society, Providence, RI, 2009. Link to PDF
• Expected Value Road Trip, Mathematical Intelligencer, 30(2) (2008) 17–18. PDF
• The Mahler Measure of Parametrizable Polynomials, Journal of Number Theory, 128(8) (2008) 2231–2250. PDF
• A Formula for the Mahler Measure of axy+bx+cy+d, Journal of Number Theory, 100(1) (2003) 184–202. PDF
• Mathematics as a Liberal Art, Journal of Education, 183(3) (2002) 7–15.
• The First Five Years, Greater Testing Concepts, Cambridge, MA, 2004. Order
• The Mandelbrot Problem Book, Greater Testing Concepts, Cambridge, MA, 2002. Order

To appear
• Balanced Partitions, Ramanujan Journal. PDF

Currently submitted
• On Rational Cubic Residues, Hardy-Ramanujan Journal. PDF

In preparation
• Mandelbrot Morsels, Greater Testing Concepts, Potsdam, NY, 2010.
• Evaluating Exponential Sums via Jacobi Sums.
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Curriculum Vitae

My curriculum vitae was last updated during the summer of 2010. PDF
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The Snow Bowl During the fall of 2007 I initiated a friendly math rivalry among Colgate, Hamilton, Skidmore, and St. Lawrence. The Snow Bowl rotates among the math departments at these four schools, awarded annually to the school whose top five students have the highest total score on the Putnam Competition. The bowl has returned to SLU for the 2010-11 academic year. The purpose of the rivalry is to promote interest and participation in mathematical problem solving for students at these schools.

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High School Math Competitions

I am the author and coordinator of the Mandelbrot Competition, a math contest taken by over 4500 high school students from across the country last year. I oversee all aspects of the competition, including test composition, web site maintenance, and contest administration. My goal is to introduce students to exciting topics outside the normal curriculum and engage them in mathematical writing. I also write questions for and serve on the committee that produces the US Math Olympiad (USAMO).
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Math Circles

I am an enthusiastic supporter and promoter of math circles, an extracurricular activity which brings students interested in mathematics together with professional mathematicians who are able to engage them in exciting mathematical investigations. I founded the Stanford Math Circle in 2005 and currently hold a math circle at A.A.Kingston Middle School in Potsdam, NY. I was also the first director of the board that created The Teacher's Circle, an analogous activity for middle school math teachers. I helped to organize a minicourse at MathFest 2008, designed to aid participants in launching their own successful math circles. Most recently I was one of the organizers for the Great Circles Workshop hosted by MSRI in April 2009. For more information, visit the National Association of Math Circles web site.